Here’s a quick tutorial I put together on my recently learned method of dyeing silk chiffon scarves. –
Here’s a quick tutorial I put together on my recently learned method of dyeing silk chiffon scarves. –
Beginner’s Series: Wool – Part 5
Wool is one of the easiest fibers to dye. It responds readily to Kool-Aid, commercial dyes, natural (plant- or animal-derived) dyes, and even food coloring.
There are dozens of different ways to color wool, and, as I’ve only tried a few of them, I can’t give you detailed tutorials for everything, but here are some of the ones that have helped me along and given me some really great results. I use Jacquard Acid Dyes for most of my dyeing, with the odd natural dye thrown in. The Jacquards are really nice because the only chemical you need to set the color is vinegar!
Kettle-Dyeing
If you’re a knitter you have probably heard the term “kettle-dyed” before. It pretty much means that the yarn will be mostly the same color, with a slight shift in intensity in some areas. This is achieved by cooking the yarn (or wool roving) in a pot of dye solution. The actual process will vary depending on what kind of dye you use.
Beginner’s Info: Part 7
There are two different things meant by “drafting.”
“Pre-drafting” is loosening up the fibers before you spin so you’ll get a nice, airy, easy-to-work-with yarn. Here is a good video on fluffing up the fibers in a roving.
Regular “drafting” refers to how you handle the fibers that are being spun.
Drafting While Spinning
Here is a great text/image rundown on the main types of drafting while spinning. There are also videos down the side, but it’s kind of hard to see what she’s doing.
I also found these videos for long draw and short draw on wheel. Short draw is easier, in my opinion, although I love long draw. The short draw video doesn’t have any audio besides the background music, so you can mute it if you wish. The text gives a pretty good explanation, but I want to give another here.
Beginner’s Info: Part 6
This is the wheel version of spinning tutorials. You can find the drop spindle one here.
Let’s Go
If you learned on a drop spindle you’ll already have the basics of spinning down. All you’ll have to do is learn to operate the foot pedal while moving your hands.
However, if you decided to go for the big stuff first you’ll want a little more background.
The following videos are helpful for both complete beginners and drop spindlers. It’ll let you get a feel for how a wheel works.
The Videos
This is one from Paradise Fibers. It is the second half of a two-part series on setting up and using a Lendrum wheel. Lots of good things are covered, and you can get a feel for how a single drive band works.
A rather wonderful idea has hit me, and I’m so excited about it! This coming Monday I plan to begin posting useful links and tutorials for beginning spinners. When I first began spinning I had to run all over the Internet to find how-to’s and videos of demonstrations. These lists will put lots of that information in one easy-to-get-to place.
I’ll cover drop spindling, wheel spinning, fiber types, drafting, spinning balanced yarn, and a few of my favorite places to buy fiber. I may even compile links on dyeing and some of the rarer forms of spinning, such as Great Wheel, tahkli, and charka. This is going to be tool I wish I had had when I began. I can hardly wait to get started!
My aunt and I decided to dye some machine-spun sock yarn in lovely shades of turquiose, chestnut, and pink. (At some point those were really trendy colors, but I don’t keep track of those things.)
The Colors
