Sunday 13 September 2015

Dyed Bluefaced Leicester Top - Carding and then Spinning.

I enjoy spinning with a variety of colours, so the next step for me was to dye my
 own fibre. I began with my favourite fibre - Bluefaced Leicester. I used natural combed top.




Trying to decide which colour to make first is the hard part... mixing up the powdered acid dyes into solution is the fun part! For example, to get the pistachio green (top right in photo below) I used yellow, turquoise, magenta and a tiny speck of black. For rose pink (top left in photo), I used magenta, red, and a tiny speck of yellow. Hand dyeing can be unpredictable, as the colour of the dye solution often turns out differently when it's fixed to the fibre. With just a handful of dyes, the range of colours that you can blend is amazing!



You need vinegar or citric acid to fix the dye to the fibre, and I prefer to use citric acid which you can buy as crystals and has no smell. You need more acid for stronger, more vibrant shades. The dye and acid need heat to work and there are many ways to do this. 

As I dye small batches I prefer to use the "space dyeing" method, where you use a microwave. I find it quick and simple to do, but you need to have a separate microwave and utensils, kept just for dyeing.


After rinsing and drying the tops, the next step was to blend the fibre on my drum carder, I chose four colours from the selection of dyed tops - the three pinks and a touch of pistachio. I made two soft fluffy batts ready for spinning.


The colour changes worked really well during spinning - after leaving the yarn to rest on the bobbins for a while, I plied them together to make this pretty skein. The BFL was soft to use and spinning from a batt made it extra fluffy!



Dyeing your own fibre is really fun - my next project is to start from the raw material and process a BFL fleece that I bought from a farm in Hexham, Northumberland - where the Bluefaced Leicester sheep has long been a popular breed.
Emma x

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