Rainbow Crock Pot Dyeing
by
Pegg Thomas
Rainbow dyed roving has been a favorite of spinners for many years and
it is easy to do in a crock pot. The same technique can be used with
yarns as well. While you could dye uncarded fibers this way, it defeats
the purpose as the colors would be blended together in the carding process
anyway.
The example here shows rainbow dyeing with just three colors, but don’t
feel limited to only 3. You can use as many colors as you like.
If you are not comfortable knowing what colors to put together to avoid getting
a “oops” in the end, let me recommend the book, Color in Spinning by
Deb Menz. This is an excellent resource for anyone who wants to play
with colors. If you just want to start out with just one color, see
Single Color Crock
Pot Dyeing.
Materials Needed:
Crock pot
White vinegar
Dye
Small bottles or jars
Plastic measuring spoon
Wooden spoon
Roving or yarn
Instructions:
For complete instructions, see Single Color Crock
Pot Dyeing.
Fill each little bottle or jar with at least 1” of water and 2 tablespoons
of white vinegar. Add desired colors of dye and enough water to ½
fill the bottles. Carefully shake or stir to completely dissolve
the dye. Add more water to fill the bottles.
Divide your roving or yarn into 3 equal portions. (If you are
using yarn, you may want to ‘eyeball’ and estimate so you don’t need to
cut your yarn.) Completely wet the roving or yarn. Squeeze
out most of the water. Layer the first 1/3 into the crock pot.
Add 1/3 of each dye in whatever pattern you choose. The example
shows using 1/3 of the surface for each color, but you can use stripes, circles,
zigzags or whatever you like. If you do any complicated pattern, you
may want to sketch it on a piece of paper so you can remember what to recreate
on the next layers. Poke the roving or yarn down into the dye with
the wooden spoon but do not stir. Stirring will blend and muddy
the colors. Add another 1/3 of the roving or yarn and another 1/3 of
the dye to repeat the process, then finish with the final 1/3 and the last
of the liquid dye.
If the liquid does not come up to the top of the fibers, you need to
add a little more water. Do this very carefully so as not to wash
away the dye. Add a little bit and a time letting the water run down
the sides of the crock pot. Do not pour directly onto the fibers.
You do not want a lot of extra liquid, or the colors might mingle too much,
but there should be enough that all the fibers are fully wet.
Now set the crock pot on low and finish as for Single Color Crock
Pot Dyeing.
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