Article ideas...

[ravingcutie]

I've come up w/ a couple that I think would be good, & could write or collaborate on.

Dyeing to Know?
A 3 part article featuring:
* Part 1: The Basics - Kool Aid Dyeing
* Part 2: Acid Dyes/ Fiber Reactive
* Part 3: Advanced Dyeing: handpainting, garment dyeing, "prints", etc.

And the second would be an ongoing column featuring reviews & buying info for different types of wool & retailers.

Whaddya think?

[pamelamama]

sounds good!

[ravingcutie]

I'll get started, then!!!

[pamelamama]

Katie, I have my kool aid lesson that will be part of the membership library. It seems silly for you to duplicate the work on that. Let me think how we might do it... I think the advanced stuff would be really great!

[ravingcutie]

ok. I was going to cover the really basics in that article, but I don't want to diminsh the benefits of membership. Maybe we could get a plug in the article that the M Library has pictures!!!

[BethyM99]

Or, the whole article could be a membership benefit? With a membership credit to the author(s) (free/reduced)

The KA lesson is great, but the more advanced stuff would be soooo awesome.

[ravingcutie]

Here's the basic KA lesson. It's really rough, and I'm not a stellar writer, so please critique. I can email any of the grammar gurus the actual file, if you prefer. (When I say rough, I mean I just finished & haven't even reread it!)

I've been doing some dyeing reseach & will be continuing the article series. There's just so much interesting stuff to learn about dyeing. Dh was wonderful and let me go to the bookstore for an hour by myself. They don't have many books on dyeing (ok, they had 1) but it had some great information in it. I will be purchasing 1 or 2 books on the subject for my own benefit, and that should help out with later articles.

Oh, should we see if T or Jess would like to do an "interview" on their inspired colorways? Not give away their secrets, but just clue the rest of us in on how they come up with such pretty things?

the article:

Dye…for some it’s like a four letter word, for others, it’s a grand adventure. Most of us dwell happily somewhere in between. Dyeing is an art, there is no doubt about it. The subtle mixing of colors will always present you with something new, and possibly the unexpected. Practice makes this art much less mysterious, so that you get results that are similar to what you envision. Read on and discover the basics of dyeing! I can’t promise that you’ll love it, but you’ll understand more than when you started.

This article is the first in a three part series that we’ll feature in the Wooly Wonders Newsletter. Each installment will cover progressively more advanced dyeing concepts. That means there is at least a month in between for you to practice up and create lots of beautiful colorways. Now for the basics of color.

Dyeing wool or any protein fiber is a fairly simple process. Messy, but simple. Protein fibers take dye readily and only need a slight acid and heat to set them. That means if you have a microwave and vinegar, you have what you need to get started. Yes, there are a few other tools that make the process more enjoyable. Here’s what you’ll need:

Several packets of KoolAid in the colors of your choice
White vinegar
Several small bowls or mugs
Heat source: microwave, stove, oven or crockpot
Garbage bag or saran wrap
Paper towels

Optional:
Rubber gloves
Squirt bottles
Non metal, shallow pan for microwaving yarn


First off, you need to prepare the fiber to accept the dye. The less soap, veggie matter, lanolin and other foreign substances, the better. Your yarn should be in a large skein, tied loosely in 3 or 4 places. Fill your sink or a large bowl with warm water and add a glug of vinegar (about 2 teaspoons per gallon). You can also add a drop or two of blue Dawn dish soap. Blue Dawn dishsoap is very close in makeup to Synthrapol, a cleaning agent available through dye retailers. Place your skein in the water, and gently push the yarn under until it stays wet. Leave it there while you get your other things ready. If you’ve used soap, do an extra rinse soak in plain water.

Grab as many bowls or mugs as you have dye colors. You will use these to mix up your dyes! In each bowl mix your Kool Aid, a teaspoon of vinegar and 1 – 2 cups of water. The intensity of the color depends upon how much dye there is in your mixture. You can keep “overdyeing” to get a more intense color, but it’s time consuming and the color may vary. Keep this in mind when you mix up your solutions.

