KoolAid dye question...

In article ,
RigPilot wrote:

Many plastics are not microwavable and stain easily
(actually holding dye color embedded which can come out
again in subsequent product). I would think that pyrex
(tempered) glass would be preferred.

I once saw a glass bowl explode in the microwave, but it wasn't
claimed to be heatproof. I think any container planned for
dyeing should be tested first with just water in it to see how
it stands up to microwaving.

=Tamar

In article , (Richard
Eney) wrote:

In article ,
RigPilot wrote:

Many plastics are not microwavable and stain easily
(actually holding dye color embedded which can come out
again in subsequent product). I would think that pyrex
(tempered) glass would be preferred.

I once saw a glass bowl explode in the microwave, but it wasn't
claimed to be heatproof. I think any container planned for
dyeing should be tested first with just water in it to see how
it stands up to microwaving.

=Tamar

Why not make life easy and only use microwave ware for the microwave. For
dyeing that should be glass I would think.

Also when you plan to do a lot of dyeing in the microwave, get a second
one. Dueing and cooking should not be mixed. Not even once.

Els

--
I have added a trap for spammers......niet.....

Whee, we've got one of our rcty seminars going on! bg ::rubbing hands with
glee - although it's hard to type that way:: And warning - I'm gonna be
responding to a bunch of posts in one, here, so this is gonna be cut into 2
posts. ::everyone groans:: Oh, c'mon...

Part the First:

Aaron wrote:

Maybe, we need a BIG old bronze kettle, there in the corner of
the yard by the fountain? That would give the neighbors something to think
about.

LOL, Aaron! Sure would - and no doubt new gossip-fodder, too. g

If you do get the desire to actually do something like this, remember what Els
pointed out: dyeing fibers in non-coated metal containers will change the
reaction of the dye. Several old, natural-dye recipes, in fact, specifically
call for different types of metal containers to achieve particular colors. Iron
- cast-iron, for our modern usage - will 'sadden', or darken, colors - dyeing
in iron kettles was one way to achieve a truer black, or darker browns. So was
adding a handful of nails to the dyebath. Copper seems to have a brightening
effect on blues and greens, if I'm remembering right. Ditto using a big tin can
to dye in. Of course, normally tin salts and copper salts are used as mordants
with certain natural dyes to get that effect, nowadays - usually to better
purpose than a tin or copper kettle. However, those ingredients - as with many
mordants, such as chrome - are extremely poisonous. But it's kind of hard to
adjust the amount of kettle you're gonna use; thus the salts. g Much easier
to add more copper or tin to your dyebath. (mordants, btw, are the ingredient
that make the dye 'take.' mordant = 'to bite.' modern dyes include any
necessary mordant.) I dunno what bronze might do, if anything, to a dyebath;
but if you do ever get that bronze kettle, you could experiment and let us
know! Um, I have *no* idea what this would do with modern dyes, but I have a
feeling it's not recommended. Most seem to recommend enameled containers,
glass, or stainless steel, something like that. Something you should always
check for when using modern dyes.

If you ever get into natural dyes, alum is usually the safest mordant to use;
but alas, using it pretty much only produces colors in the
yellow/buff/tan/brown/yellow/yellow-green families, with most dye-plants. To
get a wider range of colors, you need to get into using the poisonous mordants,
such as copperas and chrome. Best to be able to dye outside with those, so the
fumes don't get you, or contaminate anything in your house. Some plants will
produce their own mordants without adding poisonous chemicals - such as walnuts
hulls, tea, coffee, oak galls, and onion skins, which all contain tannin or
some variation of it - but they pretty much produce browns and tans. Gorgeous
browns and tans, but browns and tans. (I'm not too big on brown, as you may
guess. g) Saffron - expensive! - and turmeric will produce lovely yellows and
golds without any other mordant. Indigo dyeing uses urea - dyers, among other
trades, used to have containers on the street outside their establishments for
passers-by to make contributions to the cause. ) (btw, Els, me hat's off to
you for your indigo work. even with modern indigo, it all sounded like way too
much trouble to me, to produce blue, even though the blues are amazing!
especially when they started talking about the purist method of doing the whole
indigo-vat fermentation process - yeesh. and then after waiting for *that*, dip
and let it sit in the sun, re-dip, re-sun, re-dip-- I couldn't see myself
taking the time. g I'm impatient.)

