So, I've been playing Minecraft a lot. If you didn't know, it's this video game where you go around destroying little blocks and building things out of them. Some people fight monsters, but I just build castles and make sheep farms. And then, I figured out how to dye my sheep! Look at my dyed sheep! (And my awesome castle.)
I was so excited about dyeing my Minecraft sheep that I thought to myself, "Self, you should dye some real sheep." But I do not know anyone with sheep to dye. :(
Fortunately, I do know where to get wool! And I did have a sample set of six different dye colors that Matt got me for solstice two years ago And thus began my first attempt at dyeing.
To start, I went to Hobby Lobby to purchase their cheapest, least colored wool yarn. I could have used some undyed handspun I've had sitting around, but I figured since this was a first attempt, I should probably start with something I had no sentimental attachment to. So here we have 93% wool, 7% acrylic blend. It has clearly been bleached and dyed to this pleasant creamy color, so technically I did an overdye. But that's just a technicality.
First I had to skein it, to put it in a form that's actually dyeable, instead of being just a large floating mass of dye on the outside and nothing on the inside. Fortunately, I have a niddy-noddy for just such tasks!
Ok, now we're ready! So, according to the bottle, you can basically die just from looking at your dye, and they advised all the precautions. I figured it was a good opportunity to pretend like I was in Breaking Bad, only more wholesome and fewer dead people. Looking good!
Ok, so here's my step-by-step. I don't know why I write step-by-steps, because I think they're pretty boring when other people do them, but whatever. Here we go anyway.
First, the mixing of the dye. In case you can't tell, I chose a sapphire blue for this first attempt.
We got Matt a fancy new stockpot so that I could use the old one. Also picked up a pair of tongs, because it seemed like tongs would be good for stirring and transferring and so forth. Also for pretending you're a crab, but we didn't get pictures of that.
Once it's all mixed, you add the yarn. It is wet, to take the dye more easily.
Squish it around.
Per the instructions, I brought the dye + wool mixture to a gentle simmer--not quite boiling. Stirring frequently. And once it got to the appropriate heat, I added half a cup of vinegar to set the color.
More stirring. I think I actually stirred it a little too much, as we'll see at the end.
It looks like the world's most disgusting spaghetti!
Once it simmered for 30 minutes, I transferred it to my very clean sink full of warm water and gentle wool detergent. It's important not to change temperature too quickly with wool, because it might shock the fiber and cause it to felt.
Give it a good wash until the water runs clean...
And there it is! A pot full of blue yarn!
Then I hung it to dry in the basement.
After hanging for 24 hours, it's still slightly damp. But the color is fantastic!
On the other hand, I guess I agitated the wool a bit too much, or perhaps my temperature changes were insufficiently gentle. Because it's pretty felty. It's a bit like a mass of dreadlocks in some places.
I am hopeful that I'll be able to salvage most of it. Maybe that 7% acrylic will prove to be my saving grace. For a first try, though, I'm pretty pleased! This is why we start with the cheap stuff.
I was going to dye another lot of red today, but then Matt and I went rock climbing instead and my arms turned into stupid little T-rex arms that are incapable of lifting the ball of yarn, much less an entire dyepot. So I guess red will have to wait another week.
In the meantime, I will attempt to detangle enough of this blue to make a whale for my friend's baby. Because whales! And babies!
Just so you know, long term projects are in the works, with all intent to blog once things are at a bloggable stage. Such projects include but are not limited to:
Cross-stitch extravaganza!
Tortoise breeding!
Presents for babies!
I seem to think that if I make this list at the end, I'll be more likely to actually write said entries in a timely manner. HAHAHAHAHA. Who am I kidding? Let's write a blog about working too much and watching a lot of Star Trek.
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