Dye yarn before or after

nrc1940 wrote

on May 22, 2012 4:20 PM

I learned to spin back in the mid-70s. Up until a year ago I used my yarn to knit up small projects and to perfect the craft (learning to spin other fibers than wool--alpaca, yak, silk, cashmere, etc, etc--and learning special techniques to make designer yarns). The last few months I've been spinning a 2-ply grey wool that I plan to knit up into an adult sweater. I want to dye the yarn, but my question:

What are the pros and cons of dying the skeins of yarn versus dying the finished sweater?

previously, I've dyed fiber before spinning and also dyed the skeins of yarn, but I don't know what issues I might run into if I were to dye the finished sweater.

I'd appreciate any feedback. Thanks!

galwaygirl2 wrote

on Jun 4, 2012 8:49 PM

hi` i'm not a knitter but I spin & dye my fiber for my rugs and I always dye my skeins before I do anything with them.

nrc1940 wrote

on Jun 4, 2012 9:29 PM

Thank you for your reply. After I posted here I asked around at the various local guilds and it seems the negatives to dyeing after knitting up a project is that wherever the strands of yarn touch--especially in the seams--the dye may not penetrate the fibers completely. I have more than enough yardage spun up to complete the sweater I have in mind, so I guess the next step is "take it to the dye pot."