Of course, modern chemical dyes are poisonous, too, but there's not nearly so
much fiddling with them. To me, at least, they seem somewhat more controllable
and safer when it comes to my own precious person. g The thought of ladling
out spoonfuls of chrome, and being around *those* fumes, much less the
undissolved chemical itself, on the other hand, just gives me the willies.
Another reason I never got much into natural dyeing - aside from the sometimes
massive amounts of plant material you need to dye even a pound of yarn. (a
*bushel* of onion skins?! get real!) Of course I wear a dust mask and rubber
gloves, use proper ventilation, only use equipment I've set aside for dyeing,
and all that, with modern dyes. Even though, again, they're almost certainly
just as dangerous, at least they're already formulated and I don't have to be
playing around with several chemicals. It's probably six of one, a half dozen
of another, and I'm being silly, but so be it. I'll stick with the modern
stuff. g

As to the 'industrial enterprise' bit - well, yes, if you dye more than once in
a while, and in batches large enough for a sweater or two at a time. An
occasional skein or so is fun, but if you get serious about it enough to dye
yarn for entire sweaters fairly regularly, it does amount to some work, and
semi-serious investment in equipment. It's hard finding big kettles 2nd-hand,
for instance; I've never seen too many canning kettles at thrift stores, and
believe me, I've kept an eye out whenever I've been shopping in one for the
past 20 years. Unfortunately, whenever I've run across one, I've been in a
thrift store 'cause I was broke. No extra money for buying a kettle, I was in
desperate need of, say, shoes. And I've never found one when I had some spare
money; ain't that always the way? :P I simply refuse to consider new; they tend
to cost $$! If you can find old refrigerator veggie bins - the *old* kind, made
of enameled metal - those are supposed to work great. You can set them over 2
burners on your stove, they hold a *bunch* of yarn, plenty of liquid to make a
decent dyebath, and are white, so you can see the color of both yarn and
dyebath much more easily. But they're hard to track down. That's your main
piece of equipment, though. Kitchen or postal scales help immensely, in
weighing both yarn and dyestuffs. The rest of your equipment is fairly cheap:
measuring cups, measuring spoons, and several dowels for stirring and lifting
skeins or fiber from the dyebath.

Basically, it comes down to whether you think it fun to dye - in large amounts
- or not. If you enjoy it, you'll enjoy doing even several pounds of yarn or
fiber. Even more so if you can find other like-minded souls and do it in a
group. If not, then yeah, probably best to stick to doing a skein or so here
and there. Larger batches are hard work. Plus can be extremely messy. You
inevitably splash, which means clean-up. But oh, the *colors* you can get! The
ones you want, or in combinations you can't buy in the stores, and purely
serendipitous accidents...that can be very much worth it. As you've found with
your black/oatmeal yarn. Over-dyeing blacks, browns and grays, whether solids
or combinations, produce some *incredible* colors. Ditto over-dyeing pre-dyed
yarns that are colors you don't like - such as maybe a yucky chartreuse into a
gorgeous turquoise. The possibilities are endless. As I've said before, I'm
usually cussing a blue streak when it gets to the rinsing stage, which I find
the most boring part. g Especially since I can't use the apt. washing
machines. But despite the aching wrists and hands after endless rinsing, when
the yarn has finally dried and I see the new color, wow! Makes all that work
worthwhile. But it's still not something I do every month or so. )

To be continued...
Monica
CMMPDX2 at aol
remove 'eat.spam' to email me
---------
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Part the Second

Myka asked several questions, which Slinky addressed excellently, along with
some points from Tamar and RigPilot, and I'll add my own observations:

1) It sounded like you have a separate microwave just for
dyeing. Is that necessary?

