Help where did I go wrong. I washed some locks then layed them in a pan of water with vinegar. I then sprinkled acid dye on the top and covered with a lid. I bought the fibre up to near simmer very slowly then cooked for about 30 mins, left the locks to cool in the water then rinsed in the same temperature water. I thought I did everything I could not to felt the locks but unfortunately I did.
Did you let the locks cool completely? When I'm dyeing in the locks I usually start late in the day and after they've been held at temperature (a bit less than a simmer, if the water is moving so is your wool), I turn off the burner and let the pot sit overnight to cool down. This allows me to rinse in cold water. Also, remember not to agitate when you rinse, just add your drained locks (I use a colander to remove excess water) to the rinse water, let them soak for a bit and then drain. Allowing the locks to cool overnight should result in a totally clear dye bath so the rinse is really to remove acidic water rather than excess dye particles.
Thank you for your reply. I did wait for the locks to cool down then rinsed in the same temperature water. Your comment saying if the water is moving so is the wool - I used a heat diffuser on my gas hob to try to distribute the heat evenly but I can only think that I inadvertently let the water simmer and perhaps lost track of time. I have rainbow dyed fleece many times before but never a longwool. I'll have another go. All was not lost as I could salvage quite a lot of locks in beautiful colours, I think it was the ones on the bottom that were felted. Thank you once again.
Jennie
Copyright (C) 2013 Interweave Press, LLCUse of this site signifies your agreement to the Terms and Privacy Policy, updated March 2007
