I have successfully dyed a mix of angora and merino wool (as seen on 'Spun and Knit Angora' page) and marvelled at the results. The strand of wool took to the dye more readily, resulting in a beautiful variation of colour. I look forward to all of the white fleece I will have in the near future so I can try some solid, rich colours.
I use the Jacquard® acid dye purchased from the http://www.knitpicks.com/ and found their colours to be quite true to the colour chart provided. I had limited success with mixing my own colours but I plan to continue in my effort to create some originals.
There is nothing quite like raising your own animal, harvesting his/her fiber, feeling it run through your hands as you spin it, dyeing it and then create your own knitted garment.
When I give an angora garment as a gift I add a a label with the name and picture of the bunny it came from. Loved ones adore the personal touch and are blown away at how much work went into their gift.
It blesses me to no end to see a baby wearing a 'Zoe'/Merino hat.
Here is how I do it:
Safety Warning: Always use gloves to prevent the dye from staining your hands. Wear a dust mask to minimize the chance of breathing in airborne dye particles. Limit the amount of time that you have the dye jars open and mix your dye powder with water immediately to prevent the dye from getting into the air. Remember to dye in a place with adequate ventilation.
1. Soak your spun yarn in tepid water for at least an hour, longer if possible. You want to make sure that it’s evenly wet all the way through before dyeing to make sure that the dye will saturate evenly.
2. Lay down several layers of newspaper over your work surface. Then, lay out a long piece of plastic wrap down the middle of your work surface. This piece of plastic wrap will be directly beneath the yarn hank as you dye it, and later you will roll it up around the hank.
3. Premixing your dye in mason jars will allow you to mix the dye more thoroughly, and you can also save your dye stock right in the jar for later use. Measure ½ teaspoon of dye for each cup of water. You can also add 3 tablespoons of vinegar directly to the dye in this step *Remember, limit the amount of time that you have your jar of dye powder open in order to prevent airborne dye particles. Once you have measured the dye powder into the jar of water, close the lid tightly and shake it gently in order to mix. 4. Remove your yarn from the soaking water and gently squeeze the water out of it, without wringing it. Wrap it in a towel and then step on it to get most of the water out. . You want the yarn to be damp, not dripping. 5. Fill your condiment/squeeze bottles with dye(can be found at the dollar store). Starting with the lightest color, apply dye to the yarn in your chosen pattern. Don’t oversaturate the yarn with dye—the colors will run into each other and the dye might pool beneath the yarn. You can also use your gloved fingertips to massage the dye into the yarn. This will help prevent undyed interior bits of yarn in your hank. 6. Wipe excess dye from the plastic wrap. Wrap your hank into a tube, then wrap it once more with an additional layer of plastic wrap. Coil your hank into a tidy package. Bring 2" of water to a simmer in a large canning pot that you only use for dyeing—the pot will not be food safe after you use it with the dyes, and you should no longer use it for cooking. Use a vegetable steamer, piece of aluminum foil with holes poked in it, or a canning rack in order to keep your hank out of the water. Place your plastic-wrapped hank bundle in the rack and steam it for 30 minutes, timing from when the water reaches a boil. Tips for steaming: • Make sure to cover your pot with a lid in order to keep the steam in and keep the temperature constant. • Watch to make sure that the water doesn’t completely boil off; if it gets low, add a little more water without pouring it over the hank. • Double-check that you’re actually getting steam—you need the water at a boil in order to get enough steam. If the water is just simmering, increase the heat. • If steaming multiple hanks, rotate your wrapped bundles in the steamer basket so that they all get heated evenly. 7. After steaming for 30 minutes, turn off the burner and remove the pot from the heat. Let the hank cool in its plastic wrapping right in the pot. Don’t open the hot plastic wrap —you could get a steam burn. If you’d like to cool your bundle more quickly, you can add it (still wrapped) to a bath of lukewarm water. Once the bundle is cool, open the plastic wrap and remove the hank. Rinse with tepid water until the water runs clear. Rapid change in temperature will felt your yarn so be patient and let it cool before rinsing. Wrap the rinsed hank in a towel and step on it to remove excess water. You can also use your washing machine’s spin cycle to spin the remaining water from the hank while it is wrapped in a towel. Place your hank on a hanger and allow it to air dry. Water will wick to the bottom and drip off, so you may want to air dry it over a bathtub or lay a towel beneath it. 8. Knit and enjoy!! All credit for the above instructions given to www.knitpicks.com. For pictures of the above instructions please see: http://www.knitpicks.com/KPImages/PDF/sockblankdyeing.pdf
