Friday Fiber Arts-Dyeing and Mixing Colors

So I know I talk about kool aid alot! It actually is a cheap and pretty versatile dye. I have done a lot with cherry and strawberry packets and had some pretty wonderful results. I have been really wanting to dye greens. I searched around for a plant outside, but as Fall is fast approaching, I couldn't find anything suitable. So kool aid my old friend came to the rescue. I started with 50 g alpaca fiber. I mordanted the fiber in alum and cream of tartar. I prepared the dye bath by heating the water and tossing in 2 blue packets and 2 yellow packets of KA. Then I rinsed the fiber under warm water so it does not get shocked in the dye bath. I gently placed them in the pot and brought it to a simmer. I usually simmer about 1 hour. Then turn of the stove and let it sit until the bath is clear. Kool Aid is great in this way because the fiber absorbs it all. I am working on trying to get my colors on the fiber not to streak. I wanted these particular skeins to have color variation. I have been successful in the past with walnuts to get a really even dark color. Key tip is to put the dye in first and stir it around before adding the fiber. Especially with kool aid because the powder can adhere to certain parts of the fiber and not others. Anyway I ended up thinking the green was too minty. So I added a packet of lemon lime. And here is the result with a cherry roving next to it.



Now if someone can help me figure out how to keep the skeins tidy when dyeing. I tie off in three places and am very careful and blag..it is the same..twisted and upside down. Drives me crazy. I have the same problem with the hose in the barn. It doesn't matter what I do the hose or skein or whatever stingy thing must be a convoluted mess!

Anyway..this second photos is alpaca dyed in blue kool aid. I carded it on my Ashford hand carders with dark blue locks from a small bag I bought at the Michigan Fiber Festival two years ago. The bag was unlabeled so I am not sure what kind sheep provided these locks. I am going to check that out. And I added silver angel hair. There is about 1/2 oz of fiber in the bundle. I am going to do some more. I was inspired by a friend of mine who combined similar colors and created a beautiful skein of yarn on her drop spindle. Check out her blog at Curly Bird Express http://curlybirdexpress.blogspot.com/.