COLOURING ALPACA YARN AND FIBRE
Source: Doe Arnot; New Zealand Alpaca, August 2005
SIMPLE DYEING TECHNIQUES by Doe Arnot
One of the big advantages of using alpaca fibre and yarn is the choice of natural
colours and the blend of colours that can be achieved by mixing these fibres
together. But should you want a specific red or blue coloured yarn then an imported
yarn may be your only option
and the colour range may be
very limited in the size yarn you
require.
You can dye your own fibre or
yarn with very little expense
and technical know-how. Overdyeing some of the natural
shades of alpaca will give a
fabulous range of colours.
These natural shades of grey,
fawn, cinnamon and cream
mute the added colour. Using a
grey natural yarn has the
advantage of using less dye to
get a darker shade of the
colour.
Alpaca is a protein fibre and so
all the commercial wool dyes
work well on the fibre. Wool dyes (also known as acid dyes) are easy and safe to
use. They have a reasonable light-fastness but are not so colourfast if agitated in
the washing machine. They do not leach out when gently handwashed and
therefore suit this method of cleaning. Since alpaca will felt in a washing machine,
garments are generally handwashed anyway. A quick spin in the washing machine
to remove excess water from skeins or garments does not cause any problems
generally.
Most dye suppliers (for the home crafter) will supply instructions if requested, with
the dyes.
This article is an introduction to dyeing using a very available dye substance that you
may have in your home.
Food colour liquids
If you want to have a go at colouring some alpaca yarn but are not ready to go into
the whole dyeing experience, then a packet of food colouring liquids (from your local
supermarket) and a bottle of white vinegar can be used to dye small quantities of
yarn. The boxes of food colour generally come with red, yellow and flue food dyes
(you can also buy black and green separately) and with a convenient colour mixing
chart on the back of the packet. The white vinegar creates the acidity needed in the
dye bath in order for the colour to fix onto the fibre. This is a popular dye source to
use with children as it is safe but quite effective. Dyeing large quantities of yarn with
food colouring will be cost prohibitive due to the quantities of food colouring liquid
needed. Before beginning to note, note the precautions at the bottom of the article.
METHOD
If the yarn is in a ball, wind it into a skein by wrapping yarn lengthways around a
large book (or skein winder if you have one). Tie the two ends together and wrap
them twice around the loose strands before tying them together again.
Make two figure eight ties with spare thread around the skein to keep the skein from
getting tangled once it is taken off the book. Do not tie these too tightly or the dye
will not colour the threads under them. Slide the skein off the book.
Make as many skeins as you want to dye. Small skeins of 25g – 50g are good for
experimenting. You can dye bigger amounts when you are comfortable with the
technique. Alpaca yarn is a luxury fibre you will not want to waste.
Wash your skeins gently in warm water with a little dishwashing detergent by hand.
Rinse with warm water and then leave them soaking in a bucket with the final rinse
water. Leave skeins to soak for at least 1 hour or overnight.
Find an old metal saucepan (there are plenty in second-hand shops) which you do
not mind getting stained with the colour. Do not use pans you cook food in.
Stainless steel is the best, but for early experimentation most saucepans will be fine.
Make sure it has a lid or cover the top when in use with metal cooking foil.
Put enough warm water in the pan to completely cover the skein of yarn and allow
for evaporation, the pan must not boil dry. Add your food dye liquid and stir
solution. Add the skein of wet alpaca yarn; cover with the lid and heat the pan on a
moderate heat until the water is simmering gently.
Turn the heat down so a light simmer is maintained. Vigorous boiling will damage
your fibre. Life your hot skein out of the pot using a piaece of dowel or a chop stick.
Stire in vinegar (see table for quantity) and then place skein back in the pot. Over
the next 15 minutes periodically take the lid off the pot and turn the skein over in the
water, this helps the yarn take up the dye evenly. After 15 to 20 minutes (less time
for pastel colours), most of the colour should have been absorbed into the skein and
the water in the pot should be clear or lightly tinted. Some colours do not exhaust
completely in the dyebath. Remove pot from heat. You can leave the yarn to cool in
the pot, but if you want to dye another skein, gently lift the skein out and leave in
the sink or a bowl to cool. Don’t fiddle with the skein at this stage or the strands will
start to felt together. Once the skein is cool, you can rinse it gently in warm water
and hang on a line to dry. I let my skeins drip dry as this causes the least tangling.
