Jump into yarn dyeing-- no need to overcomplicate it!

Tune in and see just how easy it is to get started with dyeing your own yarn.  I show you how to mix dyes into water and vinegar, and how I apply it to the yarn.  I’m dyeing some of our Sorcha Southdown wool yarn in a kettle on an electric burner outside.

There are some safety precautions you need to be aware of when  you decide to begin using dyes. These substances are toxic and it is your responsibility to protect yourself, any kids or animals, and the environment from exposure to the dye in its vapor, liquid, and powdered form.  This means wearing a proper protection in a well ventilated area.  You are also responsible for recycling or disposing of any leftover dye material properly (not down the drain or on the ground).  It is your responsibility to research any substance you are using, to know the risks, and to protect yourself and your surroundings. Sprinkling powdered dye to create speckles should be done with extreme caution due to the danger of airborne dye particles.

Once you are properly protected, there are no rules when it comes to how you want to play with these dyes!  Layer them, mix them, dye and overdye, twist and bind your yarn, then dip it, make blends and fades, pastel washes and saturated neons.

A few general guidelines:

Soak the yarn in water with vinegar for an hour before starting.  This allows the fibers to open up and prepare to receive the dye,

Layer and add as much as you want, but to set all the dye at the end you will need to bring the yarn up to a simmer (around 180F) for around 30 minutes.

Don’t go over 200F and risk damaging wool yarn.  

If you take it out and the rinse water is not clear, put it back in the dyepot with more vinegar, bring it up to temp and hold it there again for about 30 minutes to set it.

Also be aware that different yarn bases are going to produce different effect, even if you apply the same amount of dye in the same manner.  I love the way this Southdown takes the dye, and the results I can achieve on it.  There are a lot of factors that affect the results, such as fiber content, the amount of twist or plies in a yarn, whether the yarn is treated with a superwash process, how much lanolin the yarn still contains, among lots of other factors!  Just jump in and start experimenting.  When you find a base you might like, dive more into trying to create a intentional, controlled colors on that base. 

Try dyeing over yarn that is white, yarn that has color, your own handspun yarn, unspun wool fiber, wool fabric, embroidery thread, and more.  Let your imagination lead the way for your dye expressions.

This part is optional, but you may want to weigh out the amount of dye in relation to the weight of the yarn you’re dyeing.  Then you can have more control over the mixes you are making.  You can write it all down and repeat it if you like it.  In this video I was just playing and mixing colors to get my creativity flowing, and it came out beautiful, so you don’t have to overcomplicate it!

Just know that more dye in the mix is going to make a more pigmented color on your yarn.  A small amount of dye in more clear water/ vinegar is going to produce a lighter or more pastel color on the yarn.

I’m dyeing two 100g skeins of yarn, so there is a total of 200g in my dye pot.  If you take 1% of that 200g, it’s 2g,  Measure out 2g of dye on a kitchen scale.  Mix it into a cup of water and vinegar.  You can use this for an ultra saturated dye, or you can dump a small amount of this liquid color into another cup, add more clear liquid, and you have a lighter colored dye.  Don’t be afraid to experiment and you’ll get a feel for how the dyes work.