Members' Tips and Tricks
Members are invited to show off their experience and expertise by submitting "Tips and Tricks" for this page. Below are the articles submitted as of 3/5/2010:
Ball-Plying Procedure, by Elena Dent (added 2/24/2005)
Carding Directions, by Elena Dent (added 2/24/2005)
Centerpull Ball Tips, by Elena Dent (added 2/24/2005)
Clean Wool, Pre-Spinning Preparation, by Elena Dent (added 2/24/2005)
Dyeing Evenly, by Elena Dent (added 2/24/2005)
Making A Distaff, and Spinning Bast Fiber, by Elena Dent (added 2/24/2005)
Wool Scouring, by Elena Dent (added 2/24/2005)
Dyeing Evenly
It is common for dye to 'break' or split into its component colors; not all dyes or all colors of a brand do this but it's quite common. Sometimes you want this, it makes for more interesting yarn. If you dye in singles you do risk having the color more uneven, even with a large pot I've gotten three different shades of blue single from each skein in the pot and they were all dyed together.
You may need to flick out your Rambouillet before you dye it, it's probably clumped down a lot during the scouring process and that makes it harder to dye evenly.
If you want flat even colors then dye in lumps of wool loosely placed in a mesh bag and turn the bag often. Make sure your wool is clean, and pre moisten it with vinegar in the water before trying to dye it. The amount of dye relative to the amount of wool is what controls the color - get the biggest pot you (and your stove) can handle to dye in and don't use a non-stick pot (they stick very well to the bags), more water means your wool can expand more and dye more evenly.
Mix your dry dye powder with a little very hot water in a small dish, smear your finger over the tip of your detergent bottle and rub the damp finger on the dish to put a *smidgen* of detergent in the water to help melt the dye powder or use a drop (no more) of alcohol to help wet the dry dye. Make sure the dye is completely melted down before dropping the stuff into the pot of hot water and stir thoroughly to be sure it's completely disbursed into the bath. If there's sludge left in the small dish, dip up some more hot water from the pot and melt that completely before adding it to the dye bath. Get the dyebath hot, but not simmering, before you add the wool. Most dyes strike when the temperature is right, and if you've got hot and cold parts of the wool that will make for uneven dyeing. You'll want to heat the wool and the dye together. A bare simmer is enough, a boil will damage your wool. When you dye silk, even that is too much and will discharge the dye back out of the silk.
Dye in smaller batches, and use consistent weights and amounts of dye. When it's dry, lay out your batches separately and divide them up by eye into 16 smaller piles; don't pay any attention to color yet, you are just getting ready to average the batches. Take one of each pile, pile them together and try to average them so the light, dark, blue and magenta casts of each pile are about equal, card each pile and if you haven't gotten the color even yet break up the rovings and separate as you did the piles. If you don't want to card that much at one time, separate each bunch in a bag and card later; but make sure you have averaged the wool as much as possible.
Card thoroughly, as you grab the wool make it a point to mix light, dark, reddish and bluish locks in each card full. Lay several batts together, end to end overlapping so they stay the same thickness and make a larger rolag by rolling the batts into a large 'wool slug' using a dowel. Break the wool slug in half, or even quarters and lay them in a bag, them make sure you mix the wool slugs further as you choose them to spin them up. Don't stretch the slugs into wool worms to spin until you're actually ready to spin though, they'll compact again during storage. You will probably have a very subtle variation in your colors even so, but don't worry about it. If you're going to knit an aran (the only time you really want a very even color) the subtle color differences will not be enough to distract from the stitches.