Skeining to Dye

Being unfamiliar with the dyeing process, I am really looking forward to participating in a quick Kool Aid dyeing workshop on Saturday. This morning I worked diligently on the preparation homework. Many of you who are experienced with animal fiber and Kool Aid might want to skip right over this post. But I really had to think and worry over the preparations.

It makes sense that if we are going to add color, the yarn I bring should have very little color - something akin to 'natural wool' perhaps? Superwash sock weight was suggested, but even my stash does not have an extra bit of that hanging around and uncommitted to some grand scheme and plan. There was alpaca left over from two years ago. Deep teal alpaca. We can all admit that such a dark color might not accept another dye with open arms.

More digging in another drawer and Bingo! It almost jumped up and bit me. There sat a tidy left over ball that I vaguely recall to be Cascade Pastaza. Naturally, at a time such as this, no ball band can be found. So, I am going to stick with my best guess, especially since this yarn passed the burn test, the felt test and the smell test. Pastaza is llama & wool, so that is two animal fibers in one. Surely this will work.

A bit of time winding, tying and voila! One little skein for practice, and one bigger for playing. The rest of the supplies are basic kitchen tools: turkey baster, rubber gloves, microwave safe bowl, plastic bags and creativity. Just think. My homework preparation is done early!

From what I understand the turkey baster is for applying different colors to the skein so that the final product is a self striping yarn. The plastic is for protection of self and clothing. Well, I have the creativity, the supplies and the yarn. Is it Saturday yet?