Thursday, June 6, 2019

Help, I'm dyeing here!

Food coloring and microwave dyeing of roving. This is done in stages so as to get the dye completely into the fibers without cooking the roving.



I think this is the last of the Coopworth roving. It's friendly and I'm hoping for good tapestry results.

Ideally when it's done, the water is clear and the fiber is dyed. The white vinegar is the mordant, and once the dyeing is done, at the end of the dye, teehee, sorry, the dw detergent helps get the last traces of unabsorbed dye out of the fiber. That way it won't migrate onto the user.

Since I'm wanting this for tapestry, not wearing, it's less of an issue, but still a good idea.

And since this is food safe, it's okay to use the regular microwave.  Gloves were out for show, then cropped out.  I never remember to put them on. My fingers are an interesting series of colors now. I do use the wooden spatula and the tongs. This stuff gets hot.

All this means that spinning will happen soon. And I'm wondering if it would be nice to get a Turkish spindle..again. Wondering, that is, not getting.

1 comment:

  1. Interesting! And reminds me that I need to scout out some rusty 'stuff' so I can make some more rusted cloth.

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