dyeing fiber for spinning - leilani handmade

Documenting My Process of Dyeing and Spinning Superwash BFL for the First Time

A person holds up two large spools of handspun yarn in shades of blue and purple, with their face partially obscured. Yarn fibers and a spinning wheel are visible in the background. — Spinning these two skeins of Superwash BFL had a lot more twists and turns than I was expecting.

I’ve spun BFL (Blue Faced Leicester) wool and enjoyed it. I call it the workhorse of my studio. It tends to be much more affordable than some of the finer fibers, like Merino, and therefore, I can spin a huge batch of it for projects such as experimenting with yarn dyeing.

I picked up the Superwash version on a whim to try it out. I’ve spun Superwash Merino before, but not BFL. I love to knit socks, so I thought I should add Superwash to my repertoire, especially since some of my knits have accidentally made it into the washing machine.

I’m not a big fan of spinning superwash, at least the Merino version, and there are some tricks to knitting superwash yarn to obtain the proper size since it’s so limp and likes to lose shape. But as I do gift knits on occasion and know folks who are allergic to wool but can wear the superwash version, I think there’s merit in giving it a try or at least getting comfortable spinning it when necessary.

A Quick Summary of my Thoughts on Superwash BFL

A person with dark hair and large glasses holds two skeins of multicolored superwash BFL yarn, featuring blue, purple, and green shades, while sitting on a couch in a cozy, well-lit living room. — Superwash BFL surprised me. It wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated, but it certainly fell flat in some areas.

Spinning Superwash BFL

I found that the fiber itself didn’t feel as “fake” or “plastic-y” as with Superwash Merino. Maybe because the fibers are not so dense? Or is it processed less because it’s not as thick as Merino? I can only guess, but I didn’t mind spinning this so much. I enjoyed the colors I dyed it, so that certainly helps! 🙂

The final yarn had much more of a spring to it than I was anticipating.

It’s a fairly bouncy yarn, which I was not expecting at all! I’m sure the fact that I like to put a lot of twist in both my singles and during plying helped with this. I will take mental note to be sure to add lots of twist whenever I spin Superwash BFL.

There is (was) a mild chemical smell.

Oddly when I set the yarn with soapy hot water it emitted a chemical-like smell that lingered after it dried. I was taken aback by this because it didn’t have any type of smell that I can recall when I dyed it. It’s definitely not a acid dye smell, I am used to that, especially with black. Plus, those scents off-gas quite quickly from the set yarn.

Reflecting on it I think it’s a mixture of things, BFL in general has a very distinct sheep, barn-like smell. I figure between that and the processing to take out the crimp, and possibly the acid dye gave it a slightly unpleasant smell.

I’m happy to report that since filming this video, the chemical smell has dissipated.

Watch The Process of Creating This Superwash BFL Yarn

Dyeing Extra Superwash BFL Roving to Finish Yarn

I had a fair amount of one singles left from skein #2 of this project, so I decided to dye a bit more roving to finish the project. The original roving would have been dyed using my crockpot method, where I add powdered dye straight to the hot water before dipping in the fiber.

For this small amount of roving, I decided to inject the color using syringes, and set it with my rectangular crockpot. This method uses very little water and is great for small amounts of roving. Not to mention it’s a lot of fun! 🙂 I highly recommend this method if you want to get comfortable with dyeing before dyeing larger amounts.

I have yet to knit up this Yarn

The verdict is still out regarding the performance of this superwash yarn as I’ve yet to knit it up. Lately I have been dedicating my time to spinning and dyeing as time for me is limited and I have to pick and choose the projects I do. I will no doubt have a backlog of yarn yet again. I’ll be sure to post my experience when I do get around to creating with this yarn.

Have you ever spun Superwash BFL, or knit with it? I’d love to hear your experience with it. 🙂

Until next time,

Check out my About Me page for more info and the Fiber Arts/Spinning/Dyeing Category for more content like this andbe sure to subscribe to my YouTube Channel.

My Favorite Way to Dye Roving for Spinning

This month, I decided to make a video showing how I dye roving in a crockpot. This is continuing my series on crockpot dyeing. So far, I’ve posted on dyeing yarn in a crockpot and over-dyeing yarn in a crockpot. I thought it was a natural progression to cover fiber next.

A crockpot with a decorative black and white pattern has a braid of colorful wool roving in shades of red, orange, yellow, blue, and purple, sits on top, placed on a green countertop next to another red and white crockpot. — Dyeing Roving in a Crockpot is super simple. You just need time. 🙂

I recently received some new dye colors from G&S Dye. I was replenishing some colors that I was getting low on, and I figured I might as well get some new ones as well. These colors aren’t new to me; I have similar colors from other companies, which is why I didn’t buy them originally.

But since G&S is a Canadian company, I want to stock most, if not all, of their colors, as they are easy for me to obtain and thus economical. I like to have similar colors from different companies available in case I run out or one gets discontinued, then I have a substitute.