Wind yarn back into a ball.
You can continue dyeing in the same pot of hot water, but remember the fixing of
colour for subsequent skeins is going to happen much quicker as vinegar is already
present in the water. It is heat and the presence of acid that fixes the colour to the
yarn. Top up the pan with some cold water to replace the water lost in evaporation.
Add food dye, a little more vinegar and the new skein and proceed for the last 15
minutes as above. If you find the colour is not being absorbed then add a little more
vinegar and continue simmering.
In a couple of hours you can have a spectrum of coloured yarns which you can use
in small amounts in your knitting, weaving or other textile crafts with your natural
coloured fibre. Small amounts of dyed colour used to outline stripes of the alpacas
natural colour in knitting really highlight those wonderful alpaca shades.
GENERAL PRECAUTIONS
For safety have all your skeins, dyes etc near you and never leave the dyepot
unattended. Keep work surfaces free of dye liquid by mopping and spills with kitchen
paper.
Whilst food colour dyes are generally considered safe and non toxic to use, it is still a
good precaution to wear rubber gloves to avoid absorbing concentrated colour
through your skin.
Hot liquids and the presence of steam are a danger and general cooking safety rules
apply. Keep the lid on the dyepot at all times except when checking your skeins.
A few people react to the smell of vinegar and water simmering together, so to avoid
a steamy atmosphere dye in a well-ventilated area. Use the extractor fan in your
kitchen if you have one, or dye outside.
Children should be supervised by a responsible adult. Dyeing is a not suitable
activity for really young children, I recommend at least 10 years plus.
If you want to test all of the above methods out first before dyeing your precious
alpaca yarns, make skeins of 100% cream wool yarn and dye these first. Alpaca
takes on colour in the same way as wool fibres but its silky qualities reflect the colour
back better than the matt surface of wool fibres. The colours may appear stronger
and deeper on alpaca yarn. Dye light coloured alpaca yarn and then experiment with
the darker natural shades.
Don’t bother dyeing black fibre, as it won’t reflect any colour changes in the dye
bath. However the coloured yarns will look great used with some natural black
alpaca yarn.
Alpaca fibre can be felted and damaged in a hot dye pot, so handle the yarn very
gently until it’s cool to touch. Don’t stir the pot; merely turn the skeins periodically if
an even dye colour is desired.
The above instructions apply generally to dyeing with chemical wool dyes as well.
For even dyeing, other chemicals are required; all are obtainable from a craft dye
supplier.
Give dyeing a go and enjoy the colours.
A GUIDE TO AMOUNTS OF FOOD COLOUR AND VINEGAR
PER 50g SKEIN OF YARN
(For 100g of yarn or fibre – double the quantities below.) A
teaspoon equals approximately 5mls
DARK COLOUR
3 teaspoons of food colour
MEDIUM COLOUR
2 teaspoons of food colour
PASTAL COLOUR
Half teaspoon of food colour
Use 40ml of vinegar in the dyebath
These amounts are a rough guide to shades, adjust as desired, but remember
colours always look a few shades darker when wet.
When mixing a green colour, use more yellow (at least double) to blue.
To judge colour when mixing pour a drop of the mixed colour onto a piece of white
kitchen towel.
Keep a record of your colour recipes so that you can repeat any colours you really
like e.g. scarlet = 1 teaspoon of yellow, and 2 teaspoons of red.
You can be more accurate with a set of plastic measuring spoons available from a
kitchen wares supplier. A set of these has half and a quarter teaspoon measures. A
medicine measure will give you more accurate dye amounts.
Dyeing is easier with dyes in liquid form. Commercial dyes generally are sold in
powdered form. Use a dust mask and make them up into liquid form by measuring
10g of dye powder with 1000ml (1 litre) of water. You can store this liquid in
labeled, plastic bottles. It will keep on a shelf for several months.
Reference: Milner, Ann – The Ashford book of dyeing. Published by Bridget Williams Books LTD, 1992.