Let's talk about semi-solid dyed yarns. You can dye a semi-solid yarn many different ways. My fave way is to break a color into it's color components. Easy and you can do it in one pot.
Some may call it a tonal yarn, but a tonal yarn is a bit different in that it's one color with different shades ranging from a pastel, called a tint, to a tone and shade. This is done by mixing a color with extra water, grey or black dye. You could paint the colors on and steam the yarn or dye it low immersion in a shallow pan. Either way, try to keep the colors a bit separted so they don't blend into one color. The colors below are a range of tones you may see in a tonal dyed yarn.
You can use any color when dyeing a tonal yarn.
Let's get back to semi-solid dyeing. When dyeing a semi-solid using one color of dye, you want to choose a color that is made of color components, such as secondary or tertiary colors. Why? Because primary colors are a pure color and won't break out.
Let's get started. These are my steps, feel free to copy what I do and dye your own semi-solid yarn.
1. If using commercial yarn or if you used a sort of combing "milk" when processing, you need to wash this out of the yarn. Wash yarn in warm water and soap. Rinse soap out well.
2. Soak yarn in water and acid for at least 30 minutes.
3. Get a big pot of water hot and add your dye using the correct amount of dye stock per fiber weight.You could add a tablespoon of acid, such as vinegar, for good measure if you want to.
4. After the pot reaches the correct temperature, (160 degrees for leveling acid and food grade dyes,) add your yarn making sure not to rinse out the acid.
5. No touchy, touchy. The key is to let it sit submerged for 30 minutes holding the water temp at the optimal dyeing temperature. After 30 minutes the dye should be fully exhausted. If it's not, you either did not get the water hot enough, did not use enough acid or used too much dye stock per fiber weight.
6. If it's nearly exhausted after 30 minutes, turn off the heat, keep the yarn in the water, and still no touchy, touchy till the next day.
7. The following day, wash the yarn in a gentle soap made for wool, (avoid Dawn, it's too alkaline for animal fibers), rinse well and hang to dry.
This is what mine looked like after dyeing, I used Country Classics Violet.
Give it a try! It's really quick and easy.
If you want to learn more about dyeing fundementals, the science and math required to get an excellent outcome everytime, join my online dyeing class, Let's Dye Yarn and Fiber at the Camaj School of Fiber Arts. CLICK HERE to join the thousands who are dyeing better.
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