After the great shearing a couple of weeks ago I decided to hold a workshop to introduce steps in processing and dyeing fiber. This workshop was held through our Meetup.com group: http://www.meetup.com/The-Art-of-Spinning-from-Sheep-to-Yarn/
We had 7 of us filling the kitchen! I greeted everyone at the door with their mask to put on since we had already started to mix dye. We used 5 grams of Jacquard dye with a tsp of citric acid added into 16 oz of very hot water. White vinegar can be used in place of the citric acid but be aware that the acid odor in your house will be strong! http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/3382162-aa.shtml is a good source for the citric acid as is http://www.amazon.com/Spicy-World-Citric-Acid-5-Pound/dp/B000OZFECU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1340547855&sr=8-1&keywords=citric+acid . Also, it should be available locally through Whole Foods.
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So, with dyes mixed and in squirt bottles (label them with the color) we were ready to start weighing and washing fiber! Whenever I process a fleece, I like to keep records of my pre-wash and post-wash (dry) weight of each fleece. Generally you will have about a 30-40% reduction in your post-wash dry weight due to the loss of dirt, farm matter and lanolin that you have scoured out. Alpaca and Llama do not have lanolin and do not generally require pre-wash before spinning. I prefer to lightly scour my fiber as I like to spin with a little lanolin left in.
Once weighed, you are ready to move to the washing bin. I like to use bins that fit in my sink. A 16 Qt. bin is about the right size. Fill it half way with water as hot as you can draw from the tap. Add about a 1/8 to 1/4 cup of Dawn dish soap (original blue only!) and gently blend in the soap with your gloved hands or a wooden spoon (dedicated to dyeing). You want to avoid making bubbles. The mixture is right when your fingers feel slightly slippery when rubbed together.
At this time, I fill a second bucket with my rinse water (same hot temperature). That was my rinse water will be the same temperature as the wash water by the time the wool has finished soaking.
Now you are going to let the fiber take a gentle dunk into the bin. Push it down until it is completely covered. Do NOT agitate or it will felt! At this point set the bin aside and let it soak for 20-30 minutes. This allows the scales on the fiber to open up and release the dirt. Do NOT let the water cool to room temperature, however, or you will risk having felt!
A word of caution! Do NOT let fiber go down your drain when you dump out your wash or rinse water!! You may want to dump the water outside! If you do use your sink be sure to use the drain traps.
This is a good time to do a little cleanup around your work area. If you are going to dye the fiber the same day you can get your work area covered with thick layers of newspaper and have a roll of paper towels readily available to clean up any accidental drips!
If you are not dyeing the same day, go put your feet up and knit or keep them down and spin while you are waiting!
After you have soaked the fiber for 20-30 minutes inspect it to see if it is as clean as you would like. Remember that small bits of VM will drop out during carding and spinning. Do not try to pick them out at this time or you risk felting (see the common theme here with gentle handling?). Also, remember that you may have a fleece that has suntips that may appear as dirt but are not. If you are happy with the cleaned fleece, lift it gently from the wash bin and squeeze the dirty water out. Don't wring the fiber or it will felt! Transfer the fiber to your rinse bin and let it again soak for 20-30 minutes. Repeat the rinse if needed until your water is nearly clear. Subsequent rinses must be done as close to the prior rinse water temperature as possible. Just remember, you do not want to shock the fiber by going from hot to cold. That is, unless you want felt!
Once rinsed, squeeze out the excess water, place in an old towel and gently push on it with your hands or gently step on it to get out the excess water. Some people like to use the spin cycle in the washing machine but you must watch it because if you forget and let water run into the washer tub you will have felt! I occasionally use a salad spinner if I am doing a small amount.
Lay the fiber out on a screen or other surfaces (I've used dedicated cookie racks in cold or rainy weather). I was able to pick up my 4 screens for free on http://www.freecycle.org/ I rotate my fiber moving it gently (this is not the time to "pull it apart") a couple times during the day. Depending on the weather it will take from 1 to 3 days to completely dry. If it feels cool to the touch it is still damp!
This fiber can then be packaged to prevent moths until you are ready to dye or spin. Put it into a brown paper bag, roll the top folding the sides with an envelope fold. Then use duct tape to securely cover all the seams. Remember to take a small sample of the fiber, put into a small zip lock bag and tape to the outside of the bag. Write on the bag so you know the type of fiber, amount (I weight before bagging), date and source of fiber. Packaged this way, your fiber should safely store indefinitely. But, hopefully you will use it soon!
My next blog will be on dyeing the fiber, using acid dyes, microwaving the fiber, sun dyeing and kool aid dyeing.
Happy spinning!