CROCKINGBleeding hand-dyed yarn is a nightmare many dyers face. Have you ever bought a skein of yarn or dyed fiber and it bled and bled and bled? That is actually called wet crocking in the textile industry. It is a sign of improper dyeing methods. It can actually be remedied using sound dyeing principles and measurements.
Dyeing is science and math, plain and simple. Think of it as a chemistry class where measurements are precise and accurate to ensure a successful outcome.
Ok well, it's not this intense, but there are some simple mathematical calculations that are imperative.
What's fun about dyeing is once you get a strong foundation you can build upon that and do some funky things.
If you use too much dye when it comes to silk, you can also get crocking. Wet or Dry Crocking is defined as the transfer of dye from the material surface onto another surface due to rubbing. Wet crocking is when dyes bleed due to exposure to moisture and dry crocking is when dyes bleed due to rubbing or exposure to another material.
I had a friend who dyed silk and sold it to another one of my friends. As the friend was spinning the dye got all over her chair and stained it.
Why does this happen? The dyeing process was not correct in terms of:
1. The amount of dye used per fiber. Did you know fiber can only hold a certain amount of dye and if there is too much used, guess what? It bleeds or wet crocks or dry crocks when using silk.
2. DOS or depth of shade percentage of your dye solution.
3. Temperature or cook time. Did you know certain dyes must have certain temperatures to work? Tis true.
To avoid this use solid measurements and principles to ensure this does not happen, especially if you sell dyed items. The sure sign to an inexperienced dyer is bleeding yarn. Don't be that seller. I assure you, you will not be in business for very long.
Learn the solid basics and build your dying creativity on top of those to ensure success.
Get a little sneak peek into my online dying course. I show you how to mix food grade and acid dyes, and the strong and researched fundamentals to achieve success and no bleeding.
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