Over Dyeing Bacon Yarn

So I broke out the Wilton's, divided up the yarn I had left from the Bacon Shawl (see previous post) and over dyed it using Violet, Black and Delphinium Blue.  After consulting the brutally honest hoars it was decided that the shawl should be over dyed in Black.   It's soaking now so press your thumbs for me.   I'll post when it's finished.  Until then, a picture of the samples....

Unscientific Science of Dyeing

So I have gotten a few comments (not here, but in emails and pm's) about how I'm not very scientific about the dyeing I have been doing.  I'm not stressing it.  I only do it for fun, not profit and a little chaos never killed anyone.  For those wanting a step by step guide with precise amounts of yarn, coloring, vinegar and specific times, this is probably not the blog to be reading.  This is for fun only.  I'm not mass marketing or selling anything I dye, and have no plans to.   This could change of course but let's be realistic, IF I did find a way to get consistent results every time it would probably be in my best interest if I were going to sell it to not share all my secrets.  So that being said.....

I did another round of breaking Wilton's using using Delphinium Blue on KP Bare Merino.   I didn't measure anything.  Just a glub of vinegar in the soaking water with some yarn, some Wilton's, crockpot for an hour added about a teaspoon of vinegar another hour, added a teaspoon more vinegar,  set over night to cool, hung to dry. 

Results:  A bit too pastel colored for me, but Wilton's broke nicely.

Remember the kool-aid dyeing I did?  It got knitted up into the Annis Shawl by Susanna IC.   I hate it.  Not the design, but the colors.  I think it looks like bacon and I'm not a big fan.   Since I don't know anyone I dislike enough to give them a bacon colored shawl I decided to take the yarn I had left over and attempt to over dye it with Wilton's.  I have 3 colors that I will try out on it and see what happens.  Black, Delphinium Blue and Violet.  I'll post when they're finished.   But for a now, a picture of the Bacon Annis.

Breaking Wilton's

So I've been wanting to break Wilton's for awhile now after seeing all the beautiful yarn everyone has been getting in the What A Kool Way to Dye group.   An amazingly awesome person hunted down Wilton's for me since I couldn't find it in my area and sent me Black, Delphinium Blue and Violet.  (Thanks Jenarita!)  I've looked around and there's really no step by step directions on how to do this so I threw caution to the wind and grabbed up some KP Bare Merino I had left over from Ruben's Sweater. 

I was not at all scientific about it,  I didn't measure much of anything, but I was having fun!   I soaked the yarn (approx. 30 yards) in some room temp. water with a glub of vinegar for about an hour.

Then I mixed up a bit of Wilton's black in hot water,  I'm guessing 1/16 of a teaspoon, then added room temp water to the mix,  about 5 cups water total and about a 1/2 tsp of vinegar.  I squeezed out the water from the yarn, placed it in the crockpot,  poured the dye mix over it, turned the crockpot to low and let it cook for about an hour.   I then placed about a tablespoon of vinegar into the water and let it cook another hour.  Shut off the crockpot and went to bed.   In the morning I rinsed the yarn out in room temp. water and hung it to dry.  
I think I used too much dye for the amount of yarn because it came out REALLY dark.   But it did break and you can see the different colors.  Can't wait to do it again!    And here's the result.

A Nice Surprise

I had some old Paton's Classic Wool laying around, it was an abomination.  Bright teal colored and I couldn't think of anything to use it for.  I had been using it to practice lace patterns that I thought looked a bit complicated,  but that was all.   After my semi success with the KP I decided to over dye it using just Black Cherry to see how that came out.  Nothing thrilling,   I didn't take before picture and I didn't take after pictures of the skein since it was just and experiment. 
I ended up knitting the yarn into a Deep Sea Flower Dice Bag for Ruben.

As I said, nothing spectacular.  But.... I had tied the skein with some yarn from a sweater I'm making for Bryan.  It's KP's Wool of the Andes in the Mist color.  There I got a pleasant surprise. 

The gray went a lovely reddish brown color.   I wondered what I would do with the leftovers, and now I know!