I don't use food coloring for dyes, as even for wool, I don't find it light-
and wash-fast enough. Nor are there enough color options. I stick to commercial
dyes. Plus ever since I started using the micro, I've been dyeing cellulose
fibers rather than wool or other animal fibers. Food dyes don't really work on
cellulose. So, yes; with using commercial, chemical-based dyes, I have a
separate microwave I use *only* for dyeing. Ditto any other equipment. Anything
gets used for dyeing once, it's then permanently reserved for dyeing--including
the rubber gloves. I don't even use those particular gloves for scrubbing jobs.
Now, I am *not* rich, LOL. I didn't go out and buy a microwave just for dyeing.
Luckily, a neighbor moving out a few years ago had a big micro he was going to
donate to Good Will, and my roomie at the time asked if we could have it
instead. g The neighbor, bless him, said, "Sure!"; so I ended up with two
microwaves. Thus the opportunity to relegate my old one to strictly dyeing use.
Otherwise, as I said, I'd go find a 2nd-hand one on the cheap. I'll probably do
that eventually anyway, as my old one is truly ancient, and rather small. (yes,
I use the big, 'new' one for food. gg there's just no way to cook a casserole
of lasagna in the old one, so it got opted for dyeing.)

Sidebar: Even with using Kool-Aid, since it is a powder, it's a good idea to
use a dust mask while mixing it up. Inhaling powdered anything isn't a great
idea for your lungs, if you do it often enough. With Easter egg dyes, liquid
food coloring, and the paste food colorings used in cake decorating, you don't
need to worry about breathing powder, at least.

2) You talked about dipping skeins in the dye, letting them
soak for 2-3 minutes and then zapping them in the microwave
(as opposed to zapping them in the dye solution). You
suggested using a plastic bowl designated for dyeing or
heavy-duty plastic wrap. Would a Ziploc bag (or any
resealable plastic bag) work just as well?

Well, the problem with that is, you know how you're always supposed to poke
holes in the plastic coverings of microwavable foods? With no way for steam to
escape, they're liable to explode. So be sure to *not* to zip them the entire
way...leave 'em open just a fraction. If you want to use the steam method,
stick with the plastic wrap, as even wrapped up, apparently enough steam
escapes that they don't tend to explode. Either that, or since you wrap them
tightly, not enough air is trapped to be able to get to explosion point. I've
always stuck with plopping the skeins in a big bowl, so haven't tried the
wrapping method myself, yet. That's just what I read about on that webpage I
mentioned, with the person doing the hand-painted roving. Nor have I tried
Ziplocs. So unfortunately I can't tell you which brands of either wrap or bags
will work best. Apparently she found some brand of wrap that worked fine,
though. However, in my experience with *cooking*, I can tell you house brand
plastic wraps tends to melt like crazy when heating foods that take longer. g

And as Tamar said, many baggies even melt in the microwave. If you want to try
Ziplocs, I'd suggest using the freezer-weight, rather than the lighter-weight
type. Also, test first! Try a small skein in a freezer baggie - slightly open -
and microwave the heck out of it, longer than you think you'll need, and see
what happens. That way if it gets ruinated by melted plastic, you won't have an
expensive accident. Turning it more frequently may help, too.

Last, even gallon Ziplocs can't hold *too* many skeins of yarn. I sure wouldn't
overstuff it, just on general principles. Although you could put a bunch of 'em
in a decent-sized microwave, but I don't think stacking them would be too good
an idea. More chance of melting plastic, and also, the heat may not penetrate
evenly enough. So Ziplocs are probably best for smaller dyeing jobs.

Also, Slinky said:

This is generally called dip-dyeing. For example, one can
hang a skein of yarn from a string over an upper cabinet
handle and let the end soak in a bowl of dye solution. Squeeze
out the excess, turn the skein, put a fresh section of yarn in a
new color.

This points out something I hadn't clarified in my original. Despite my usage
in that post (wait, on reading back, I did say 'dunk', not 'dip'...oh well,
anyway)... Yes, to continue; my brain does have the term 'dip-dyeing' firmly
fixed as purely a method for making variegated skeins of yarn, as Slinky said.
Either with gradations of one color, by gradually lowering a skein into the
dyebath; or using 2 colors, dipping skeins halfway into each, thus coming out
with a 3-color skein. (3rd color where the 2 originals overlapped.)

