I can not thank you enough for this clear, informative video. I am extremely interested in dyeing yarn, a novice dyer. This is the best information I have found, and I have been searching for months. Thank you again. I can't WAIT to give this a try.
thanks for your dedication, clarity and no music so we can concentrate and observe without external stimuli. Very lovely, my second time viewing. You obviously know what you are doing!
Thank you so much for posting this and showing us your process in such detail! I e been dyeing for quite a while now but it's always fascinating to watch another dyer work, see the little variations in techniques, setups, and philosophies. You do beautiful work, and you explain and demonstrate it well.
Such an excellent--- clear and inspiring video. I put this in my favourites over two years ago and just had a look again. Hey--I do so much of my yarn dyeing prep( figure 8 ties, the big loop tie, the syringes, tongs etc etc) just like yours, all the time now. Sure worked like a tutorial for me - You are a gifted teacher! Gotta get those insulated rubber gloves!
fab figure 8 technique, and retwisting is a surprise, you are a great teacher and very calm to listen to. thank you so much for your generosity; i'm sure it takes quite a bit of focus to both film edit and produce such beauty!
wow , just found your video , love seeing the results ,been dying (no pun intended ) to see one that is has different colors than just purple demostrations.
I cannot thank you enough for this video! I have looked and looked for really good, thorough instructions on dyeing, and this is the best video I have found so far. As a new dyer, I extend my deepest gratitude to you! I will definitely be giving credit to this video whenever I use techniques similar to this!!
Thank you for answering my questions. Your set up is exactly what I want to do and watching you do it was great. I hope you continue to make dyeing videos demonstrating a variety of dyeing techniques using crockpots.
I love to dye my own yarn for special projects, and I have to say that this video is the MOST helpful and inspiring video I've ever seen. Thank you so much for sharing your process!
Thank you for so generously sharing your dyeing secrets. It's a fantastic video and has given me, a dyeing beginner, some real inspiration to go and experiment.
I didn't expect to watch the whole video so keenly. This was very interesting and impressive... I'd like to begin learning to dye my owe yarn. I'm sure I'll revisit this video again!
Thank you for sharing your secrets! The video is the best I have seen. I was re-directed here through the To Dye For group on Ravelry. Really glad to have found you!
Glad you like it! The bags are regular food storage bags from the supermarket, the kind that comes with twist ties instead of the zipper top kind. They do not melt or burn through in the steam pot because of the presence of water. If the pot dries out, though, the bags would develop holes. I reuse the bags until they develop punctures. The middle shaft of the niddy noddy is 12in long. This makes a 62in in circumference skein.
I always cross the figure 8 ties through the skein at least twice and have one loose tie that doesn't cross through at any point. The loose tie is free to float around the circumference of the skein and it's easy to pull the skein open in the middle with it. Once I can pull the skein into a ring, it's easy to neaten it up into its proper and untangled state.
I also want to know if it is necessary to steam set the dyed yarns if you use a crock pot that generates heat. Thank you for your excellent instructions
I use steam to make sure all the yarn gets hot enough for the dye to bond but also to clear out my dye pots for another batch. I will also use the crockpots to set the dye if I have the time (or if I don't want the yarn to get as hot as with steam). If I am setting in the pot, I leave the yarn in the final dyebath for at least 15min of 185-190*F. I use an instant read thermometer to check the temp to make sure it's hot enough. Another option if you have lots of time and not a lot of yarn to dye is to make sure the pots get to 185-190*F and then turn them off and let everything cool overnight in the pot. This is especially useful if you're worried about felting.
@TarotLadyLissa I've been focusing on other colorways for a while, but I can always make more of it. Most of my colorways are repeatable and I'm happy to add it to my dye queue if asked.
I have a question about steaming the yarn. Is it necessary to steam the yarn when dyeing in a crock pot? Also what setting did you have the crock pots set too. Was it high or low and for how long? Thank you for the informative video. I found it to be very helpful overall. I just was not clear about the temperature settings and the need for additional steaming even though the crock pots were an actual heat source as well.
