Dyeing To Dye

Arrrgh, the internet is is barely working. It keeps cutting out and a page can either load in an instant or take 5 minutes.Every time Blogger auto-saves I have to wait for the spinning ball of death to stop while it tries to contact the account.

I dyed--actually am dyeing some alpaca wool I got off eBay from Peru. It's supposed to be 100% alpaca, I'm hoping but I'm skeptical. In the past I've gotten some sweaters and some yarn that were supposed to be 100% alpaca that were instead obvious mixes of alpaca and wool. This yarn is soft though, not scratchy like the sweaters and other yarn so I'm cautiously optimistic. In anycase, if it is a wool blend it can only help the dyeing process.

Last time I dyed alpaca I dyed it with some wool. The wool came out a lovely shade, and the alpaca came out a wan pastel. I have heard that alpaca can be notoriously difficult to dye--although many suppliers seem to do a bang up job of it.

I'm dyeing the yarn a burgandy/vermillion mix hoping to make Gryffindore colors for a scarf. I'm dyeing it in the oven and keeping notes--I'm very impressed with myself. I don't know if I'm making it for me or for a Christmas gift, but I did a lot of research and the dye was cheaper than new yarn and this allows me to use up some of my stash. It's going to be a very crafty Christmas.

Dye Notes
10 Cups Vinegar
10 Cups Water
1/3 Cup Calgon
1 tsp. Casoline Oil
2 tsp Burgandy
3 tsp Vermillion

2 cups water for dye mix.
In oven at 250º for 30 minutes,
Checked,
Back in oven for 15 minutes