I’m going to class my second attempt at dyeing wool tops a semi success. I l o v e the colours here. They came out darker than I expected, gorgeous deep berry and purple with the odd splash of lavender hidden here and there. It’s perfect for autumn. I’m a little sad that it’s only a wee 20 grams.
However, I seem to have (yet again) lightly fulled the merino. I am almost positive that it’s down to my complete inability to Leave The Wool Alone. Last time I prodded it too much during the dyeing. This time I managed to not poke it whilst was dyeing, it was the cool down I had problems with. My eagerness to see what magic the dyes had worked on the wool led me to do bad things. I know heat + alkaline + wool = felt-o-rama. I know I should leave the wool to cool down in the pot. I know all this, but it’s oh-so-hard. I don’t seem to have had this problem when dyeing yarn, so I’m not sure what it is about fibre that brings this insatiable impishness and impatience out of me, so that I sneak the fibre out of its bath before it’s ready.
I don’t think it’s completely irredeemable, it’s just going to take a little bit more prep than I’d like. I’m very much looking forward to spinning this up on my wheel.
And next time, I will have to Walk Away.
Or buy superwash fibre.