No, it's not necessary to steam if you allow the yarn to get hot enough long enough in the crockpot. I steam to make sure everything has set because taking the yarn out and putting it back in cools down the pot and letting it rise to setting temperature takes too long if I have more yarn to dye. I will set in the pot if I need to control the temperature, though. I usually have the crockpots at the highest cooking setting, but I will use the lower setting if I want to slow things down a bit.
There are a lot of sources for base yarn, these days. Personal preference for twist, ply, fiber content, etc, is a big factor, as is price. I buy mine wholesale from a local mill, but there are retailers out there, too. Paradise Fibers, Knitpicks, Catnip Yarns carries Henry's Attic Yarns as does Dharma Trading Co, and lots, lots more. Also, there's destash in the Ravelry "Love to Dye" group, if you want to try something out w/o a large order commitment.
Hi I want to ask you about what temperature is your crock pots set to? Do you use the high setting or the low setting. How would you manage the yarns if they were not super wash. Would they felt with the changes in temp when you remove them from the crock pot and then put them back into the pits when you add second colors. I am trying to set up my dye garage and use ONLY crock pots for dyeing. This is an excellent video.
I have the pots set to "high" unless I need to hold them at temperature, in which case I will turn them down. I don't find that temp changes cause the felting of non-superwash, but rather moving the yarn in the hot dye bath. So I lay in the non-superwash into the dyebath very gently and then carefully and slowly nudge it with my tongs if I need to move it at all. Always move slow with non-superwash. Some felting will occur, but if you're gentle and slow, it will mostly be surface felting of loose fibers and won't affect the spring of the yarn at all.
There's one blend that's wool/silk/nylon/silver. The mill has since changed the silver fiber to a metallic poly fiber, so that exact blend is no longer available.
Wonderful video, thank you. Question: at any point is more citric acid needed or just the initial amount? Is there any acid in your dye before it is put in the pot? Thank you again.
You have to leave them in at a temperature of 190*F for at least 15min. Or you can do what I did in this video and steam them once they're the right color in order to make sure the color has set.
The crockpots are on high unless I need them to be cooler, at which point I'll drop them to the lower setting for a while. If I'm setting in the pot, I leave the hanks in the pot at 190*F for at least 15-30min. If I'm setting over steam, I take them out once the dye has struck and move them to plastic bags and then steam for at least 15min. I prefer allowing them to cool naturally before rinsing, and will leave them in the pot to do so slowly if there's no hurry.
thank you for sharing this video. I've always wanted to learn how to do this and your video is inspiring! As a newbie - what yarn bases can you suggest would be best to use? Suppliers? You mention obtaining from a mill? Thank you!
First of all Happy new year and thanks for this video which was so relaxing to watch but I am wondering something (non english language native, maybe it s why I didn t get the thing). I use to wait until my water has a steady simmer then I put my colors and stop the burner. The low water immersion is what? Hot water but not steady simmer and you keep a regular temperature in the water? Thanks in advance 😊
There are lots of ways to dye with acid dyes; different techniques end up with different results but the only thing the dye needs is the correct pH and temperature range. Immersion dyeing means that the yarn is submerged in a dye bath. Compare this to yarns that are hand painted or sprayed with dye. Low water means that the volume of the dye bath is low, often just enough for the yarn to be fully covered with water while still touching the bottom/sides of the pot. These are all technique choices that affect the outcome of the dye job. Low water means less dye bath movement which means the final color will have bigger tonal differences between light and dark. An even dye job requires a large dyebath and lots of water movement to keep the dye distribution as even as possible; that's impossible in a low water situation. When you add the heat, when you add the dye, when you add the acid, and when you add the yarn all impact the final outcome. "Low water immersion" won't really tell you any of these things although there is the slight implication that the yarn is added to the dye and not vice versa. Still, I can and will vary when I add any of these things depending on the outcome I want.
