Ok, I've been wanting to get a handle on dyeing wool with Procion fiber reactive dyes for a long time. I knew it could be done. I just hadn't got around to trying it out. I dye rayon chenille and cottons and other cellulosic fibers with fiber reactive dyes all the time. I've got that down, no problem, and I really didn't want to start dyeing wool and silk and soy silk with a whole different class of dyes. Lazy, maybe, but definitely more practical.
I've been on line a lot, searching for other dyers' experiences with wool and fiber reactive dyes, but found very little. I finally found some instructions on the Pro Dye website on how to do this, and this week I've had some time off, so yesterday I gave it a go.
I followed the Pro Chemical & Dye directions up to a point. I wetted the wool in water and synthrapol, and then I put it into the vinegar soak. I mixed a solution of water and urea to mix with the dye powders. I mixed four colors and I used the strength of dye recommended: 2 tsp. of dye to a cup of water. In retrospect this was way too dark and I knew it probably would be, but I wanted to try it their way first.
I painted each skein with the dye paints. I didn't use a thickener paste, and I didn't use the wool assist (whatever that is). Each skein was wrapped in its own saran wrap and rolled up nicely. Then I steamed the skeins, one at a time in a crockpot for 2 hours on high setting. I do all this in the basement, and it was a good thing, because the smell was pretty strong.
I let the hot skeins cool, and then rinsed them out very gently. I didn't do an ammonia rinse or a vinegar rinse. Chemically, I don't know why those steps would be necessary. I soaked the skeins in Eucalan, which I love, and the excess dye rinsed out fairly quickly. The skeins feel really soft, probably softer than before they were dyed.
The colors I used were from Dharma. They are teal, avocado, kilt green, and olive drab (which is really a nice sage green). From the picture, they look pretty dark and this is because I used way more dye powder than I usually do. I thought the color shifting on wool was a nice variation.
The wool I used was recycled from a sweater I bought at the Goodwill, so this "mad scientist" dye experiment had virtually no cost except my time, and I'm really pleased with the results. Now I know I can get good results with my fiber reactive dyes, and incorporate new fibers into a variation of my usual dye routine. Sweet!
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3 comments:
Hi Sue,
Let me get this straight - you used cellulose dye on protein with good results? I recently purchased some Procion to use on tencel and cotton and never imagined I could use the same on wool. Do you think it would work on some particularly dull cream alpaca? I'd love to use the alpaca for the softness but find the bland colour uninspiring. You always give me something to think about.
Hi Lynnette -
Yes, it's true. You can use Procion dyes on silk and wool. The difference is you can't use soda ash for the fixer. You must use an acid - I use white vinegar. I haven't tried silk. I've read that the colors might shift on silk, but I am having gorgeous results with cream colored wool. The Dharma website has directions for using Procion dyes for silk and wool. Thanks for your comments!
Susan
Great to hear about your experiment. I have plenty of experience and supplies for fiber reactive dyes but have been getting into spinning wool and really did not want to invest in a whole new dye set up just yet. I've had good results dyeing silk with fiber reactive dyes in the microwave, just skip the soda ash.
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