first - this is some cotton yarn i found at my wick supplier, it comes on reels. i skeined it and handpainted, setting it in the microwave. Dyeing cotton is definitely easier on your senses - practically no fumes.
i first soaked the hanks in warm water with a tsp of slurry and one of soda ash. For the dye stock, i mixed up 2 tsps of each color with about 2 cups of hot water, 2 tsps soda ash, and 2 tbsp salt. Squeezed most of the water out of the skeins, laid them across my drainboard [great tip from ravelry] and spooned the dye on the sections. squeezed the sections a bit to evenly distribute the dye, wrapped each separately in plastic wrap. placed in microwave safe dish. microwaved on hi for 5 minutes, thrice, with 5 mins between each zap. let sit for about 15 mins, rinsed.
the green dye was waaay more than what i needed, so i quickly soaked up some cotton tape, mixed up some blue, and painted that as well. here it is -
After rinsing out the initial color, i ran each lot separately thru one cycle in the washing machine. This washed out all the excess dye. Check out the wool i had used to tie down the hanks [YES! not tangles!] - it hasnt taken up any of the dye....
learnings for the next time -
- i could probably dye three skeins with the dye i mixed up
- have some extra yarn ready to use up excess dye if any
- remember to put on the gloves earlier
