Hi there, I am a hobby dyer as well as having my knitting shop, I love the ease of the Gaywool dyes and the great coverage I get. I also supply a few local Indy dyers who love the colour range of these dyes.
High quality acid dyes for wool, mohair, alpaca, angora, silk, fur, feathers and nylon.
This dye range offers so many beautiful colours which are chemically based & complete. Colourfast, safe & easy to use with high dyebath exhaustion. Suitable for the experienced dyer or first time dyer who is after a user friendly product with a wide and diverse range of applications.
All dyes are fully compatible thus a creative person can dilute, strengthen or mix new shades and blends as desired.
Gaywool 100gms quantities will dye approximately 800gms/1lb 12 oz to a minimum shade & up to 1 kg/2lbs 3oz for lighter shades.
Dyes can be used for immersion, rainbow, microwave dyeing, also with steam set and direct application techniques.
Enjoy the performance and simplicity of this product and have heaps of fun with your project.Dyeing Equipment.
Dyebath .....Enamel or steel pot.
Spoons, containers to mix dye, buckets x 2
Heat source, gas burner, hotplate (stove)
Weigh fibre & record weight.
2. Steam Dyeing Method.
This method is recommended for fibres that are delicate to handle and have a tendency which requires a more careful approach when dyeing at hot temperatures.
Gaywool Originals & Bush Blends are all in one acid dyes which have the acid component and the levelling agent essential to stabilize the dyebath at the correct ph level.
The steam set method is ideal to use for slivers/tops/rovings, especially if they have a silk component. This method is also very good to use on the luxury protein fibres such as angora or cashmere.
Dyeing Equipment.
Hints.
Use smaller amount of diluted dye at the start. You can always make the fibre darker by adding more dye. Experiment and record your procedure if trying to replicate your dyeing application.
Try to handle the fibre as little as possible.
Method.
Weigh fibre, record weight and then soak in warm water.
Note: If you want to experiment using a variegated (rainbow) method, instead of diluting the dye, just sprinkle the dye powder or dye colours over the moist fibre. Then wrap in newspaper and steam. Alternatively you could try to wrap the fibre in a plastic bag after you have applied the dye making sure you do not have too much liquid.
3. Microwave Dyeing Method
Dyeing Equipment.
Microwave
Plastic container (eg ice cream container)
Small plastic/ceramic cup (for diluting dye)
Spoons (wooden/plastic or metal for mixing dye)
Rubber gloves & face mask. Tongs
Microwave safe container & lid. Use either glass, plastic or ceramic.
Water jug or bucket, syringe.
Exhaust Dyeing......Using one colour or a combination of colours.
4. Random Dyeing Method
Method
Hints.
Safety Issues.
5. Cold Water Dyeing Method. Cold Water Dyeing Using a Shallow Dyebath
Equipment & Chemicals
Shallow dyebath, plastic, ceramic or metal (suggested size Length 400ml , width 300ml, depth 150ml.)
Rubber gloves , buckets, large spoons, teaspoons. Jug/Kettle for hot water. Mask. Urea & dyes. (Urea is a garden fertilizer which can be obtained from garden supplies.)
Quick Method.....45min-1hour.
Weigh fibre & record weight.
Pre soak fibre in warm water until the fibre is completely saturated.
Mix urea with boiling water to dissolve granules completely. Rate is 100g per 1 litre of water or ratio 1:10.
Add urea solution to fibre & soak for a minimum of 10 minutes.
Fill dyebath with enough cold water to adequately cover the fibre.
Following directions on dye packet measure specific amount of dye and dissolve in boiling water. Mix dye solution by stirring with a spoon until crystals are completely dissolved.
Add dye to dye bath & stir dye liquid so that is evenly dispersed throughout the dyebath. Add urea mixture left over from soaking.
Add fibre to dyebath and with your gloved hands work the dye into the fibre (very important). Leave dye to sit for between 45mins & 1 hour.
Remove fibre and rinse in warm water and dry.
Comment.
You will have a good deal of dye residue remaining in the dyebath. We suggest that you use this by added more fibre to take up the remaining dye. Most colours in the Gaywool originals colour range and the deeper colours in the Gaywool Bush Blends would be in this category.
The pastel shades in both the Gaywool Originals & bush blends have much less dyestuff and we recommend when dyeing with these colours with this quick method.increase the quanity of dye by 15 to 20%. If you have a dyeing result which is not even we suggest that you add more dye to the dye bath and re-dye, not forgetting to work the dye into the fibre. Make sure that when dyeing skeins to tie loosely in 3 places. This will allow the dye liquid to evenly penetrate the fibre and prevent skeins from tangling up.
The use of urea is optional but we do recommend using this as it assists in swelling the fibre to allow the dye to migrate and produce an even dyeing result.
Please note that this quick cold water method will absorb less dye than the longer 24hr-48 hr method. Some colours will not absorb the dye solution as well as others but most colours do work well considering the quick dyeing time and lack of heat. This dyeing system does have a flexibility which will enable the fibrecraft person to accurately mix & repeat colours knowing that their dyeing results can be quick and easily achieved.
Alternatively ... another quick method which only takes 30 - 45 min
Equipment
Light coloured plastic or stainless steel container or pot (I used a round container a little bigger than my plastic plate)
Chosen dyes (I used iceberg)
Measuring spoon and scales
Chosen wool (I used a regular 14ply yarn)
Gloves
Tongs
Plastic plate
Weigth of some sort (I used a large jar filled with water)
Method
Wet wool and ensure entire skien is damp before wringing out loosly. Dilute the dye as per wool weight ratio in a small amount of hot water first to ensure the granules have dissolved. Add this to the cold water in your container. Stir. Add wool to the cold dye bath. Place plastic plate on top of wool and weight on top of plate to ensure the wool remains submerged for the entire dyeing time.
Leave for 30 - 45 min.
Remove wool from dye bath and rinse in cold water until water is clear. After this, with any dye session, I give the wool a quick handwash using a cold water washing powder and then lay the skien or roving on wire racks to dry. For best results, dry in shade or overnight.
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