Tell me about Dyeing

I am a dyer~ I now make my living from my handwork~ silk is my specialty, but I do lots of wool, too.
So I am curious about dyeing bunny fluff!

It is protein fiber, so acid dyes, yes?
What is the staple length from various breeds?
Do you spin it before dyeing?
Or can you draft it like roving?
Otherwise I envision lots of relatively short, slippery fiber... LOL

How do you process your fiber?

IMO, it is better to dye it before spinning. This is what I do if I am blending it on my carder with fine wool. I use dyes made for wool. Expect fiber lengths to vary from 2 inches to 5 inches. You can dye any color of angora. Dying after spinning is fine, too, but I like it better done beforehand.

Do you blend with other fibers or does it spin up well on its own?

Tell you about dyeing???
Well, everything and person who lives, eventually won't live any more.....

Oh, wait, sorry, wrong dieing....

TF3":2ne34kz1 said:

Do you blend with other fibers or does it spin up well on its own?

Click to expand...

It spins up beautifully on it's own! I just like to have a 50/50 with fine sheep wool for some projects.... OK, and I'm a miser and this makes the angora go further. <br /><br /> __________ Tue Jul 07, 2015 1:47 pm __________ <br /><br />

DBA":2ne34kz1 said:

Tell you about dyeing???
Well, everything and person who lives, eventually won't live any more.....

Oh, wait, sorry, wrong dieing....

Click to expand...

RT is an all-encompassing forum.

DBA":1p64xzth said:

Tell you about dyeing???
Well, everything and person who lives, eventually won't live any more.....

Oh, wait, sorry, wrong dieing....

Click to expand...

Ok...so I thought it...just wasn't a big enough jerk to actually say it :twisted: :lol: :lol: :lol:

alforddm":12gur348 said:

DBA":12gur348 said:

Tell you about dyeing???
Well, everything and person who lives, eventually won't live any more.....

Oh, wait, sorry, wrong dieing....

Click to expand...

Ok...so I thought it...just wasn't a big enough jerk to actually say it :twisted: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Click to expand...

:evil:
:lol: :lol: :lol:

If only you knew... it makes me INSANE when people (some of whom are actively dyeing things to sell!) spell it 'dying'... so I get my petty revenge by reading their posts literally and they die in many creative ways!

TF3":34spp4o4 said:

alforddm":34spp4o4 said:

DBA":34spp4o4 said:

Tell you about dyeing???
Well, everything and person who lives, eventually won't live any more.....

Oh, wait, sorry, wrong dieing....

Click to expand...

Ok...so I thought it...just wasn't a big enough jerk to actually say it :twisted: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Click to expand...

:evil:
:lol: :lol: :lol:

If only you knew... it makes me INSANE when people (some of whom are actively dyeing things to sell!) spell it 'dying'... so I get my petty revenge by reading their posts literally and they die in many creative ways!

Click to expand...

Well, I'm a stickler, too. But, look at my above post, where I missed the 'e'. Not something I usually do, but I have come to understand that errors like these are easily made by even the most educated people. Often they do know the difference but didn't stop to double check their typing.

Fast fingers are one thing, but when you write a listing and present yourself as a professional, it matters.
I don't want to buy yarn from someone who loves dying, or a rabbit from someone selling Devon Rex (saw this this week).

I was going to post a link to the Tibetan Book of the Dead,

or Final Exit, but DBA beat me to it.

That would drive me crazy too though, if people were spelling it wrong. Ugh. I love to be a smart mouth when people have ignorant ads and such. :twisted:

Susie570":1eh4ai0h said:

I was going to post a link to the Tibetan Book of the Dead,

or Final Exit, but DBA beat me to it.

That would drive me crazy too though, if people were spelling it wrong. Ugh. I love to be a smart mouth when people have ignorant ads and such. :twisted:

Click to expand...