Hi 😊. I've watched your very informative video a few times now. Thank you so much for sharing this. Question: how many litres are your slow cookers? I am hoping to purchase one and would love to know how large and how many skeins I can fit into one. Thankyou
7qt, so just shy of 7 litres for low water immersion. You can also use a large non-reactive pot on the stove; I just like being able to do it where I can make a mess.
djinnj thank you for such a quick reply! 😃 I am hoping to utilise a slow cooker or two to do some overnight dyeing, so I presume only two skeins in this? Happy New Year too!! 👍😃💥
Happy New Year! I usually do around 300-400g of fingering to worsted weight yarn, but I'm doing low water immersion so the pot can be very full of yarn. They're really not big enough to do solid colorways since those require lots of water volume. Also, if you dye overnight with a crockpot, double check to see how long it takes for your pot to go from cold to a boil. Boiling is completely unnecessary and lays you open to scorching the yarn if it boils dry, or otherwise compromising the dye job. For my crockpots, it takes them about 2hrs to go from cold tap water to hot enough to set dye, and that's still a way's off from boiling.
djinnj oh thankyou! Yes, low immersion is what I’m thinking of but as I’m still new, I keep forgetting that I can go very low unlike a solid dye. Didn’t think of it actually boiling and yes I certainly don’t want that to happen whilst I’m sleeping. I have lots of bench space and only one tiny stove, so the slow cooker technique looks good for me. Thanks again ❤️
Wow, what a fascinating and instructive demo. I looked at your Etsy shop, Light Brown Hare (www.etsy.com/shop/lightbrownhare), and your colorways are absolutely beautiful. I'm inspired to continue my journey into dyeing yarn. Thank you for generously sharing your knowledge; many artists are stingy with their "secrets." Awesome!
You can read the MSDS from the manufacturer if you're concerned about residual chemicals. Acid dyes are pretty safe, so I dispose of them down the drain.
I loved your demo on dying. I followed the instructions from a class but the yarn didn't turn out nearly as nice as yours. How long do you leave the hanks in the crockpot. Is the temperature turned on high?
Citric acid is a pH modifier. The dye needs the correct pH range and temperature to set. I steam set for speed. If I have something that can't go up to steam temps, I monitor the crockpots until they reach 190*F and stay there for 15 min. But that can take over an hour. When it is straight wool or wool/nylon, the steam pot clears my crockpots out for the next application of color.
You are SO wonderful to be willing to share such detailed information with us! This is absolutely the best demonstration ever. Thank you so much!
Don't let the initial low volume put you off, this is an excellent and inspiring video - true fibre artistry here! Thank you, this was so helpful.
I can not thank you enough for this clear, informative video. I am extremely interested in dyeing yarn, a novice dyer. This is the best information I have found, and I have been searching for months. Thank you again. I can't WAIT to give this a try.
thanks for your dedication, clarity and no music so we can concentrate and observe without external stimuli. Very lovely, my second time viewing. You obviously know what you are doing!
Thank you so much for posting this and showing us your process in such detail! I e been dyeing for quite a while now but it's always fascinating to watch another dyer work, see the little variations in techniques, setups, and philosophies. You do beautiful work, and you explain and demonstrate it well.
Such an excellent--- clear and inspiring video. I put this in my favourites over two years ago and just had a look again. Hey--I do so much of my yarn dyeing prep( figure 8 ties, the big loop tie, the syringes, tongs etc etc) just like yours, all the time now. Sure worked like a tutorial for me - You are a gifted teacher! Gotta get those insulated rubber gloves!
fab figure 8 technique, and retwisting is a surprise, you are a great teacher and very calm to listen to. thank you so much for your generosity; i'm sure it takes quite a bit of focus to both film edit and produce such beauty!
wow , just found your video , love seeing the results ,been dying (no pun intended ) to see one that is has different colors than just purple demostrations.
I cannot thank you enough for this video! I have looked and looked for really good, thorough instructions on dyeing, and this is the best video I have found so far. As a new dyer, I extend my deepest gratitude to you! I will definitely be giving credit to this video whenever I use techniques similar to this!!
Thank you for this most wonderful demo. I think yours is the best demo I've watched out of dozens and dozens. Grateful.
Thank you for answering my questions. Your set up is exactly what I want to do and watching you do it was great. I hope you continue to make dyeing videos demonstrating a variety of dyeing techniques using crockpots.
