Dyeing Fiber in the Oven: Another Technique

Here is another "how to" dye some fiber. This is an easy way to get some dyeing done quickly and without a lot of mess. This process is for acid dyes.

Get an aluminum turkey roasting pan and line it with waxed paper. The waxed paper isn't 100% necessary but some dyes will react with the aluminum and give an unexpected result. Then, put the pan in the sink and fill with cold water and a big glug of white vinegar. Put your roving or top or loose fiber into the water bath in some orderly fashion if you want to "paint" it.  The standard pan holds 4 to 6 ounces of fiber pretty well. Let the fiber soak for at least 1/2 hour. You may have to push the wool into the water to get the air out.

After the fiber has soaked, drain out all but about 1/4 inch of water and add back another glug of vinegar. Select your colors and using a spoon (I use plastic, dedicated only to dyeing), add dye onto the fiber and squish/ mush/ press the color into the fiber where you'd like it to wind up when you're finished.


Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 250F for about an hour. Check after an hour and if the water is clear, remove the package from the oven. If the water isn't clear, add about 1 cup of water with about 1/2 cup vinegar to the pan, cover it and return it to the oven; increase the oven to 270F. Recheck in 30 minutes.

Transfer the pan to somewhere safe and leave it be until it is completely cool. (I am bad about messing with the hot fiber. Mess with it and you probably won't get that pretty top back; instead, it'll look bedraggled and shaggy. Worse, you could wind up felting the wool. If you plan to card the wool, this might not matter). Rinse the fiber well in cool water and dry. 

Here's the fiber drying in the (cold) sunshine (notice the icicle).