dyeing to keep busy
Aug. 17th, 2015 10:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ironymaideni got a big bag of Polypay roving at Fiber Fusion last year. i'm just now getting around to playing with it. it's quite springy and easy to draft. so far i like spinning it way better than the Romney raised in King County. (i really wanted to like the Romney. it's black! but the yarn i've made so far with it is just kind of hairy, and it doesn't seem to matter what technique i use. maybe i need to be more skilled, maybe this bag of fiber is just kind of sucky.) i'd like to source more wool from the Northwest, but it's taking a bit of work.
anyway, the Polypay was all undyed, so i tried test-dyeing a few ounces last night. it's interesting stuff. i left it soak in water for a good half-hour and it seemed pretty resistant to saturation. i am impatient, so i dyed it anyway (Wilton's paste food coloring, white vinegar) and did a steam set on the stove per Ilga's method. it was too hot to handle last night, so i'll do a rinse and look at results before bed tonight. i'll be curious to see if the dye struck properly. the fiber was cheap so no harm if the color didn't stick this time or i felted it.
***
the answer is that the color struck fast and the fiber took every bit of dye. zero color in the rinse water, and it's really intense. what it didn't do was run together as much as I expected. no pics at this point - it was dark when I put it outside on the drying rack. anyway, bright true colors, no evidence of felting, more undyed fiber visible than I intended. looks like it will be fully dry tomorrow.
anyway, the Polypay was all undyed, so i tried test-dyeing a few ounces last night. it's interesting stuff. i left it soak in water for a good half-hour and it seemed pretty resistant to saturation. i am impatient, so i dyed it anyway (Wilton's paste food coloring, white vinegar) and did a steam set on the stove per Ilga's method. it was too hot to handle last night, so i'll do a rinse and look at results before bed tonight. i'll be curious to see if the dye struck properly. the fiber was cheap so no harm if the color didn't stick this time or i felted it.
***
the answer is that the color struck fast and the fiber took every bit of dye. zero color in the rinse water, and it's really intense. what it didn't do was run together as much as I expected. no pics at this point - it was dark when I put it outside on the drying rack. anyway, bright true colors, no evidence of felting, more undyed fiber visible than I intended. looks like it will be fully dry tomorrow.