I love to dye my own yarn for special projects, and I have to say that this video is the MOST helpful and inspiring video I've ever seen. Thank you so much for sharing your process!
Thank you for so generously sharing your dyeing secrets. It's a fantastic video and has given me, a dyeing beginner, some real inspiration to go and experiment.
So educational and, immensely satisfying to watch. You are a very good instructor.
I didn't expect to watch the whole video so keenly. This was very interesting and impressive... I'd like to begin learning to dye my owe yarn. I'm sure I'll revisit this video again!
Thank you for sharing. I never realized how much work went into this process. Thanks again!
I enjoyed watching your dyeing process. I hope you make more videos like this one.
Please make more dyeing tutorials! This is the absolute best I've found!! Thank you so much for sharing!!
Rhonda Jewell i
Thank you for sharing your techniques. I come back to this video often, as I experiment with dying fiber.
Considering I was a tye dyeing fool as a kid, I loved your video. But a lot of work. Loved it! TFS.
Thank you for sharing your secrets! The video is the best I have seen. I was re-directed here through the To Dye For group on Ravelry. Really glad to have found you!
It's fascinating watching you dye yarn. I'd love to give it a go some time.
This was a great demo! Thank you for sharing! I love your colorways!
Very well done! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience. As a "newbie" dyer, I really appreciate it!
Glad you like it! The bags are regular food storage bags from the supermarket, the kind that comes with twist ties instead of the zipper top kind. They do not melt or burn through in the steam pot because of the presence of water. If the pot dries out, though, the bags would develop holes. I reuse the bags until they develop punctures. The middle shaft of the niddy noddy is 12in long. This makes a 62in in circumference skein.
thank you for the great tutorial. I love your outdoor set up also!
Thank you for the detailed explanation. As a beginner this was wonderful.
Thanks, I really enjoyed watching you working, very clear, thanks for sharing.
I always cross the figure 8 ties through the skein at least twice and have one loose tie that doesn't cross through at any point. The loose tie is free to float around the circumference of the skein and it's easy to pull the skein open in the middle with it. Once I can pull the skein into a ring, it's easy to neaten it up into its proper and untangled state.
@camajhandspunyarns It's dye stock. I only handle the powdered dye in a closed environment while wearing a particulate mask.
love the figure 8, and the whole video.supernice
Awesome, very beautiful! And thank you for the excellent instruction
I also want to know if it is necessary to steam set the dyed yarns if you use a crock pot that generates heat. Thank you for your excellent instructions
I use steam to make sure all the yarn gets hot enough for the dye to bond but also to clear out my dye pots for another batch. I will also use the crockpots to set the dye if I have the time (or if I don't want the yarn to get as hot as with steam). If I am setting in the pot, I leave the yarn in the final dyebath for at least 15min of 185-190*F. I use an instant read thermometer to check the temp to make sure it's hot enough. Another option if you have lots of time and not a lot of yarn to dye is to make sure the pots get to 185-190*F and then turn them off and let everything cool overnight in the pot. This is especially useful if you're worried about felting.
Love your way of dyeing
@TarotLadyLissa I've been focusing on other colorways for a while, but I can always make more of it. Most of my colorways are repeatable and I'm happy to add it to my dye queue if asked.
I bought a crock pot in jcpenny on there sale to dye yarn and make it a business and your video is amaizing
It was so nice, why did you put it into the black again... wahhhh it was sooooo perfect!!! Thanks for the idea.....
what a beautiful trade! how useful:) thank you very much for this video!
I have a question about steaming the yarn. Is it necessary to steam the yarn when dyeing in a crock pot? Also what setting did you have the crock pots set too. Was it high or low and for how long? Thank you for the informative video. I found it to be very helpful overall. I just was not clear about the temperature settings and the need for additional steaming even though the crock pots were an actual heat source as well.
No, it's not necessary to steam if you allow the yarn to get hot enough long enough in the crockpot. I steam to make sure everything has set because taking the yarn out and putting it back in cools down the pot and letting it rise to setting temperature takes too long if I have more yarn to dye. I will set in the pot if I need to control the temperature, though. I usually have the crockpots at the highest cooking setting, but I will use the lower setting if I want to slow things down a bit.
