Now that week one is over, I can show you the results of my challenge with Team DIY and Dye on Ravelry. I finished spinning the filthy, ash-ridden alpaca and two-plied it from each end of a centre-pull ball. That way there's no waste. With normal two-ply, from two bobbins, there's always a bit left on one when you've finished.
Saturday was dye-day. I'd washed the skein the day before and left it soaking in clean water overnight. Here's the yarn waiting to be dyed :-
I'd decided to use Kool Aid to dye this and, also the day before, made up five different packets (Tropical Punch, Grape, Orange, Pink Lemonade and Lemonade) and froze them in ice cube trays. Saturday I placed the different colours randomly on top of the yarn and blitzed them in the microwave for a couple of minutes. Note the Christmas trees, snowmen, tree and snowflakes - I ran out of normal ice cube trays so had to use a Christmas one as well!
Hmmm, not much colour there :-
Put some more cubes on top and blitzed it again, each time leaving it to cool afterwards.
A bit better, but not what I wanted it to look like. In all I put 4 lots of ice cubes in with the yarn and finally came out with this :-
This is still damp, so not a true representation of the colours. The lemonade (yellow) did absolutely nothing at all, and the pink lemonade seemed to get swallowed up by the other colours - lesson learned.
Here's the final skein, dried and made into a centre-pull ball :-
The colours seem a bit brighter now it's dry.
I think I'm rather pleased with the way this has turned out. I did have my doubts as I was dyeing it!
Saturday was dye-day. I'd washed the skein the day before and left it soaking in clean water overnight. Here's the yarn waiting to be dyed :-
I'd decided to use Kool Aid to dye this and, also the day before, made up five different packets (Tropical Punch, Grape, Orange, Pink Lemonade and Lemonade) and froze them in ice cube trays. Saturday I placed the different colours randomly on top of the yarn and blitzed them in the microwave for a couple of minutes. Note the Christmas trees, snowmen, tree and snowflakes - I ran out of normal ice cube trays so had to use a Christmas one as well!
Hmmm, not much colour there :-
Put some more cubes on top and blitzed it again, each time leaving it to cool afterwards.
A bit better, but not what I wanted it to look like. In all I put 4 lots of ice cubes in with the yarn and finally came out with this :-
This is still damp, so not a true representation of the colours. The lemonade (yellow) did absolutely nothing at all, and the pink lemonade seemed to get swallowed up by the other colours - lesson learned.
Here's the final skein, dried and made into a centre-pull ball :-
The colours seem a bit brighter now it's dry.
I think I'm rather pleased with the way this has turned out. I did have my doubts as I was dyeing it!
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