A look at the results of yesterday’s I’m-taking-a-break crockpot dyeing:
This was 2oz of the greyish unknown wool I got in my secondhand lazy kate/bobbin package. There was a touch of angelina or firestar in there, too, which gives it a bit of sparkle. I’d love to say this was a masterfully planned and complicated colourway, but in all honestly it’s just Wilton’s Cornflower Blue, a really strong solution of it, with a natural breaking effect that separated the colour into reds and violets when the acid met the dye solution. I didn’t add vinegar to the dye, just to the water I presoaked the wool with. And even then it wasn’t a lot.
Someday I’ll try the ‘add drops of vinegar one by one at the end of the dyeing process’ thing when I use blue food-grade dyes to preserve the colour, but for now I kind of like the funky effect created by breaking the dye into its colour components with the acid. This will spin up very nicely, I think.
Got the freelance project in yesterday, too. *pats self on the back*
Yay! Gorgeous colours!
I’ve been hanging out on the “Plants to dye for” Ravelry forum for the past couple of weeks, and I’m about to start playing with a couple of plant dyes – as soon as it stops snowing long enough for me to drive into town & buy some alum, that is. What do you mordant your fiber with?
These are food-grade dyes, the kinds that tint icing or Easter eggs, so I use vinegar to make the dye set. Lemon juice is another option, or citric acid powder.
It is really lovely! And I won’t tell it’s unplanned if you don’t. ;)
So purdy!
xox