When I talk about dunking the skeins into the dye before tossing into the
microwave, though, I'm not trying for variegations. I'm going for a
more-or-less solid color, as a variant on vat-dyeing. (i.e., the
drop-in-and-simmer-in-huge-pot method.) The 'dip' is all at once; I put all the
skeins in, pushing them under the surface of the dyebath, to get as even a
color and as full saturation as I can. I usually leave them in there a couple
of minutes or so, so they get thoroughly soaked. Then I apply the heat via the
microwave, vs. simmering it in the dye-bath. And if they're not wrapped in
plastic, they're not really being steamed - it's sort of vat dyeing without the
vat. g Anyway, Slinky's explanation is the correct definition for
'dip-dyeing.' For really variegated yarn, I'd use the hand-painting method - as
Slinky described, laying wet yarn out plastic, painting on the dye, then
steaming in the micro. Less chance of the colors muddling too much when wrapped
up.

Oh, and if you have a big enough container, or not so much yarn, you *can* use
a regular dyebath and just stuff the entire thing in the microwave rather than
simmer on the stove. Carefully; easy to splash. g Really vat-dyeing, with
just a slightly faster method of applying the heat. Instead of turning the
skeins, you'd give 'em a stir every few minutes. Slinky's suggestion for the
disposable Glad or Ziploc containers, the ones like cheaper Tupperware (tm), is
good. With Tamar's caveat that some of *them* can melt in a micro, too,
depending on the food that's in them. Who knows how yarns relate to foods?? (I
mean, soup heats up fine without melting the container. something like stew,
though, can melt 'em like crazy.) However, that depends on the wattage of your
microwave on full power, and the length of time you end up needing to dye the
yarn. If you run into problems, you might try longer times at a high defrost
setting on your microwave. But considering the added time, and the fact that on
defrost, even high, it may never get the dyebath to the right temperature to
make the dye take, that could mean you'd end up back with the stove-top method
working just as well. So you may have to experiment to find a disposable
container that will work with your microwave on full power. If you go with this
type of container, get a few different brands of them, in small sizes; test
them with small skeins for the full time you'd use to dye a regular-sized
skein; see if any of them melt or change shape. Then buy a full-size one of the
type of plastic that worked best. (and don't use the lids! remember
explosions.)

RigPilot mentioned plastic containers staining. (we've all had some food
containing tomato sauce permanently stain something plastic, haven't we? g)
For micro dyeing, I'd suggest finding a *hard* finish plastic container, rather
than the softer, more porous types. Many plastic mixing bowls are of this type,
and they don't stain much, if at all. Although I must confess, the one I use
for micro dyeing is one of the softer plastic ones - kind of like those plastic
dishpans - and yes, it stains. Permanently. However, so far none of the old dye
it's absorbed has leached into the next dye lot I've done. Maybe because after
I use it, I let it soak with a strong solution of Dawn for half an hour or so,
scrub it well, and then rinse it out with very hot water several times. Anyway,
I've never had that problem. Even dyeing a soft peach yarn a few days after
doing a batch of very dark blue - nary a hint of blue coming through.

Tamar mentioned seeing a glass bowl explode in the microwave - one reason I
recommend plastic. But Pyrex, Corning ware, or anything marked microwave-safe
should be ok. However, her suggestion of testing any container with some water
first is also a good idea. And naturally, always use hotpads - even with
plastic! Despite what the mfrs. say, we all know containers can get *hot* in
microwaves!

3) How long do they need to be zapped? Did you say half the
normal time? What is the normal time?

