Raw Wool

I like to purchase most of my spinning fiber from the farmer and raw, meaning unwashed and full of lanolin and dirt.  This is what the fiber looks like when I get it.






After I purchase the wool I scour it.  This really means that I let it soak.  Usually I rinse and soak several times to get most of the dirt and poo and pasture particles out of it.  If I agitate the wool too much, it will felt. If I decide to dye the wool, I like to use the rainbow dye method.  Below is a modified version of rainbow dying which I did last week.  

I started by filling a large stainless steel pot with water.  The water should be prepared according to the dye manufacture directions which usually means that I should add salt or vinegar to the water.  Place from one to two pounds of wool into the pot.   The wool should also be wet when placed into the dye pot.  I made a big M across the top of the wool with fluorescent green color dye.  Then I used a pine green dye across the top and the bottom of the wool in the pot.  In the center of this M, I placed cantaloupe melon color dye.  In the center of each of the M arch, I placed yellow dye.  I let this mixture sit for a while and then I may flip the wool over and get all of the dye mixed in.  Normally I can skip this step, but I used a new fluorescent dye for the M and it needed some aid in order to penetrate into the wool.  If the wool is too tight together, natural wool color spots will show.  (This may be a desired affect).  If I get a little heavy handed with the dye and I use too much, I will place more wool on the top of the dye so sop up the excess.  I weight it down with a plate and a jar of water on top of the plate. Once I get the water and wool to a boil, I turn off the heat, place a lid on the pan, and leave the dying wool over night.  The next morning I rinse the excess dye out of the wool and lay the wool out to dry.

Most of this wool came out to be a beautiful bright avocado color with a lighter color of yellow green.  A few areas of brownish show up from the melon colored dye.

Dawnie

PS  Don't forget to go to my website at:https://www.slipperywhenwetsoaps.com or my website at:https://www.custercottage.com or my Etsy shop at: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CusterCottage

Rainbow Dying Rambouillet and Wisteria Blooms

This week I have been rainbow dying Rambouillet wool.  I purchased the wool from a farmer.  Then I scoured it, dyed it, and placed it on the porch to dry.  Many people wash the wool in the washing machine by soaking it in soapy water and then draining and spinning the water off.  The wool is not agitated in the washer or it would become a big felt ball.  Since Rambouillet is a next to your skin soft wool, it tends to be more fragile and I didn't want to take my chances.  Rainbow dying is when you place 3 or more colors in the dye pot.  These colors mingle and you get a surprise every time.  I have one on the range in a dye pot now.  I used pink, 3 colors of blue, a purple, and a yellow.  I never use this many colors and I am anxious to see what I may get once I take the wool out of the pot.  I have a couple of pictures of the drying wool and the one on the right looks like I used many colors in the dye pot.  I only used three colors and the wool turned out with many shades of red, purple, yellow, green, turquoise,and  blue.  Obviously you need to keep colors away from each other that play off each other and turn the wool a mucky color.  I try to avoid putting green and red together since it turns a brownish color.  I prefer to use natural colored sheep for my browns, so I do not intentionally dye my wool brown.  Notice I used the word intentionally.  LOL

The colors of the wool are very vivid and beautiful, but I have something else that is equally beautiful that I wish to share with you.  I planted 2 Wisteria plants at least 10 years ago.  They have not ever bloomed more than a couple of blooms.  Today, I have many blooms!