You can use your roving for all kinds of felting projects without being stuck with pre-dyed colors. Whether you are dyeing handspun or commercially spun store-bought merino wool, you’ll want to be as educated on the process as possible to help the process go smoothly and get the best results. Available in both powder and liquid form, Rit allows you to change the color of your wool clothes or other wool items around the house. Some of my colors were straight from the Dharma container and some I combined by mixing several colors. -- There are so many possibilities for home dyeing – from planting a natural dye garden to dyeing with Kool-aid and more. (And if you don't, it's all incredibly easy to find.) Rit dye works best with natural fibers, such as wool, cotton, linen and silk. After years of producing yarn from our home grown wool, I reviewed A Garden to Dye For by Chris McLaughlin and I was thrilled to dive into the world of naturally dyeing wool. I taught in Idaho once and I was shocked at how much different my go-to dye colors turned out in the very different water there vs. my house. If desired you can soak the roving in a fabric softener rinse, or just lay them to dry. Learning to Use Nature for Dyeing Wool . Water chemistry will also effect your colors. Home dyers can go wild experimenting with dyeing roving, and then spinning into yarn for the ultimate in custom-made. -You’ll need something to dye (In my case, wool roving. I heated the dye up to steaming and then added some mixed 56’s wool roving. But these instructions would work the same way if you wanted to dye yarn. Dyeing yarn with food coloring is just as easy as dyeing it with kool aid, but you do get a fuller rainbow of colors. )-White Vinegar (Dying with food color is different than dying with Kool-aid. We raise our own fiber animals on the farm and send the raw fleeces to a local mill to be processed and … ( Click on this link if you want to read my review on Amazon.). This means wool, alpaca, cashmere, etc. How to dye wool roving and silk using acid dyes I did some silk and wool roving dyeing today with Dharma acid dyes in preparation for a large piece I am making for a piano cover. Because all wool is a protein fiber, use an acid dye and a vinegar solution as your dye … Our merino wool is purchased from a local mill right here in North Carolina. Superwash wool tends to soak up dye like nobody’s business. When dyeing wool, you will need a thermometer, safety-wear, dye-pot, and the various chemicals to both pre-wash the wool, dye the wool, and post-dye treatment. Pro-tip: a cookie rack over the sink or in the bath tub is great for drying roving and will keep it supported so it doesn't pull apart with the weight of the water. Tongs, measuring cups, spoons, pipettes, long-handled plastic will also be very useful. )-Food Coloring. Other kinds of yarn may not be as saturated; our roving was lighter colors. I used the McCormick’s stuff.-Foil-A pan (13×9 works well. You probably already have everything you need in your house too! Dye a wool sweater to match your favorite pants or change the color of a wool blanket so it matches the rest of your decor. It just needs to be in hank. I got out my dye pot, filled it up to 2/3 with water, added the full bottle of fuchsia colored Rit dye and a couple of glugs of vinegar. We're happy to support local businesses whenever possible. Rinse the roving in a tub of cool water. Supplies: Yarn - Your yarn has to be 100% animal fiber. While a lot of our yarns are left natural & some are purchased from other shops, we also like to hand dye wool ourselves. – about 150-200 grams roving (5-7oz) soaked in water/vinegar solution – ziploc or similar sealable plastic bag with plenty of room for the wool – large pot (this is stovetop dyeing) which you have dedicated to dyeing not food prep, filled with water We purchase wool roving that is ready to be dyed or spun into yarn. Roving Rainbow - Dyeing Fleece With Acid Dyes: In this tutorial we will show you a way to quickly dye up a rainbow of roving all at once with just the primary colors of dye.