Uhhhhhhhhh...you got me there. g It depends on the time given in the
instructions for the usual vat-dyeing method with the particular brand of dye
(usually 1/2 to 1 hour of simmering); then guesstimating how that translates
into micro time; the amount of yarn you're dyeing; the kind of yarn - wool,
silk, cotton, rayon, whatever; the color depth you want; the wattage of your
microwave. You see the problem! Slinky's suggestion about adding a few minutes
is good; better safe than sorry, indeed. And her 6-8 minutes is time is more or
less what I've used - kinda. )

Basically, you're going to have to experiment. I've been doing rayon and cotton
yarns, and mostly rather small amounts, by guess and by gosh. I think the most
was that batch of sportweight rayon yarn - about 900 yards of it, all in one
batch. Cotton I've usually only done a couple of skeins, also sportweight,
about 400 yards. Yes, I dye sporadically and in oddball lots, so far. ::snerk::
In the micro, at least; mostly because as I said, I'm a 3X, I like tunic-length
sweaters, and that's a *heck* of a lot of yarn. And I've been dyeing said
oddballs for use with several other yarns, rather than umpteen skeins of one
kind of yarn. Plus it's a small microwave. To add to the confusion, it's *so*
old that I have no idea what the wattage is. (it was a 'hand-me-down' from my
grandmother, so it's not as if I got all the info when buying it. gg) All I
know is that when I was using it for food, full TV dinners would take about 5-8
minutes longer than recommended. ) So I'm *really* guessing.

Cotton takes about a third longer than the total time I use for rayon, but it's
harder to dye. Rayon, silk and nylon take up dye super fast, and heat up fast.
I mean, with vat-dyeing silk, and even rayon, sometimes you immerse it, and it
almost immediately turns the color you want. That 900 yds. of rayon I zapped
for a total of about 6 minutes, turning it all just once, and it almost came
out darker than I wanted, even after much rinsing. It still might be a couple
shades too dark, but it's ok; it's within the range I wanted to coordinate with
the other yarns I'm going to use. It's a very deep 'royal purple', but too
bright to be called plum or eggplant. Of course, the original color was an
intense fuschia, which I overdyed with a royal blue. On white, I think it would
have come out a very intense, deep royal blue. I really think I could've gone
with just 4 minutes total heating time. Now, if it had been fuschia *cotton*, I
would have kept it in about another 3-4 minutes. The color would have been more
muted, because cotton doesn't take color as brightly as rayon. It still would
have been a dark shade, but duller. And on any yarn, darker shades take longer
than light, generally. With using the microwave, and trying to get light
shades, rather than using less time, it'd probably be better to mix up a pastel
shade of your dye solution, and zap for the full time. Whatever that ends up to
be.

Wool takes dye colors a little less fast most times, depending on the breed -
which you don't know with commercial yarns, of course - so I would have
experimented more first. (I tend to jump in, but I did test-zap several strands
of the rayon with varying times after dunking it in the same dyebath. that's my
normal procedure, if you can call it that. bg)

Another thing with larger amounts - especially thicker yarn - is that you have
to remember it'll take longer for the middle of the mass to heat up to the temp
necessary to make the dye strike. Even if you turn and rearrange it more
frequently, or put smaller amounts in the micro, thicker yarn will need more
time. So basically, you have to test, re-test, experiment, and learn how things
will react with your particular combo of microwave, yarn, and dye. But then,
*any* dyeing is 'experimental', even after you've been doing it for years.
You'll always get surprises, and you don't necessarily always get the same
results. The basic idea about micro dyeing is that it speeds things up
considerably - usually several minutes opposed to that 1/2 hr - 1 hr or so of
simmering in vat-dyeing. And you're not having to constantly stir things. (this
also does make the yarn less tangled up, which I, for one, consider a blessing.
no matter *how* many ties I put in, the dratted skeins always end up a mess,
and I don't have a swift to help when re-winding after dyeing! g) So bottom
line is, if you want speed, is it worth a little more experimenting to find out
what works for you or not. For me, it is, and I've been happy so far.

Monica
CMMPDX2 at aol
remove 'eat.spam' to email me
---------
"No, that isn't me you saw - I'm not here, I'm incognito!" (Me, Myself & I)
Support our Troops!!
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Wonderful!! Thank you for taking all this time and effort.