You sound like me. I scan CL automotive listings every so often. I like contacting sellers and asking them what has recently broken on a car or truck when the advertise it as having "new breaks".

Ok, sorry for the hijack. You may now return to your regularly scheduled thread...

TF3":1dcwhmvc said:

I am a dyer~ I now make my living from my handwork~ silk is my specialty, but I do lots of wool, too.
So I am curious about dyeing bunny fluff!

It is protein fiber, so acid dyes, yes?
What is the staple length from various breeds?
Do you spin it before dyeing?
Or can you draft it like roving?
Otherwise I envision lots of relatively short, slippery fiber... LOL

How do you process your fiber?

Click to expand...

Yes acid dyes. I use Jacquard.

Staple length varies. Pluckers are usually 2-5, but non molters can go even longer, and English show coats have gone up to 12+ inches. My average is 5-7 inches. Most of my Angora spinning friends agree that after 6 inches, it's a pain.
I usally don't dye, I breed colors that I love so I don't have to dye, but when I do, mostly it's after. I prefer to spin straight from the bunny, in a cloud I hand tease or in locks they way it's clipped. i really do not have a carder that can handle Angora, and if I dye it before hand or blend it, I have that problem.

If you card it, you can diz it off the drum carder or blending board like roving, but it really doesn't stay together like wool would.

Most of the time I spin it straight. I rarely blend anything. I haven't seen why I need to do so. If I want a different feel, I use a different fiber, jmo.

Angora does not have to be short. Short Angora is poor Angora, because breed standard length is 3 inches, prime fiber sold as spinning fiber really should be at least 3 inches. Anything shorter than 3 inches for any fiber I don't waste my time spinning, that's felting stuff. Short fibers is how Angora got the reputation for shedding in the finished garment.

Skysthelimit, do you have any tips on dyeing it after spinning? I feel just a tad concerned about felting more than way. BTW, I have a Pat Green carder and it does a pretty good job for blending the two fibers. I still love pure angora best, and for that there is no need for a carder.

Oooh, felting.. of course! How well does it felt?
Zinnia, i don't know how quick to felt angora is, but if I am using something super felty like single ply merino, I soak in a cool vinegar bath until saturated with NO movement and carefully drain and move on to plastic to hand paint, wrap and microwave steam.
No kettle dyeing for that good stuff

I'm a needle felter... I may need to get some shorter angora from one of you to work with

Those staple lengths are wild!
So if you spin from the bunny, can it be any time, or only certain phases of the coat so it comes away easily?

Angora felts very, very well.

i have had the opposite. It's been really hard for me to get Angora to felt. But then because they are French, and have thicker guard hairs, it might not felt as well as English.

I worry more about fiber felting than yarn, because I am more likely to try and stir the pot to get the color even. I dye the Angora yarn the same as other fibers, in the crock pot, with something to keep it submerged, on the highest setting, no agitation after the initial mixing, then I let the crock cool completely before taking out the skein. I ring it and hand it to dry. <br /><br /> __________ Wed Jul 08, 2015 5:55 pm __________ <br /><br />

TF3":57fm1phj said:

Oooh, felting.. of course! How well does it felt?
Zinnia, i don't know how quick to felt angora is, but if I am using something super felty like single ply merino, I soak in a cool vinegar bath until saturated with NO movement and carefully drain and move on to plastic to hand paint, wrap and microwave steam.
No kettle dyeing for that good stuff

I'm a needle felter... I may need to get some shorter angora from one of you to work with

Those staple lengths are wild!
So if you spin from the bunny, can it be any time, or only certain phases of the coat so it comes away easily?

Click to expand...

Molting Angoras usually blow their coats every 90 days or so. Some molt over a period o days, some you can take the whole coat off in 30 minutes. Then there are ones who go longer.
non molting ones are clipped according to the schedule best for their caretakers. I clip mine twice a year every 5 months, at the point when the coat becomes unmanageable and begins to felt on the bunny.