Monday, July 20, 2015

Dyeing Yarn with Indigo

Indigo Dyeing Kit
So uh, I might've found a new hobby.  Related hobby?  Let's go with that.  Remember a while back when I showed you what the owner of the Itsy Bitsy Yarn Store sent me home with?  Well, I decided that I wanted to try out yarn dyeing, but needed my hand held first.

Indigo dyeing kit
So I bought her indigo dyeing kit (and a book, but that's for another day).  And had a lot of fun this weekend.  The method used in indigo dying is different than other natural dyes, but the info booklet that came with the kit walked you through it beautifully, and it was nice to have good results right off the hop.

Here's a series of pictures of my adventure this weekend:

Indigo Dyeing Kit
After scouring the yarn (cleaning it). I was scared I'd have a tangled mess, but the loose knots held the skein together.

Indigo Dyeing Kit
Indigo stock, resting for an hour in a warm bath.
Indigo Dyeing Kit
Gently pouring the stock solution into the dye bath, trying to reduce bubbles as much as possible.  One of the chemicals added to both the stock and the bath is Thiourea Dioxide, which removes the oxygen from the water (and I think produces hydrogen sulphide, because boy does it reek of rotten eggs).  This is the only way that the indigo dye will bond with the fibre, so you have to make sure there's no added oxygen to the bath.
Indigo Dyeing Kit
Dye bath, chilling out on my front step for an hour.
Indigo Dyeing Kit
The dye bath itself is a yellow-green colour, but you can see where accidental air bubbles have oxidized the water blue.
Indigo Dyeing Kit
Pulling out the yarn after it's first dip.  Hard to see, but it came out a light green shade at first. 
Indigo Dyeing Kit
But this is where the magic happens, where exposure to oxygen turns it from green to blue!
Indigo Dyeing Kit
Light blueish green...
Indigo Dyeing Kit

Indigo Dyeing Kit

Indigo Dyeing Kit
...to blue!

Indigo Dyeing Kit
And here it is after it's first dip.  It looks dark, but if I'd rinsed it and let it dry, it'd be a lot lighter.
Indigo Dyeing Kit
Close up of the still-saturated bottom loop after the first dip.  I wanted a deeper blue, so put the yarn back into the bath for another 30 minutes. 
Indigo Dyeing Kit
Here it is after it's second dip.  Deeper, and a gorgeous shade, but I wanted to try for something even darker, if possible.
Indigo Dyeing Kit
And here's the yarn after it's 3rd dip.  It's hard to tell in these photos, but you could just see the dye sinking deeper into the yarn with ever dip, and I knew it'd stay this deep after rinsing this time.
Indigo Dyeing Kit
Here's a comparison, sort of a before and after photo.  The yarn on the right is the same shade that I started off with before dyeing.
I am seriously in love with the results.  Don't know yet what I'm going to knit it into, but I'm sure I'll find something.  The whole process was labour intensive, but so much fun, and I want to experiment more.  There's so many plants around - even in my back yard - that I could use, and I want to try it all! 

Because of course I need more yarn.  And another hobby.  :)

Have you tried your hand at dyeing, and specifically natural dyeing?  Willing to try out indigo dyeing after seeing my stunning results?

7 comments:

  1. Ooh fun! I got Wild Color recently, too, but I'm not touching it til August. You are fearless, my friend, by starting with indigo. I'm probably going to start with natural solar dyeing, if I can, because I'm super lazy. I really, really want to grow a dye garden next spring. I just couldn't get it together this summer.
    Anyway, I think you made a good call re bathing your yarn. I loved it more with each photo. It's such a rich final color.
    So theoretically, if you wanted, could you keep your indigo vat for re-use? It seems like I've heard dyers talk about having an indigo vat in perpetual use.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh I'm glad you got the book, it looks like a good one. I'm looking forward to comparing notes with you!

      I've heard that indigo is intimidating, but the kit Sophie (the LYS owner) put together is fantastic - it includes everything you need (gloves and mask included) and the instructions walk you through really well, so it seemed easy. I do still have my indigo vat, but I think I might've added too much oxygen during dyeing. The vats do run out of colour eventually, and each dip gets weaker (from what I read), but I want to try getting a bright green by overdyeing onion skin-dyed yarn!

      I love the idea of a dye garden! I want to try dyeing with some of the choke cherry bushes in my yard!

      Delete
    2. I wonder if there's some way to refresh indigo vats though? I don't know, I haven't read that yet! I just heard that they run out after a while.

      Delete
  2. I used to love dying, but as you say, it is messy. I used to make dye out of all sorts of plants, but the colours weren't as nice as this lovely indigo. It must be quite tricky taking the wool out of the dye and then winding the skeins without too much tangling.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think it'll be a bit harder to wind the skein, but it held together pretty well, I think. I hope. :D

      I'm sort of looking forward to getting more subtle colours. I love the brights, but I wear more muted colours most of the time. (Of course, I think I can get a bright green for a cowl I have planned by using onion skins for a vibrant golden yellow, and then overdyed with indigo.) I'm excited to try out natural dyeing!

      What was your favourite plant dye?

      Delete
  3. Gorjus colour. I am not a wearer of blues but I do love indigo. I could make exceptions for it :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm trying to reduce the blue in my wardrobe, because a head-to-toe look in these darker shades is a bit much - especially since I live in jeans - but I can't help it, I love blue!

      Delete