I look forward very much to the continuation

Ophelia


"CMM PDX2" wrote in message
...
Whee, we've got one of our rcty seminars going on! bg ::rubbing hands
with
glee - although it's hard to type that way:: And warning - I'm gonna be
responding to a bunch of posts in one, here, so this is gonna be cut into
2
posts. ::everyone groans:: Oh, c'mon...

Part the First:

Aaron wrote:

Maybe, we need a BIG old bronze kettle, there in the corner of
the yard by the fountain? That would give the neighbors something to
think
about.

LOL, Aaron! Sure would - and no doubt new gossip-fodder, too. g

If you do get the desire to actually do something like this, remember what
Els
pointed out: dyeing fibers in non-coated metal containers will change the
reaction of the dye. Several old, natural-dye recipes, in fact,
specifically
call for different types of metal containers to achieve particular colors.
Iron
- cast-iron, for our modern usage - will 'sadden', or darken, colors -
dyeing
in iron kettles was one way to achieve a truer black, or darker browns. So
was
adding a handful of nails to the dyebath. Copper seems to have a
brightening
effect on blues and greens, if I'm remembering right. Ditto using a big
tin can
to dye in. Of course, normally tin salts and copper salts are used as
mordants
with certain natural dyes to get that effect, nowadays - usually to better
purpose than a tin or copper kettle. However, those ingredients - as with
many
mordants, such as chrome - are extremely poisonous. But it's kind of hard
to
adjust the amount of kettle you're gonna use; thus the salts. g Much
easier
to add more copper or tin to your dyebath. (mordants, btw, are the
ingredient
that make the dye 'take.' mordant = 'to bite.' modern dyes include any
necessary mordant.) I dunno what bronze might do, if anything, to a
dyebath;
but if you do ever get that bronze kettle, you could experiment and let us
know! Um, I have *no* idea what this would do with modern dyes, but I have
a
feeling it's not recommended. Most seem to recommend enameled containers,
glass, or stainless steel, something like that. Something you should
always
check for when using modern dyes.

If you ever get into natural dyes, alum is usually the safest mordant to
use;
but alas, using it pretty much only produces colors in the
yellow/buff/tan/brown/yellow/yellow-green families, with most dye-plants.
To
get a wider range of colors, you need to get into using the poisonous
mordants,
such as copperas and chrome. Best to be able to dye outside with those, so
the
fumes don't get you, or contaminate anything in your house. Some plants
will
produce their own mordants without adding poisonous chemicals - such as
walnuts
hulls, tea, coffee, oak galls, and onion skins, which all contain tannin
or
some variation of it - but they pretty much produce browns and tans.
Gorgeous
browns and tans, but browns and tans. (I'm not too big on brown, as you
may
guess. g) Saffron - expensive! - and turmeric will produce lovely
yellows and
golds without any other mordant. Indigo dyeing uses urea - dyers, among
other
trades, used to have containers on the street outside their establishments
for
passers-by to make contributions to the cause. ) (btw, Els, me hat's off
to
you for your indigo work. even with modern indigo, it all sounded like way
too
much trouble to me, to produce blue, even though the blues are amazing!
especially when they started talking about the purist method of doing the
whole
indigo-vat fermentation process - yeesh. and then after waiting for
*that*, dip
and let it sit in the sun, re-dip, re-sun, re-dip-- I couldn't see myself
taking the time. g I'm impatient.)

Of course, modern chemical dyes are poisonous, too, but there's not nearly
so
much fiddling with them. To me, at least, they seem somewhat more
controllable
and safer when it comes to my own precious person. g The thought of
ladling
out spoonfuls of chrome, and being around *those* fumes, much less the
undissolved chemical itself, on the other hand, just gives me the willies.
Another reason I never got much into natural dyeing - aside from the
sometimes
massive amounts of plant material you need to dye even a pound of yarn. (a
*bushel* of onion skins?! get real!) Of course I wear a dust mask and
rubber
gloves, use proper ventilation, only use equipment I've set aside for
dyeing,
and all that, with modern dyes. Even though, again, they're almost
certainly
just as dangerous, at least they're already formulated and I don't have to
be
playing around with several chemicals. It's probably six of one, a half
dozen
of another, and I'm being silly, but so be it. I'll stick with the modern
stuff. g

