Indigo-go
We wanted to test out how well two local yarns are able to take in dye for an upcoming project. A thicker yarn for our weaving and a thinner sock weight for knitters.
SpiritSong Studio 2-ply sock yarn with 85% wool and 15% mohair
This wool carried a beautiful luster and is quite soft. The question was - would the mohair take the dye noticeably darker than the wool?
SpiritSong Studio Lopi-style 100% wool yarn
The description reads “This soft spun yarn has a slight twist giving it lots of loft and squishability. It’s made from 100% western Canadian Dorset wool”.
We selected this yarn as it’s a great chunky weight for weaving. It easily pulls apart when weaving short sections.
The Soak and Scour
As always, we want to start by soaking the wool for at least 30 minutes in room temperature water to help replace trapped air in the fiber that would keep the fiber floating at the surface. Fiber that’s been soaked long enough, should sink below the surface with a neutral buoyancy. After the soak, I added the fiber into the pot with water and roughly 1/2 tbsp of a mild soap called Orvus paste (woolite works as well). I dissolved the paste first in a jar of warm water and added it in.
I was really pleased to see that both skeins came tied loosely in all four quarters which made it easy to charge ahead with the dyeing process. Thanks Spiritsong Studio!
Indigo Vat
My indigo vat was a simple chemical vat using the materials and instructions supplied through Maiwa West (Maiwa). For dips - 10 minutes in and 30 minute rest out of the sun. For me, that’s in the backyard off the wood deck where I once again worry my partner is definitely going to notice pools of colour stain are becoming apparent.
First Dip
The skein on the left is a bright turquoise after it’s first dip. The skein on the right has already had three dips from a previous dye session and is already a dark blue. You can really see how the colour starts to stack up after each dip.
3rd and Final Dip
Sometimes you need many dips to get the shade you’re after, but this time, it only took three. The vat had more colour to give, but I was happy with these. The mohair/wool blend came out very evenly and dyed about as deeply as the other 100% wool skein.
Ultimately, both yarns took the colour super well in both depth and evenness.
Great dyeing day with indigo!