There are a lot of sources for base yarn, these days. Personal preference for twist, ply, fiber content, etc, is a big factor, as is price. I buy mine wholesale from a local mill, but there are retailers out there, too. Paradise Fibers, Knitpicks, Catnip Yarns carries Henry's Attic Yarns as does Dharma Trading Co, and lots, lots more. Also, there's destash in the Ravelry "Love to Dye" group, if you want to try something out w/o a large order commitment.
Beautiful, ty for sharing your process!
Hi
I want to ask you about what temperature is your crock pots set to? Do you use the high setting or the low setting. How would you manage the yarns if they were not super wash. Would they felt with the changes in temp when you remove them from the crock pot and then put them back into the pits when you add second colors. I am trying to set up my dye garage and use ONLY crock pots for dyeing. This is an excellent video.
I have the pots set to "high" unless I need to hold them at temperature, in which case I will turn them down. I don't find that temp changes cause the felting of non-superwash, but rather moving the yarn in the hot dye bath. So I lay in the non-superwash into the dyebath very gently and then carefully and slowly nudge it with my tongs if I need to move it at all. Always move slow with non-superwash. Some felting will occur, but if you're gentle and slow, it will mostly be surface felting of loose fibers and won't affect the spring of the yarn at all.
Hi, Thank you for the video, were some of the yarns a blend of lurex, such as the Nebula, which seemed sparkly
There's one blend that's wool/silk/nylon/silver. The mill has since changed the silver fiber to a metallic poly fiber, so that exact blend is no longer available.
Loved your video thanks so much. Love Love your yarns
Oh-oh!!! I LOVE your niddy noddy!!!!!
Wonderful video, thank you. Question: at any point is more citric acid needed or just the initial amount? Is there any acid in your dye before it is put in the pot? Thank you again.
You have to leave them in at a temperature of 190*F for at least 15min. Or you can do what I did in this video and steam them once they're the right color in order to make sure the color has set.
The crockpots are on high unless I need them to be cooler, at which point I'll drop them to the lower setting for a while. If I'm setting in the pot, I leave the hanks in the pot at 190*F for at least 15-30min. If I'm setting over steam, I take them out once the dye has struck and move them to plastic bags and then steam for at least 15min. I prefer allowing them to cool naturally before rinsing, and will leave them in the pot to do so slowly if there's no hurry.
Wonderful explanation. Thank you so much for your efforts!
Awesome video! Thank you so much for sharing!
Interesting video upload! thumbs up...
thank you for sharing this video. I've always wanted to learn how to do this and your video is inspiring! As a newbie - what yarn bases can you suggest would be best to use? Suppliers? You mention obtaining from a mill? Thank you!
Thank you! Very entertaining and educational.
First of all Happy new year and thanks for this video which was so relaxing to watch but I am wondering something (non english language native, maybe it s why I didn t get the thing). I use to wait until my water has a steady simmer then I put my colors and stop the burner. The low water immersion is what? Hot water but not steady simmer and you keep a regular temperature in the water? Thanks in advance 😊
There are lots of ways to dye with acid dyes; different techniques end up with different results but the only thing the dye needs is the correct pH and temperature range. Immersion dyeing means that the yarn is submerged in a dye bath. Compare this to yarns that are hand painted or sprayed with dye. Low water means that the volume of the dye bath is low, often just enough for the yarn to be fully covered with water while still touching the bottom/sides of the pot. These are all technique choices that affect the outcome of the dye job. Low water means less dye bath movement which means the final color will have bigger tonal differences between light and dark. An even dye job requires a large dyebath and lots of water movement to keep the dye distribution as even as possible; that's impossible in a low water situation.