As to the 'industrial enterprise' bit - well, yes, if you dye more than
once in
a while, and in batches large enough for a sweater or two at a time. An
occasional skein or so is fun, but if you get serious about it enough to
dye
yarn for entire sweaters fairly regularly, it does amount to some work,
and
semi-serious investment in equipment. It's hard finding big kettles
2nd-hand,
for instance; I've never seen too many canning kettles at thrift stores,
and
believe me, I've kept an eye out whenever I've been shopping in one for
the
past 20 years. Unfortunately, whenever I've run across one, I've been in a
thrift store 'cause I was broke. No extra money for buying a kettle, I was
in
desperate need of, say, shoes. And I've never found one when I had some
spare
money; ain't that always the way? :P I simply refuse to consider new; they
tend
to cost $$! If you can find old refrigerator veggie bins - the *old* kind,
made
of enameled metal - those are supposed to work great. You can set them
over 2
burners on your stove, they hold a *bunch* of yarn, plenty of liquid to
make a
decent dyebath, and are white, so you can see the color of both yarn and
dyebath much more easily. But they're hard to track down. That's your main
piece of equipment, though. Kitchen or postal scales help immensely, in
weighing both yarn and dyestuffs. The rest of your equipment is fairly
cheap:
measuring cups, measuring spoons, and several dowels for stirring and
lifting
skeins or fiber from the dyebath.

Basically, it comes down to whether you think it fun to dye - in large
amounts
- or not. If you enjoy it, you'll enjoy doing even several pounds of yarn
or
fiber. Even more so if you can find other like-minded souls and do it in a
group. If not, then yeah, probably best to stick to doing a skein or so
here
and there. Larger batches are hard work. Plus can be extremely messy. You
inevitably splash, which means clean-up. But oh, the *colors* you can get!
The
ones you want, or in combinations you can't buy in the stores, and purely
serendipitous accidents...that can be very much worth it. As you've found
with
your black/oatmeal yarn. Over-dyeing blacks, browns and grays, whether
solids
or combinations, produce some *incredible* colors. Ditto over-dyeing
pre-dyed
yarns that are colors you don't like - such as maybe a yucky chartreuse
into a
gorgeous turquoise. The possibilities are endless. As I've said before,
I'm
usually cussing a blue streak when it gets to the rinsing stage, which I
find
the most boring part. g Especially since I can't use the apt. washing
machines. But despite the aching wrists and hands after endless rinsing,
when
the yarn has finally dried and I see the new color, wow! Makes all that
work
worthwhile. But it's still not something I do every month or so. )

To be continued...
Monica
CMMPDX2 at aol
remove 'eat.spam' to email me
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"Myka KS" wrote in message
...
Wow! You ALL are such a wealth of knowledge and never short of
suggestions!
Thanks for the enlightening conversation. :-) I have saved these thread
for
future refernce. Thanks again!

Blessings,
Myka

Hi Myka, just popping in here to agree with you, this Group IS the best!
Hugs,
Noreen



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Wow! You ALL are such a wealth of knowledge and never short of suggestions!
Thanks for the enlightening conversation. :-) I have saved these thread for
future refernce. Thanks again!

Blessings,
Myka

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In article ,
(CMM PDX2) wrote:

Whee, we've got one of our rcty seminars going on! bg ::rubbing hands with
glee - although it's hard to type that way:: And warning - I'm gonna be
responding to a bunch of posts in one, here, so this is gonna be cut into 2
posts. ::everyone groans:: Oh, c'mon...

Part the First:



Wow Monica that was the first day of a natural dyeing class.

Now Aron print it out and hang it outside by your dyeing pot, and go for
it.....

Els

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I have added a trap for spammers......niet.....

In article ,
(CMM PDX2) wrote:

Part the Second


Dare I add to this great lesson on dyeing with the use of a microwave.

