Space-Dyeing Roving in a Crock-Pot
By Glenna Stansifer
(From FIBER NEWS June 1997)
Shortly after I learned to spin, I also discovered the excitement
of dyeing my own fiber. I've learned to dye fiber in a pot prior
to carding or combing for spinning, and have even taken a stab at
dyeing yarn which was already spun. Of all the techniques I've
tried, I like to dye prepared roving best. I think this is
because I can get right to spinning it after it dries, and the
spinning is still my favorite part of this whole yarn-processing
business.
The little booklet called I'D RATHER DYE LAUGHING by Jean M.
Neel, and put out by Unicorn Books, is a great incentive to just
leap right in and experiment without being afraid of doing
something wrong. I've experimented with casserole-dyeing, and
that's also an exciting way to go, but for the most bang for the
buck” fun, I use a 5 1/2-qt crock-pot, four pint-size mayonnaise
jars, and either unsweetened KoolAid, or my favorite, Easter egg
dye (the kind you dissolve, not the paint-on kind). I hasten to
add that if you decide to use any of the conventional chemical
dyes, such as Gaywool, Jacquard, or others, DO NOT use the
crock-pot for cooking food any more. Since KoolAid and Easter
egg dyes are meant to be used as food, they are safe to use in a
crock-pot in which you cook.
By space-dyeing, I mean taking a length of roving and dyeing it
in such a way that there are bands of different colors along the
length of it. To accomplish this in your crock-pot, dissolve a
color in each of the four jars. Follow the directions on the
package of your particular egg dye. Some require dissolving in
vinegar, and some in water. If you haven't used vinegar, then
add about 3 tablespoons of white vinegar to the solution, and
fill to where the neck narrows in each jar with tap water. For
KoolAid, I dissolve in water and add the vinegar later.
Arrange the jars in the crock-pot and fill the pot with water
almost to the top of the solution in the jars. Take a length of
dry roving and divide it evenly along its length into four parts.
Stuff each part into a jar, leaving as much or as little undyed
between the jars as you wish. I use about 4 ounces of roving,
stuffing about an ounce into each jar. Less roving will give
more brilliant colors. A bit more will make the colors dimmer.
It's been my experience that the wool will take all the dye, no
matter how much or how little you use.
Cover the crock-pot, turn it to Low and cook for about 3 hours.
This is enough to steam-set the colors and exhaust the dye bath.
Turn off the crock-pot and let the jars sit in there until they
are cool enough to handle. Take the roving out of the jars and
rinse it in water the same temperature as that in the jars. Spin
dry in the washing machine, or squeeze (don't wring) as much
water as you can from the roving and let it dry on a sweater
dryer.
Those are the basic directions. You can use four different
colors, varying the color scheme as your fancy takes you. I've
done many different combinations: blues and greens; blues and
purples; a pastel mix of blue, pink, green and violet; and a
psychedelic-sixties orange and pink combo. The different flavors
of KoolAid yield slightly different shades of red or pink, and
the Easter egg dyes from different companies give different tints
of pink, blue, violet, and green. It's a lot of fun to
experiment because you never know what you'll come up with.
To spin this roving, you could use a Navajo-plying technique,
which would keep the colors in solid bands. I haven't mastered
this yet, so I just spin a singles and ply it, taking the color
variations as they come. That's part of the charm of this dyeing
technique. Depending upon the thickness of the roving I've used,
I'll split it lengthwise, spinning each half on a separate
bobbin, and plying from the two bobbins. This will give more
solid areas of color as the two singles of the same color are
plied together.
Plying from two ends of a wound ball of singles will give many
more ragg combinations, as two singles of different colors are
plied together. I must confess that I haven't made anything from
this yarn yet, but I'm looking forward to coming up with a
project that utilizes the many different combinations I've
created.
As far as I can tell, from washing the skeins after spinning in a
bath of warm water and shampoo, and rinsing, these colors are
fast. I've had no bleeding into the wash water from either
Easter egg dye or KoolAid. Since I wash my skeins the same was
as I wash my finished articles, I think this is a fairly washfast
dye. I haven't tested for lightfastness, as I've only been
producing yarns using this dyeing technique for a few months.
I hope you will try this inexpensive, fun and intriguing way to
work with color. For me, the color is one of the most important
facets of this new craft I've rediscovered. And the surprise of
what's coming next when the colored singles are plied together
has become one of my greatest joys in spinning.
Glenna Stansifer
Independence, CA
gstans@telis.org
Short Bio: I live in the rural and isolated Eastern Sierra of
California, and work as the director of the county library. Our
country is beautiful and sparsely populated. We have spectacular
mountains and stark desert vistas. People who live here have
learned to entertain themselves, pursuing pastimes like hiking,
fishing, photography, and, of course, handcrafts of all kinds.
I've always made things, concentrating on the textile and fiber
arts. I've been a knitter for about 50 years, but several years
ago, I became friends with several people who made their own
yarn. I was charmed by the idea, but hesitant to try it, since I
am somewhat of a hoarder. I have enough yarn to stock a small
yarn shop. I surely didn't need another reason to collect
things. And spinning wheels are bigger than knitting needles!
Alas, the bug finally bit, due to hearing about other spinners on
the Internet. After trying to learn on a hand spindle and
failing miserably, I borrowed a spinning wheel from a friend,
thinking that if it didn't work, well, at least I'd tried. Not
only did it work, but after about a week of learning to treadle
and making some really funny-looking yarn, I discovered that I
was spinning as if I'd always done it. It was really eerie, but
I've since talked to others who've had the same experience. I
basically didn't have to learn to spin, as much as remember how
to do it. There must be a spinning gene, because I certainly
have it.
My knitting has kind of taken a back seat, but it's still my
chief love, because I can take it with me wherever I go.
Knitting is like breathing to me. I can't imagine trying to live
without it. I'm looking forward to combining my love of spinning
and knitting to achieve even more personal satisfaction in a
creative endeavor - making the item from start (making the yarn)
to finish (designing and knitting it). I think I have here an
ongoing avocation for the rest of my life.
Glenna
gstans@TELIS.ORG
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