But first, I need samples of each color to see how they differ from those of other companies. So, why not dye roving along with my samples so I can show how I do this process step by step.

The colors are very random and very bright! I liked the spontaneity and surprise factor of just going for it and dyeing each color separately.

Watch the video below to see how I dye roving step by step:

Why Do I Dye Roving in a Crockpot

There are certainly many ways to dye roving, but here’s my top reasons for dyeing this way:

Easy and Economical to Get Started

Crockpots (AKA slow cookers) are easy to obtain at most department stores and even second-hand. I got mine originally on clearance at a big box store, but I also see them available at thrift stores. You want a crockpot that is dedicated for dyeing only. Never use one that you’d also use for food.

Besides a crockpot, you could purchase a few acid dye colors to start, or even use food coloring and Kool-Aid—but I recommend getting acid dyes designed for dyeing wool. You don’t need a ton to start, and you’ll get so much practice dyeing with even three primary colors. There are several brands of acid dyes that I use, including Jacquard, Ashford & Greener Shades. Check out your local fiber arts or yarn store for acid dyes, or online. Even Amazon sells Jacquard dyes.

Acid dyes must be set with an acid – citric acid or vinegar are the most common. You can buy citric acid in bulk online, even on Amazon. One except to this, is Country Classics dyes, which are all-in-one and don’t require an acid for a mordant.

Other than those basic things, I also recommend rubber gloves, measuring spoons, a waterproof apron, goggles, and a respirator. Tongs and bins for taking the fiber in and out of the crockpot are also helpful. Access to a sink is also a plus, but not necessary. You can always soak your fiber in plastic bins.

Colorful wool roving soaking in a metal sink filled with water. Various shades of purple, yellow, orange, red, and green are visible, after a fiber dyeing process. A silver faucet is on the left side of the sink.

A soap like Synthrapol or TNA soap is great to have as well, but Blue Dawn dish soap will also do the trick for soaking after you dye roving.

Fool Proof or at least Super Forgiving

I love to use my crockpot for dyeing because I don’t have to worry about constantly watching it or even being concerned about how long the fiber is in the pot. With a fairly consistent temperature, I get a nice, even dye without the worry of burning the fiber or the house down.

If the dye is not uptaking, I can add some more boiling hot water, and check on it again in about 20 minutes. Sometimes a little extra citric acid will also do the trick to get stubborn dye to transfer into the fiber. The gift of time will give you consistent results and fully exhausted dye.

No need for pre-mixing dye or citric acid

Another reason I like this method of dyeing is that I can do so on a whim. I choose the colors as I go; no pre-mixing is required. I also put the citric acid in the pot with hot water in powdered form and then add the dye. I’m working with 1/4 teaspoon of dye for the sections in this roving for each color.

A hand holds a white one quarter teaspoon containing red powder used to dye roving in a black slow cooker filled with water. The background is slightly blurred, focusing on the spoon and the cooker. — No need to pre-mix dye, put it straight in the crockpot along with citric acid

Doing one color at a time is less messy and each color stays as pure as you want

Believe it or not, I’m the type of person who doesn’t really like to get messy! As creative as I can be and as “messy” (HA HA!) as my brain can get, I do appreciate tackling tasks with order and organization. I’m the type that likes to take all the ingredients out for when I cook, but I will put those ingredients away as a go and clean along the way. I find mess and chaos challenging.

Crockpot dyeing allows me to approach one color at a time without worrying about the color getting on other parts of the roving unless I want it to. I like to overlap the colors as I dip the roving into the next color in the pot. Whenever I have pre-mixed dye and dyed roving in the dip/wrap in plastic to steam method, not only does color go where I don’t want it to, but it tends to make a mess: color dripped on the work surface, for instance. Doing one color at a time is perfect for control freaks like me. 😉

That’s not to be confused with the times I dye and want the colors to mingle together. But that’s a blog post for another day. 🙂

Cons of Crockpot Dyeing

You need to have a crockpot exclusively for dyeing (though, as I mentioned, it is easy to obtain one relatively cheaply; at least this is the case here in Canada)
It’s time-consuming. It is a slow cooker, after all. You are dyeing your roving low and slow. However, I would argue the time you save not pre-mixing dye may make up for this
You can only do small amounts at a time. If you are looking to do large amounts of dyed fiber, then a large stockpot or a caterer’s steamer tray may be more to your liking.

I hope you enjoyed my video on how to dye roving using the crockpot method. In the future, I hope to cover this and many more ways to dye yarn and fiber.

Check out my Youtube for other how to spinning and dyeing videos.

I am a jewelry artist, spinner, and indie dyer in Nova Scotia, Canada, self-taught in all areas. I hope these posts help encourage and inspire you along your creative journey, no matter if you approach your craft my way or not. 🙂 Check out my About Me page for more info and the Fiber Arts/Spinning/Dyeing Category for more content like this.

Tag: dyeing fiber for spinning

Spinning Superwash BFL: A Review