I may have missed this point, if monica stated it here, so maybe I
repeditive, bu tlike many lessons that is OK....(smile)

Again Do not do this inside the house, but outside somewhere, where you
may have an open shed or open porch with a roof. Dyeing with chemical is
dangerous. With the cottage and hobby dyeing industry booming, many of
the safety rules are lost or disregarded. Dyeing with chemical dyes
inside the house, (wich is not a factory situation where there are safety
rules in place (hopefully), is a NO NO. Inhaled chemical fumes can do
great damage to your lungs etc. It may not show instandly...but once your
lungs or kidneys etc are damaged you cannot revers it.

Els

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I have added a trap for spammers......niet.....

Ophelia wrote:

Wonderful!! Thank you for taking all this time and effort.

Hey - I like to type...vbg And it's fun sharing this stuff. As I've
mentioned, my head is stuffed full of fairly useless trivia - except to other
people who are interested in it. (although on this group, I promise, I won't
get into the esoterica of what I know of hoof-care and shoeing horses, for
instance. ::snicker:: fortunately, that was only a 6-week night class anyway,
should I somehow get ever get on that subject.)

Els said:

Wow Monica that was the first day of a natural dyeing class.

Els, thank you! ::blushes:: Really, I've just *read* a lot, y'know... Only done
a little of the natural stuff. But when I get interested in something, even for
a little while, I read tons about it. And for some reason it sticks, LOL. Then
I just babble away.

And you added a great point with the comment:

Again Do not do this inside the house, but outside somewhere,
where you may have an open shed or open porch with a roof.
Dyeing with chemical is dangerous. With the cottage and
hobby dyeing industry booming, many of the safety rules are
lost or disregarded. Dyeing with chemical dyes inside the
house, (wich is not a factory situation where there are safety
rules in place (hopefully), is a NO NO. Inhaled chemical fumes
can do great damage to your lungs etc. It may not show
instandly...but once your lungs or kidneys etc are damaged you
cannot revers it.

Right, right, right - and I *didn't* stress that enough. I have my old
microwave set up right by my balcony window - albeit inside, not on the
balcony, 'cause the apartment managers would have fits - and I open the balcony
door wide and have a fan blowing any fumes *outside* while I'm dyeing.
(considering the short times involved, this doesn't ruinate me financially with
huge electric bills when I dye yarn in winter with that door open, blowing all
the warm air outside. fortunately. g) And for several minutes after, too,
just to make sure. Plus I wear a dust mask and rubber gloves while mixing up
the dyes, and when I'm actually dyeing. Which isn't anywhere near as good as a
real ventilator mask for fumes, and as soon as I can, I'm gonna buy such a mask
from Dharma Trading. (NAYY) Meanwhile, whenever I open the micro after heating
some yarn, I leave the micro door open as well, and back up like a scalded cat
for a bit, to let the fan get the worst of the fumes outside before I rearrange
or remove the skeins.

That's the other advantage of using a micro with commercial dyes - you aren't
standing over a vat of simmering chemicals for up to an hour stirring the yarn!
Even outside and wearing a mask you're gonna get fumes that way, no matter what
you do. This holds true for dyeing with commercial *or* natural dyes. Even
using Kool-Aid or other food dyes, it's still not a good idea to breathe the
fumes. Food dyes and vinegar are for eating, not breathing. It's kind of like
taking herbal medicines - just 'cause something's 'natural' doesn't mean it
can't be bad for you if you get too much of it, or use it wrong. After all,
digitalis is 'natural' - derived from foxglove - and too much of it'll kill ya,
whether you get it from a pill, or a tea you brewed up from the plant.
Echinacea interferes with blood pressure medication, so if you take bp meds,
dosing yourself with echinacea for a cold can cause major problems. Natural
doesn't equal perfectly safe. I mean, there's a *reason* you're supposed to
remove bay leaves from any dish you've used them in for seasoning! (because we
can't digest the central spike on the leaf, and if you eat it, it can puncture
your intestines, that's why. see? useless trivia. vbg)

Monica
CMMPDX2 at aol
remove 'eat.spam' to email me
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"No, that isn't me you saw - I'm not here, I'm incognito!" (Me, Myself & I)
Support our Troops!!
http://www.wtv-zone.com/kjsb/bataan.html