Natural Dye Basics: Preparing Your Yarn

This video focuses on how to prepare your wool before a natural dye: creating a skein and scouring (hot water bath).This is the first video in a new series focused on those important (basic) steps in the natural dye process: before, during, and after.

Upcoming videos will cover:
~ how to mordant wool with alum
~beginner friendly flower dye (dandelions!)
~twisting up your skein before you cake it for your next project.

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[joshdobs]

The "scouring soap" like synthrapol are pH neutral surfactants that removes oil from the spinning process and is very effective in removing synthetic dyes that haven't discharged your fiber, mainly from a dyebath that did not exhaust well. Unless you're talking the scouring soap used for processing raw wool, which is a much more involved process.

[bibs]

Thank you so much for this! Especially the wrapping and the tie tutorial, I didn’t tie my yarn when I first dyed it and spent 3 hours untangling it lol. So this is very much needed!

[arpamor]

Thank you for the video, what kind of soap are you using?

[alexisrobinson]

Thank you for sharing all this wonderful information💛

[TheMakersCorner]

Oh my goodness thank you so much for this and for not editing out all the funny!

[czarinalobo]

You just solved my mystery questions. Thanks for this video!!

[storyguardyarn]

This video is coming at a perfect time. I just received a cone of yarn that I was to prep for dyeing.

[dianathomas]

So funny, so cute, so educational. Thank you so much!

[Prinzenelleke]

Actually, a centerpull is a LOT easier than from the ouside when winding around chairs. That way, you can just keep holding the ball of yarn without the thread getting in the way of your hand.

[sooyan]

Hey! I was wondering if preparing and mordanting my 100% wool yarn for natural dyeing in this method would be fine no matter the chemicals previously commercially added to it? The skeins I have are white, but I’m not sure if they have been treated with any bleach or other chemicals. Thank you!

[juliettemongthe]

Super helpful ! What is the name of this tool you used to make the hank? Dont seem don’t find it on the internet :(

[dmaxi]

Your sweater is so pretty. Did you make it?

[kimberleighreeves]

I use alpaca fiber for doll making and am making hair wefts with it. I want to use some natural dyes to colour the hair would I be able to use alpaca yarn the same way?

[nesa.c]

Can I use acrylic yarn instead of wool to dye using this process?

[lindasamuelson]

Can I use this same scour and mordant technique with roving?

[studio_anaelle]

Hiiii! I have a cotton yarn that I’m wanting to dye, is the 2nd scouring bath the same as the first bath??? Thx :)

[natalieweiss-parker]

Your videos are lovely but the way you make a skein makes it look so complicated. If you are to hold the niddy noddy 2 thirds of the way up the centre shaft you can skein up in one smooth motion with out ever removing your left hand from that position.