Lay the garbage bag on your counter to keep it clean. Place a strip of saran wrap out flat on top of the garbage bag. Make sure it is several inches longer than your skein. You will need those extra inches when you wrap your yarn to heat it. Lay several paper towels on the saran wrap to catch the extra dye solution. Gently squeeze the water out of your yarn, and place on the garbage bag. Decide where you would like your colors and squirt, dump, spoon or ladle your color where you’d like to see it! Leave about ½ an inch of white wool between your colors. Then using your hands (with rubber gloves) pat and squeeze the dye through the yarn. The ½ inch of wool between colors should absorb extra dye without too much color mixing. At this point you can flip the whole skein over to check if you need to apply more dye.

Now roll the entire package up, including the paper towels, put it in your microwaveable pan and place in the microwave. Microwave for 3-5 minutes on high. Remove it and dump out the excess liquid. Let it cool for about 3 minutes and repeat until the dye exhausts. The liquid will run clear or nearly clear when exhausted. Never let your skein dry out! You’ll scorch the wool. Once the dye exhausts, let the wool cool to room temperature in the pan or in your sink.

Rinse, rinse, rinse! This is an important step. It will remove any excess dye that is still in the fiber. Never run the water directly onto your skein, it will cause it to felt. Instead, partially fill your sink or pan with water and let the yarn soak . Gently pressing on the skein will flush out any excess dye. Synthrapol or blue dawn may also be used to help remove excess dye. Placing it in the washer for the SPIN CYCLE ONLY will remove water from the skein, so it will dry faster. Place over a drying rack or fan to dry. Avoid hanging up a skein, the weight of the wet yarn will cause it to stretch.

There are many variations on the above method. If you choose to make changes to the above method, remember to add the vinegar to the dye mix and follow the rinsing and drying instructions.

Dyeing Directly in a Pan
If your microwaveable pan is big enough, forget the saran wrap and dye your wool in the pan. This will give you more blending of colors. A few paper towels are a good idea to soak up any extra dye liquid,which could dye the bottom of your skein brown.

Single Color Dyeing in the Microwave
If you prefer a single color yarn, you may forget the saran wrap and dye directly in your microwave-safe pan. Use more water when you dye – enough to immerse your entire skein. First, add your Kool Aid to 2 cups of near boiling water; mix to dissolve thoroughly. Second, add more water until you can immerse your skein and mix well. Then place your skein in the dye and microwave in small increments until you get a good exhaust. (Don’t dump out the liquid – you need it this time!) Be aware that you will probably get slight variations in color throughout the skein. I like this subtle effect because of the texture it gives to the knitted stitches.

[BethyM99]

Katie - did I mention I have twins?


Wowsa! Good article. Only comment, I would add the comment about spinning in washer and making sure your washer doesn't dump cold water on it. Mine does and if it weren't for Pam's direction I would have been hosed!!

Pictures are always a good thing too. Yoy've been busy!! Good work.[/quote]

[ravingcutie]

I bought a dyeing book and have a few more, shorter articles in mind. Should I go ahead with the writing?

Where are we at on the newsletter?

[pamelamama]

we're kinda nowhere! If you want to get something moving, I"m right there with ya!

[ravingcutie]

Ah, I've never done anything newsletter-ish! But I can write things about yarn and soakers and knitting and dyeing. Is there anyone else who can help me? I want it to look nice!

[BethyM99]

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/results.aspx?Scope=TC&Query=newsletter

I'm poking around for a template

[pamelamama]

Well, Emily was going to help but sh'es in the first trimester, so may be less than available, if YKWIM.

[ravingcutie]

mmkay. Trying hard to come up with content. No sleep last night is not helping my creative process. I keep inventing names like Sleepy Sheep Gazette and Nightime Knitting with Fluffo, Wooly Dreams, etc