Yarn in Progress

This post is kind of a compilation of a few steps in the yarn making process. This particular wool is from a cotswold cross that we had a couple years ago.  Wool when properly stored can be good that long. 

Cotswold are known for their long shiny fleece.  This cross still lives up to it being very close to the only other purebred cotswold that I've handled.  It's not known to be the softest but can be great for outerwear!

 Here i have my supplies assembled to dye.  I actually did 2, 4 ounce batches on this. Wool in lingerie bags from our local Dollar Tree.  I love these! Stainless steel stock pot, this isn't as very big one but it's what i grabbed.  Citric Acid, i get this from a local Amish store as they're the cheapest place to get in bulk. This is what makes the dye fix into the fiber.  It's food grade & safe for most uses. Citric acid is an ingredient in Kool Aid & is commenly used in canning. 

 The first step is to wet your wool.  This just makes your life easier.  Trust me. LOL. At that point i add citric acid to the dye pot & turn the burner on.  Then i put my wool in the dye pot so that it's on the water as it heats. You want to get the water to simmering, but not boiling. As it gets to the right temperature, you'll want to add your dye.  I prefer to use icing dyes, as they are food safe so i don't have to keep separate pots for dying & cooking. I mix in the food coloring or icing dye in water in a glass cup & then add to my dye pot.  Simply simmer your yarn in the dye until it is exhausted. This means until the water in the dye pot is clear or mostly clear. I'll have to get you a picture of that next time.  I was so busy dying that i forgot to take a picture. 

 So here's my 2 finished dye lots.  After dying you need to drain & rinse your fiber until the water runs clear. This can be tricky on any red coloring as it seems to take forever! I usually get it most of the way & then let it dry to set the color.  You run the risk of having colorful fingers while spinning, but that's a risk I'm willing to take.  

 Here's where I'm at tonight.  I've separated the locks and am now using my hand carders to card it into mini batts. I love my hand carders because they seem to give me several fiber prepping options. We'll cover that more another time. I decided to leave them as mini batts to get a more open prep to spin from.