Lanaset Overdyeing and Eveleen
My afternoon project: overdyeing some KnitPicks lace-weight wool from a Koolaid dyeing workshop last spring. I love to dye yarn: it's about as close to magic as you can come.
My approach is less than scientific. Today I mixed two teaspoons of Blue Lanaset powder dye into an emptied single-malt scotch bottle and filled it up to the top with hot water. Then I filled the stainless steel kettle that I use for dyeing (purchased from the hardware store) about halfway full of cool water. Turned on the stove to start to warm the water while the two skeins of wool sat in the sink to presoak. Poured the dye into the stock pot, squeezed the skeins out, added them, and stirred.
I'm slowly bringing the temperature of the dye bath up to a simmer. A very light simmer, just so that I can see puffs of steam rising from the water. Every once in a while, I check the bath and give the yarn a stir with a chopstick. Once it comes to a simmer, I'll hold it there for about 20 minutes. Then, my least learned part of the process, I'm going to add vinegar water to exhaust any dye that the yarn hasn't absorbed. Proportions? Probably about 1/4 cup to another bottle of water. Stove gets turned off, and yarn cools in the dye bath. Once cool enough, I'll carry the stockpot to the basement, dump the dye (if you know of a more ecological process, please let me know!), and rinse the yarn in the old iron sink until the water runs clear. Blot the yarn in old towels, and hang to dry.
Here's the tiny bit of before yarn that I'd luckily set aside. Very Koolaid, though not bad if you like neon colors.
The goal for this yarn? Eveleen, a Rowan top from the fall Magazine Number 40. The pattern calls for 4 Ply Soft. No one in my area carries it, and I'm hoping that a doubled strand of the lace-weight, overdyed, will work as an equivalent. Plus, it gives me an excuse to play with dye.
My approach is less than scientific. Today I mixed two teaspoons of Blue Lanaset powder dye into an emptied single-malt scotch bottle and filled it up to the top with hot water. Then I filled the stainless steel kettle that I use for dyeing (purchased from the hardware store) about halfway full of cool water. Turned on the stove to start to warm the water while the two skeins of wool sat in the sink to presoak. Poured the dye into the stock pot, squeezed the skeins out, added them, and stirred.
I'm slowly bringing the temperature of the dye bath up to a simmer. A very light simmer, just so that I can see puffs of steam rising from the water. Every once in a while, I check the bath and give the yarn a stir with a chopstick. Once it comes to a simmer, I'll hold it there for about 20 minutes. Then, my least learned part of the process, I'm going to add vinegar water to exhaust any dye that the yarn hasn't absorbed. Proportions? Probably about 1/4 cup to another bottle of water. Stove gets turned off, and yarn cools in the dye bath. Once cool enough, I'll carry the stockpot to the basement, dump the dye (if you know of a more ecological process, please let me know!), and rinse the yarn in the old iron sink until the water runs clear. Blot the yarn in old towels, and hang to dry.Here's the tiny bit of before yarn that I'd luckily set aside. Very Koolaid, though not bad if you like neon colors.
The goal for this yarn? Eveleen, a Rowan top from the fall Magazine Number 40. The pattern calls for 4 Ply Soft. No one in my area carries it, and I'm hoping that a doubled strand of the lace-weight, overdyed, will work as an equivalent. Plus, it gives me an excuse to play with dye.
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