The Spun Fibers

We start with the sheep. Good care gives better fiber. Good dirt gives better pasture. Good grass gives better wool. Our flock is not coated. We hope for neatly behaving animals. We expect to have some dirt in the fleeces. Upon shearing, the fleeces are bundled flat in old sheets. I skirt them heavily when the weather cooperates and sort out the better fibers for spinning. These are then washed in hot soaks with mild detergent and rinsed several times in clear hot water baths. Occasionally, I add vinegar to the final rinse water to bring down the pH a bit. The fibers are dried on screens outside, picked, sorted again and packed in bins when fully dry. Each fleece is weighed before and after washing to see how much usable fiber the sheep are producing. Our hand or drum-carded fibers are spun into singles and plied on an Ashford double-drive Traveler wheel. The twist is set if needed by washing and hanging under tension. Skeins are available in varying fibers and lengths. We are currently experimenting with both natural and synthetic dyes with reasonable success. Some days and dyes are better than others!

Naptime!

Dyeing: Kitchen method

Be sure to wear appropriate protection gloves, mask and safety glasses. Be sure to remove all food items and utensils from area. Keep children and pets away from dyes and hot kettle. Measeure the weight of the fiber or yarn. Read instructions on dye for amount of dye needed and correct dilution for intensity of color you'd like. Cover the area where you will apply the dye with newspaper, then plastic bags or sheeting. I recommend taping the wrap to the surface to keep it flat and tight. Fill the sink with warm water and a bit of dish soap. Place the yarn in the water to soak. Be sure it is all wet. Drain water and squeeze. Spin out excess water in the washing machine. Place skeins evenly around drum or the washer will go off balance.
Heat the amount of water needed in a large stainless steel or enameled kettle that you will not use for food ever again. WHen water is to temperature, just below boiling, dissolve dye in a small plastic container of hot water. Then transfer all the dissolved dye to the kettle. Stir to ensure uniformity of dye bath. Slowly place skeins into pot making sure they are evenly distributed and covered with dye on the initial soak. Try to let them have room to absorb dye solution. Packing htem too tightly produces uneven dyeing. Let dyeing wool soak for the specified amount of time gently rolling them in the pot once in a while. From observation, most of the dye sets in the initial pass, so if you are not careful to get it all covered in the beginning it is difficult to make changes later without much effort.
When the dye has set, carefully remove the kettle to an area near the sink where you have hot mats. Remove the skeins from the pot and place in the sink with equally hot water to rinse. Drain, squishing skeins gently. FIll the washer with hot water. Transfer the skeins ot the washer. Set it to off. Let skeins soak to rinse again. Spin down. remove skeins and refill washer. Repeat until no wool dye bleeds out. Remove skeins from washer after each run so the water filling does not felt them. After the final rinse hang them to dry. YOu may want a final rinse in dilute vinegar. This depends on the manufacturer's instructions and type of dye you are using.

Color works!

Dyeing: Outdoor method

The only major difference in the kettle method outside is that you can use gas grills, burners or fire pits to heat and dye the wool. Be careful that the weight of the kettle is not too great for your support. Gas grills will tip easily with a large kettle of water! You can also do solar dyeing outdoors which is alower, but less labor at one time. Put dissolved dye in large jar or barrel, add prewetted fiber and soak until you like the intensity of the color. Rinse as described above.
YOu can also do dyeing by color applied to the skeins in patterns using squirt bottles or veterinary syringes, paint brushes, etc. THen wrap the skeins in plastic wrap. Secure with string and steam over a rack in a kettle. Microwaves work well for steaming small amounts of fiber in tough gallon freezer bags. Crockpots work to an "ok" extent, but I do not prefer this method as it seems to waste dye and make a large mess.

Dyed skeins

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finished work

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