I was rummaging through some fiber stash and found a smallish roving of Rambouillet. I decided this fine piece would be perfect to stripe dye and try to work out some kinks in my Wilton dye experimentations. I really cannot commit to dyeing alpaca until I make sure that all goes well on other types of fiber...sorry Rambouillet. Rambouillet also known as French Merino. This breed was developed in 1786 with a flock of Spanish Merino was purchased by Louis XVI. Rambouillet yields a good meat and a fine grade wool.
Dyeing:
First I choose sky blue and true blue as my colors. I mixed some of the Wilton dye paste in a mason jar with a bit of vinegar and water. I placed the roving on a piece of saran wrap. I organized the fiber in a snake shape. Using a pastry brush that I dipped into the dye I dabbed the colors onto the fiber. When I had completely dyed the roving I wrapped it up in the saran wrap and placed in it a microwaveable container. On high heat for one minute I cooked the roving. I let it rest for a minute and then cooked it for another minute. I continued this process alternating between cooking 1 minute (total 10 minutes) and rest 1 minute (total 10 minutes).
I then unwrapped the fiber, rinsed it and hung it to dry. Voila!
Before spinning:
Unfortunately my photos are not showing the variation of colors. They are similar yet very rich and deep. I have the before and after spinning. I quickly spun some on a bobbin that had fawn alpaca on it. Therefore you might see a bit peaking out from underneath the blue. The entire roving is about 3 1/2 inches wide. I carefully separated strips lengthwise, about 1/8" wide and spun them.
After spinning:
Dyeing:
First I choose sky blue and true blue as my colors. I mixed some of the Wilton dye paste in a mason jar with a bit of vinegar and water. I placed the roving on a piece of saran wrap. I organized the fiber in a snake shape. Using a pastry brush that I dipped into the dye I dabbed the colors onto the fiber. When I had completely dyed the roving I wrapped it up in the saran wrap and placed in it a microwaveable container. On high heat for one minute I cooked the roving. I let it rest for a minute and then cooked it for another minute. I continued this process alternating between cooking 1 minute (total 10 minutes) and rest 1 minute (total 10 minutes).
I then unwrapped the fiber, rinsed it and hung it to dry. Voila!
Before spinning:
Unfortunately my photos are not showing the variation of colors. They are similar yet very rich and deep. I have the before and after spinning. I quickly spun some on a bobbin that had fawn alpaca on it. Therefore you might see a bit peaking out from underneath the blue. The entire roving is about 3 1/2 inches wide. I carefully separated strips lengthwise, about 1/8" wide and spun them.
After spinning:
Pretty!
ReplyDeleteI love the colors and I love how rich they are. I'm like you...I'll try everything on wool before my precious Alpaca is used.
ReplyDeleteHave you noticed how differently wool takes the color v Alpaca? Sometimes that is frustrating too.
very vibrant colors-my dye of choice is kool-aid-but I can't get such a lovely blue (I work mostly with wool)
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love the colors!
ReplyDeleteSo pretty! Love the colors. I've never used Wilton, thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete