Greener Shades Dye Afternoon

My parcel of Greener Shades Dyes came last week and I had to wait until I could have a block of time & some prepared wool to dye. While I waited for the weekend, I was able to review some books I have in my library and again watch some videos about dyeing & colour.

Earlier this week I prepared the stock solution of the nine colours I have on hand. I also prepared a citric acid solution which bonds the dye to the dye points in the fibre. Important to success with this brand of acid dye is the pH of the dye bath and the heat for processing - 180-210F.

I prepared 190 grams of E. Friesian fibre in 7 drum carded batts. In the carding process I added baby oil to combat the static so prevalent here, so before using in the dyebath, I again washed it - this time with the Sunlight detergent for dishes that I have been using as of late. I rinsed the fibre then put it in a basin to soak with a little dishwashing detergent & 20ml of citric acid solution.

The total amount of dye needed for 190 grams wool fibre is 190 ml stock solution. I dyed at 1% DOS (depth of shade).
Since I had seven small batts, I also wanted to do 7 separate dye baths. I decided to do 'low immersion dyeing'. That is I applied the dye by syringe directly to the wool laid out in the kettles & trays, then added a little more of the citric acid water I had soaked the fibre in to the pans. I added just enough so it could steam & not dry out.

190 ml of dye stock divided by 7 dyebaths is 27.14ml or rounded up to 30 ml of dye stock per batch.
So that is a total of 30 ml per batch, which is a little deeper than 1% DOS.

I laid out the fibre, applied the dye by syringe, blotted it in with a cheap glue brush & tried not to leave any white. Colour blending by wicking was desirable. I like variation.

The dyes for the 3 kettles were mixed as follows:
10 ml sunset orange in one area
5 ml amazon green & 5 ml yellow in middle area
9 ml orange & 1 ml black

8 ml orange, 2 ml river blue
8 ml yellow, 4 ml amazon green
5 ml purple, 5 ml river blue

9 ml orange, 1 ml blue
9 ml purple, 1 ml river blue

The four pans in the oven were all the same. These amounts are for each pan.
10 ml orange
5 ml yellow
5 ml river blue
5 ml river blue
5 ml purple w. 1 ml ruby red added

The pots on top of the stove were a nice surprise. It seems that the action of the bubbling mixed the dye a little. I tried not to have them boil at all, but couldn't seem to prevent it. These took 20 minutes.

The pans in the oven were set at 325F for half an hour.

I let the dyebaths cool down; then rinsed in clear water.
I intend to pass the fibre through the drum carder for some blending. Just how much will be determined when I do it & see just what results I get. It should be fun.
Here are the results:

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