I think I have been lucky in my dealing with hand painted fiber up until this point because I really haven't had any color bleeding of dye transfer to anything. This roving sure was different. I noticed as soon as I started spinning that my hands were turning red. Most of it did wash off, but it was a lot of red. It looked like i had been dying instead of spinning the fiber.
Several other things ended up stained pinkish red too and it didn't wash right off. My kniddy knoddy is now pink from where the yarn was wrapped around and from were my hand rested as I wound the yarn from the bobbin. The flyer on my wheel now has a neat red racing stripe along the path the thread travelled from the orifice to the bobbin and half of the whorl on the flyer is also pink.I washed and soaked the finished yarn at least five times and I still don't think all the excess dye is out of it yet. I may give it another wash before I try knitting with it. The colors in the finished yarn are not as crisp and distinct as they were in the roving. Part of that is probably part of the normal spinning process. Although I do think at least a small percentage is due to all the excess dye in the wash water.
I imagine the excess red dye on my wheel and kniddy knoddy will eventually fade; my hands are back to normal. I just haven't had anything like this happen before. I liked everything else about spinning the fiber and it was really easy to draft and I'm pleased with the finished yarn.
I have a couple more fiber bundles (in different colors) from Crown Mountain Farms and I'm hoping there isn't as much excess dye in those. They have a wonderful selection of colors and their prices are good. But, I don't yet know if I'll order from this vendor again. I'll see how the rest spins and washes up first.
Geddesburg Handspun YarnContent: Blue Face Leicester
Fiber Source: Crown Mountain Farm
Color: Finding Rainbows
Fiber Preparation: thumb size roving
Weight: 8 oz
Yardage: 478 yards
WPI: 14 wraps per inch
Spinning Style: worsted
Spinning Ratio: 10 to 1
Plying Ratio: 10 to 1
Notes: hand wash; 2 ply, divided into 2 skeins
Posts
9 comments:
It's really pretty! I'd be pissed and complaining immediately to the vendor if my wheel & niddy noddy got stained. That's terrible! It sounds like they didn't set the dye.
It certainly looks different from fiber to finished yarn, but that's true must of the time. I didn't have such bad color exerience yet, but from time to time some yarns washed had colored water, just a little bit.
So pretty! But a big ugh! I sure hope that doesn't happen with the other fibers from there that you have.
I've had the same thing happen to my knitting needles with Socks that Rock...red seems to be a culpritl That spun up in no way like I would have expected from your "before" shot. And thanks for the link. They do have some great prices!
I agree, it does look different from the fiber. But it is beautiful! Bummer on the bleeding though. :(
I had the same problem with my CMF BFL. I haven't had any problems with their SW merino though, so I wonder if it has to do with that particular fiber/dye process? The sw merino has dye in the water, but an acceptable amount. You might want to try and complain to Klaus - you might get more fiber to try or at the very least an explanation!
ooops, I forgot to post on how pretty it still is, even with some fading!! :)
That yarn... I'm in love. Such colorful goodness, I love it, love it, love it.
Love your end result. Gorgeous!!
Post a Comment