Dyeing Wool: Tips and Tricks

Dear users, dear authors,
would you like to share your thoughts on dyeing wool?

Where are all the dyers????? I could use some tips and tricks. I already have my yarn (pure new wool) all “ready to dye,” but I’m too nervous to get started. I have acid-based dyes… and there were some brief instructions included… 

Easter egg dyeing
Soak the wool in water for half an hour (water only).
Once the wool has soaked up enough water, I wring it out so that it is only damp.
Then we put the wool into small bowls. We dissolve the Easter egg dye
and add a good generous splash of vinegar.
Then we spread the dye with spoons however we like. Then
I gently squeeze the wool out a little, put it in a
freezer bag and put it in the
microwave for 4 minutes at 700 watts, let it cool a little, and then put it back in for another 4 minutes.
in.
Now carefully hang up the wool and let it dry.
That’s it.
I myself hadn’t tried Easter egg dyeing before.

Solar dyeing
Put onion skins and wet wool in a jar, sprinkle alum over it; I think I add
one or two tablespoons, pour hot water over it and
close it quickly, then leave it for about 3 weeks, or even
longer.
Walnut or hazelnut leaves make a beautiful green.

Best regards, Inge

I dye with either Easter egg dye or liquid food coloring.

I soak the wool in lukewarm water for about 15 minutes, then gently but thoroughly squeeze it out until it’s mostly “dried.”

Caution: Wear gloves and protect your work surface!

While waiting, I prepare the dyes according to the instructions (Easter egg dyes—either in cold or hot water) or add the liquid food coloring to water “by feel.” In both cases, I add a generous amount of vinegar essence—at least twice the amount specified for Easter egg dyes.
Stir well so that the dye dissolves completely and disperses in the vinegar water.
Now you can either use a large syringe to apply dye to the wool—which is still on the skein but spread out—or dip the wool into the dye bath, or drip the dye onto it...
The more dye in the water, the more vibrant the wool color—Easter egg dyes usually aren’t very concentrated.
If you want short color gradients, dye only short sections of the skein; if you want long ones, dye correspondingly longer sections. If you want very long color gradients, it may be necessary to rewind the skein differently before soaking the wool.

Then squeeze out the excess water and wrap the skein tightly in plastic wrap to form a “sausage.”
Place this sausage in the microwave twice for 3 minutes each at 800–1000 watts—letting it cool down in between (CAUTION: it’s veeeery hot!).
Then unwrap the wool and rinse it thoroughly until only clear water runs off.
Gently squeeze out the excess water and hang it up to dry.
Then either wind it up right away or later.

Have fun!