When you add the heat, when you add the dye, when you add the acid, and when you add the yarn all impact the final outcome. "Low water immersion" won't really tell you any of these things although there is the slight implication that the yarn is added to the dye and not vice versa. Still, I can and will vary when I add any of these things depending on the outcome I want.
djinnj thank you so much for your detailed and nice answer, it sounds clear now 😊
Hi 😊. I've watched your very informative video a few times now. Thank you so much for sharing this. Question: how many litres are your slow cookers? I am hoping to purchase one and would love to know how large and how many skeins I can fit into one. Thankyou
7qt, so just shy of 7 litres for low water immersion. You can also use a large non-reactive pot on the stove; I just like being able to do it where I can make a mess.
djinnj thank you for such a quick reply! 😃 I am hoping to utilise a slow cooker or two to do some overnight dyeing, so I presume only two skeins in this?
Happy New Year too!! 👍😃💥
Happy New Year!
I usually do around 300-400g of fingering to worsted weight yarn, but I'm doing low water immersion so the pot can be very full of yarn. They're really not big enough to do solid colorways since those require lots of water volume. Also, if you dye overnight with a crockpot, double check to see how long it takes for your pot to go from cold to a boil. Boiling is completely unnecessary and lays you open to scorching the yarn if it boils dry, or otherwise compromising the dye job. For my crockpots, it takes them about 2hrs to go from cold tap water to hot enough to set dye, and that's still a way's off from boiling.
djinnj oh thankyou! Yes, low immersion is what I’m thinking of but as I’m still new, I keep forgetting that I can go very low unlike a solid dye. Didn’t think of it actually boiling and yes I certainly don’t want that to happen whilst I’m sleeping. I have lots of bench space and only one tiny stove, so the slow cooker technique looks good for me. Thanks again ❤️
Wow, what a fascinating and instructive demo. I looked at your Etsy shop, Light Brown Hare (www.etsy.com/shop/lightbrownhare), and your colorways are absolutely beautiful. I'm inspired to continue my journey into dyeing yarn. Thank you for generously sharing your knowledge; many artists are stingy with their "secrets." Awesome!
You can read the MSDS from the manufacturer if you're concerned about residual chemicals. Acid dyes are pretty safe, so I dispose of them down the drain.
Thanks so much for sharing! :)
I loved your demo on dying. I followed the instructions from a class but the yarn didn't turn out nearly as nice as yours. How long do you leave the hanks in the crockpot. Is the temperature turned on high?
Great film, what sort of steamer do you use?
I use a stockpot and put a rack in the bottom. I can fit around 6 batches in it at one time, since I'm generally dyeing in quantity.
Loved seeing this! Thank you.
Hello, would you mind sharing how you dispose off the remainder dye water in the croc-pot?
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
This is a method of low water immersion dyeing.
Very interesting!
please make more dyeing videos..like to see u more with these rubber gloves..:-)
Really enjoyed this, ty
I didn't see nebula on your etsy :(
Thank you, I enjoyed this video. =)
Is that dye stock in the jars or powder dye?
Amazing!
How do you keep the yarn from getting really tangled? Even though I do the figure 8 ties when I go to actually use my yarn it's a mad tangled mess.
LOVE YOUR VIDEO
thanks for sharing this interesting video! I'll check out your etsy shop.
how much black dye did you use, out of curiosity? and do you need to add more citric acid after each round of color?
+Oracle Of Maia 40ml. Citric acid is a one time thing. It's needed to lower the pH into the correct range and it doesn't get used up.
+djinnj thanks so much for replying so quickly.
Where can one get these dyes from? I would love to try this!
+Lora Knutson You can use any commercial acid dye this way. I use Jacquard, personally.
Thank you so much for the information. I will give it a go.
Bye for now,
Lori K.
Can I ask why you do the additional step of steam setting? I thought the use of citric acid sets the dye? Thanks!
Citric acid is a pH modifier. The dye needs the correct pH range and temperature to set. I steam set for speed. If I have something that can't go up to steam temps, I monitor the crockpots until they reach 190*F and stay there for 15 min. But that can take over an hour. When it is straight wool or wool/nylon, the steam pot clears my crockpots out for the next application of color.
+Dale Hwang Ah okay. Thanks for that! And thanks for this great video. :)
Home depot for the gloves. in the cleaning aisle...
Sound cant hear you
There is possibly a lot of good information but the sound is so low, and it moves so slow, I lost patience.
have the volume up on high and I can't hear you!