Guest Author - Pegg Thomas

Rainbow dyed roving has been a favorite of spinners for many years and it is easy to do in a crock pot. The same technique can be used with yarns as well. While you could dye uncarded fibers this way, it defeats the purpose as the colors would be blended together in the carding process anyway.

The example here shows rainbow dyeing with just three colors, but don’t feel limited to only 3. You can use as many colors as you like. If you are not comfortable knowing what colors to put together to avoid getting an “oops” in the end, let me recommend the book, Color in Spinning by Deb Menz. This is an excellent resource for anyone who wants to play with colors. If you just want to start out with just one color, see Single Color Crock Pot Dyeing.



Materials Needed:
Crock pot
White vinegar
Dye
Small bottles or jars
Plastic measuring spoon
Wooden spoon
Roving or yarn

Instructions:
(For more complete instructions, see Single Color Crock Pot Dyeing.)



Fill each little bottle or jar with at least 1” of water and 2 tablespoons of white vinegar. Add desired colors of dye and enough water to ½ fill the bottles. Carefully shake or stir to completely dissolve the dye. Add more water to fill the bottles.

Divide your roving or yarn into 3 equal portions. (If you are using yarn, you may want to ‘eyeball’ and estimate so you don’t need to cut your yarn.) Completely wet the roving or yarn. Squeeze out most of the water. Layer the first 1/3 into the crock pot.



Add 1/3 of each dye in whatever pattern you choose. The example shows using 1/3 of the surface for each color, but you can use stripes, circles, zigzags or whatever you like. If you do any complicated pattern, you may want to sketch it on a piece of paper so you can remember what to recreate on the next layers. Poke the roving or yarn down into the dye with the wooden spoon but do not stir. Stirring will blend and muddy the colors. Add another 1/3 of the roving or yarn and another 1/3 of the dye to repeat the process, then finish with the final 1/3 and the last of the liquid dye.



If the liquid does not come up to the top of the fibers, you need to add a little more water. Do this very carefully so as not to wash away the dye. Add a little bit and a time letting the water run down the sides of the crock pot. Do not pour directly onto the fibers. You do not want a lot of extra liquid, or the colors might mingle too much, but there should be enough that all the fibers are fully wet.

Now set the crock pot on low and finish as for Single Color Crock Pot Dyeing.