Thanks to everybody for following along with (and participating in) our sock blank dyealong! We'll be posting our finished projects over the next several weeks, and you'll be able to see how our sock blank dye jobs translate to actual stitches. Just a reminder, you can still enter to win a $50 gift card by emailing a photo of your own dyed sock blank - here are the details.
I'm a big fan of the Jacquard acid dyes, and I use them all the time at home. Instead of dyeing sock blanks or Bare yarn, though, I usually tend to dye a lot of roving and loose fiber for spinning my own yarn. For one of my first attempts, I tried dyeing the roving by handpainting it with foam brushes, wrapping it in plastic wrap, then steaming on the stovetop. I chose a basic rainbow color palette (since I was just starting the whole dyeing thing) and this is what I got:
(That's my cat Eddie, mashing up my nice fluffy roving.)
I spun the roving in color order, and once I had two bobbins full I plyed them together in roughly the same order so that the colors would blend and kind of "smash" into each other. I knit the yarn up into a basic linen-stitch scarf, and this is what I got:
Crazy! I wasn't expecting to get such great transitions in color, and now I wear this scarf all the time during the winter.
After that experiment, it was all downhill from there - picking more exotic palettes of color, trying to blend specific shades, making sloppy batches that just soaked up leftover dye from the pot, overdyeing with weird colors.
Blues, greens and purples with some intentional white space.
Yellows and browns, unintentional orange, and an overall banana-ish effect.
Trying to break out of my color "safety zone" with some bright pink, black, and yellow.
Red, indigo blue, and purple with the vinegar added near the end of the dye process.
A little "whoops!" with the chartreuse, but I really like how it turned out.
One of my favorite things about dyeing is that accidents can end up as happy accidents with a little problem solving. Even when something turns out completely off from what I expected, if I reframe my thinking about the project I can usually make it work out. Too much contrast or too many bright colors? Ply it together with a solid or dark-colored single for a marled effect. Final colorway is underwhelming? Try an overdye to make a softly tonal yarn - even if it's all brown, they'll be rich and nuanced browns. If it's something you absolutely can't stand, trade with a friend or try dyeing it to a solid color you can use.
Dec 22, 2010 at 12:18 PM I live at high elevation and have to be careful to keep water from boiling, so I use the sun-tea method. See how I did it here http://www.community.knitpicks.com/profiles/blogs/high-fibera-roving-a-roving It worked out very well, and I ended up with the best spun yarn I've made to date!
Dec 20, 2010 at 11:39 AM Thanks Laurel! I have used our new Turkish spindle and find that it performs well when paired with most wool fiber blends, but I'm primarily a wheel spinner. I use a Kromski Polonaise right now and love it - it fulfills my need for speed while being a really beautiful piece of furniture in my house. :) Dyeing roving is really fun. Before you get started, you might want to check out our general dyeing tutorials right here: http://www.knitpicks.com/tutorials/Dyeing__L100503.html The best tip I can give you for dyeing roving is to watch out for sudden temperature changes. If you shock your roving with a sudden switch to hot or cold water, you may felt the whole thing into a lump. After dyeing, I let the pot of dyed roving cool naturally to room temperature before I drain or rinse it.
Dec 20, 2010 at 11:06 AM Nice kitty!!! My question for you is 'Do you spin using a wheel or a spindle?'. The only reason why I ask is because I love the new spindle from KnitPicks and I was wondering if you had ever used it. In addition, I would really love to start dying my own Wool of the Andes roving, but I'm a bit apprehensive about it. Any tips?
Oct 25, 2010 at 8:12 AM Hi Jan HP! For these rovings, I mixed the dye with water and vinegar and painted it directly onto the fiber, then wrapped the fiber in plastic wrap and steamed it to set the color. This type of hand painting keeps the colors from migrating and blending into each other.
Oct 22, 2010 at 11:37 AM I love the colors! Do you mix the dye with water and then add all the colors to one dye bath?
Jun 3, 2010 at 12:20 PM Can't believe How FasT This Month has Flown !!! I've Sooo Looked Forward to Seeing All the Yarn/Roving Everyones Dyed & Painted :))) I've Love Love Loved them All !! Even though May's Gone the Toddlers & I Will be Painting/Dyeing Yarn Allll Summer !! Please Keep Posting In the Dye Along Looking Forward to Seeing What Everyones Doing :)) I Sent In the First of the Kids Yarn Dye :)) So Everyone Can See it's Soo Easy a Toddler Can Do It lol
Jun 2, 2010 at 6:31 PM I love them all! Thank you so much for sharing, it's great to see what other people have done. It helps me imagine what various things I can do.
Jun 2, 2010 at 1:36 PM Gorgeous and inspiring! I wish I had time right now, but I'm frantically trying to get little Daphne's naming ceremony dress done! I'll be looking for dye pots soon, though! When I get them, I plan on trying out the Jacquard dyes!
Jun 2, 2010 at 5:47 AM Allison--great job on dyeing and on spinning!! Congratulations !!
Jun 2, 2010 at 5:02 AM Alison, Wow, lovely jobs on everything you did.