Article by Leslie Shelor
How to Dye with Acid Dyes
Painting or "Squirt" Dyeing
Article by Leslie Shelor
Painted skeins of angora and merino blend yarn
My dyeing techniques are based on the instructions in the book, Hands On Dyeing by Betsy Blumenthal and Kathryn Kreider, with some modifications I've found that just work for me. A large part of working with dye successfully is willingness to experiment. I've never had a complete failure in dyeing although I've often had unexpected results! This is just what I do and what works for me. Please consider that my method is not nearly as scientific and predictable as it could be. There are lots of pictures of my dyeing adventures on my flickr page and more descriptions on my blog. Just search for "dyeing" and you should find lots of information.
There are several ways to apply dye, but one of the most fun ways allows for putting color in various locations along the length of the yarn in a skein. Most of the time this technique is called "hand painting" and I often use a foam paint brush to dab dyes onto the dye in the spaces where I wanted it. The yarn that I'm talking about today, however, was dyed back in 2005 with a method that used squirt bottles to apply the dye. This project began during an impromptu dyeing session with Chris of Woolybuns while she was visiting in a wintery March. We used inexpensive ketchup bottles from the local store; I've since obtained some dyer's squirt bottles that work much better with less leaking.
Angora and merino skeins ready for dyeing
As mentioned in the vat dyeing how-to, the yarn is soaked in a solution of vinegar and water before dyeing. Since this was angora, which is notoriously hard to get wet evenly, I put a large dollop of vinegar in warm water and then heated the solution with the skeins in the pot for about 20 minutes on low heat. The yarn is 60% angora and 40% merino and was millspun by Diane at Oasis Farm in Maine. I had rather lost track of her over the past five years but in researching for this article I see she still has a fiber mill. She did an excellent job with my angora and Thistle Cove Farm's merino way back then!
I wound the yarn into skeins of 175 yards and two ounces. This was done on a niddy-noddy that makes a five foot skein. After I had it wound and tied loosely, I placed it in the warm vinegar and water solution to wet it thoroughly. In the meantime, I placed sheets of cling wrap on my dye table. The cheap ones don't work very well, by the way. After the yarn was well soaked, I squeezed out the excess water and placed the skeins on the cling wrap. Give yourself some room between them, if you can, so the dye won't run around where you don't want it. This is a messy process, so don't use your best dining room table. In fact, if you can get outside that would be even better. I also find that dyeing on a table of normal height kills my back, so I set it up on cinder blocks to get it a bit higher.
Then I make up what is called a stock solution of dye. This is simply putting about 1/2 teaspoon of dye for each half cup of water and mixing it well. Be sure it is mixed well; some colors seem to take some time and effort to dissolve. It's here I should put in all the standard warnings about being careful with dye. It is a chemical and any chemical can be dangerous. Be sure not to breathe in the dye powder and use gloves to keep the dye off your skin. So-called natural dyes and mordants can be even more dangerous when used incorrectly so do be cautious. Also, it's best to use utensils and pots that are dedicated to working with dye and not used afterward for food preparation. I bought all my pots and crocks from various flea markets and auctions really, really cheap!
So now you've got a dye solution to use. It depends on how much dye you use as to how dark the resulting color will be. This is where the experimenting comes in. I generally use about a quarter cup of stock solution in each bottle of dye: I put in the stock solution and fill the rest of the bottle with warm water. More solution: darker color; less solution: lighter color. Play around with it and see how it works for you.
Dyed Skeins
And then you just squirt the dye onto the skeins where you want the color to appear. This is the fun part and quite messy. I used green and pink for this project, as you can see, and left some of the white original color of the yarn undyed.
Rolled and ready for steaming
After the dye is applied, carefully roll up each skein into a package of plastic wrap. You'll need to fold the wrap over so that the strands of yarn are separated by the plastic from each other. Kind of like in a little envelope. I use an old fruit canner with a rack in it to steam my yarns and a little vinegar in about three inches of water below the rack. Chris suggested I get some canning jars to do this with and it's a good idea that I haven't gotten around to using yet!
Steam for about 20 minutes or so. Then take the pot off the heat. If you want you can just let the skeins sit and cool overnight; it might make for richer color. Or if you're like me, you can't wait to see how they turned out. If you got ahead and remove them, be very careful. The plastic will be HOT. Gingerly tease the bundles open and remove the yarn. Be sure to let the strands cool awhile before handling it much. Then, either way after the yarn has cooled, rinse it off in lukewarm to warm water to remove any excess dye.
Wet dyed yarn
Hang your yarn up to dry, either over a tub or outside in a shady place. Angora takes some time to dry thoroughly, so be sure it is completely dry before skeining and storing.
Completed skeins of hand dyed yarn
And there you have it; a quick tutorial on dyeing yarns with squirt bottles. As I've said before, my methods aren't very scientific but I do have fun! This can be done with professional acid dyes, but you can also use Kool-aid (no sugar) or Easter Egg dyes for a similar result. If you try squirt dyeing, send me photographs!
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