Snowed in!

So, 3 feet of snow. Time to play with some fleece. I wanted to dye a little bit in various colors to try my hand at felting. So how do you dye in small batches with out being wasteful and in many colors at once?

You can it. Just like jam.

I used food coloring and then did a little test with various acids to see how it would turn out.



I wet the fleece and twisted it into "hanks." I filled the jar 1/2 way with water and dye solution and gently lowered the fleece into the jar. I then added water covering the fleece. I but on the lid and tilted the jar so that the dye and water would mix. Do not shake! Once I had all the jars filled, I put them in a water bath as though I was canning tomatoes.



I put on the lid and let it sit at a low simmer for about 45 minutes. I then let them cool in the water bath, and then removed them to the counter to continue to cool to a warm temp. I then gently opened each jar, pouring out the contents (one at a time) and giving them a gentle rinse in a bowl of warm water. Then into the salad spinner with each. I then let them dry on a rack. Once they were mostly dry, I un-twisted the hank and spread them out to complete the drying.



Which gave me little bits or roving in multiple colors. I thought it was a simple way to dye and fun.