Dyeing, naturally

Woohoo! I'm so pumped about this! A lovely friend gave me 250g of wool roving. I separated it into ~25g sections to be spun into singles.

This stuff was very pleasant to spin. What i initially thought were neps were actually bits of VM (vegetable matter) that had gathered up bits of fibre around them. I spun it long draw.

After spinning four singles, i began pairing them in plying balls.

Singles 1+4, 2+5, and so on. I think i might've screwed up at one point, but i don't think anyone will notice. Aren't they pretty? I'm so pleased that all five six (including the sample) skeins ended up so similar. Each is a sport/DK weight 2-ply.

I knew that i wanted to dye these suckers and thought, at first, that i would use Kool-Aid. After a day and a half of reading dyeing threads on Ravelry, i decided to experiment with other beverages instead. 

My desire to BEGIN IMMEDIATELY overpowered my desire for bright things. I chose coffee, Rooibos, Earl Grey, and chamomile and split my sample skein into four pieces.

Here they are, soaking in cool tap water with a splash of vinegar.

2 bags of Twinnings Chamomile Tisane to 2 cups of boiled water. 

Let cool completely while bags steeped.

Brewed 6 "cups" of water with 6 tablespoons of Kicking Horse beans. Let cool after brewing.

2 bags of Tetley Rooibos with 2 cups of boiled water. Let cool while steeping. 

2 bags of Twinnings Earl Grey Tea with 2 cups of boiled water. Let cool while steeping. 

Do any of you have any idea how hard it is to wait the two hours necessary for hot water to reach room temperature? Argh. I spent the interim wandering around on Rav, bemoaning the fact that i made only four dyeing samples from that little skein. Black beans! Beets! Onion skins! So much household dyeing potential!

Finally, the dyes cooled enough that i could move on to Step 2. I rounded up four 500ml Mason jars and placed a well-soaked sample in each jar.  I placed the jars in my crockpot and added the dyes. Then, i filled the crockpot nearly to the dye level in each jar.

Clockwise from top: chamomile, coffee, rooibos, Earl Grey.

I've put the crock on low and now i wait for my pretties to simmer and set. I've gotta find something to keep me busy in the meantime or i won't be able to resist peeking! At least the lid is clear glass and i can watch them transform.