Howdy from WV

[judymac]

We do have lichens, however I've heard to make the dye they have to be soaked in alcohol for six months?

There are two different methods for dyeing with lichens (which, by the way, do NOT need a mordant.) You mentioned soaking in alcohol, usually it is a 50/50 mixture of water and clear, non-sudsing ammonia, which is usually found in the grocery store cleaning section. Because lichens are so slow growing, it is not recommended to remove them from their host rock/tree, but instead to use fallen lichens. There are usually plenty found on the path, or blown off the rocks, or on trees destined for firewood, or in danger of being bulldozed.

Take a jar, and half fill it with lichens. Now add 1/2 ammonia and 1/2 water to cover the lichens. Seal the jar, and shake well. Put it somewhere you'll go past it, and give it a shake each time you go past. Once a week or so, remove the lid and let the jar air for a few minutes. In just a few days you'll see the liquid color, but be patient, and wait at least a month before straining out the dye liquid and adding it a dyebath, and processing it with the fiber to be dyed for about an hour over low heat. One jar makes enough dye concentrate to dye quite a few fibers. I've also simply layered the fiber in the jar with the lichens and ammonia water, and let them ferment together with good success. No cooking necessary. This fiber is from Rock Tripe, Umbilicaria, that was soaked with the lichens during fermentation.You can also add more ammonia & water to the lichens in the jar, and try a second ferment with the same lichens.

However, you can also take the lichens and simply simmer them for an hour or so with your fiber, like any other dyebath, no fermentation needed. Dye books list this as the BW method, for boiling water, even though I think a low simmer is better. This bright orange dye is from the Parmotrema ruffle lichen found perched on many conifer and oak branches, and has been done with simmering method.

 

[judymac]

There's marigolds in the garden to get rid of slugs and some bugs, maybe I'll start saving the flower petals for dye. I'm assuming it's the flower petals, anyway?

Yes, I dry the entire flower head, or use them fresh.

 

[judymac]

the fiber is best blended with wool as straight angora is sort of limp once you knit it, so you end up with double the amount!

Oddly enough, I greatly prefer the 100% angora yarn. I also do the 50/50 blends with wool, and they are nice, but the feel of 100% angora is so amazing that I prefer it. If you are using a spinning wheel, the biggest problem is the wheel trying to tug the yarn onto the bobbin before you get enough twist in the yarn to make it strong. The yarn won't look fuzzy right away, but will fuzz out as you work with it knitting/crochet/weaving. To solve this, take the tension off the wheel while you are treadling, until the bobbin flyer stops spinning around. Then add just enough tension to make the flyer again rotate at normal speed. This will give you time to spin a nice yarn with sufficient twist for strength.

Commercial angora wants to look fuzzy right away, so they choose angora with coarser fibers that will fuzz out better, and add almost no twist to the yarn. Looks pretty, but the yarn falls apart without sufficient twist.

I do make angora socks, and mittens and hats and scarves, not sweaters. Even just done in plain knit stitch, the softness and loft wins customers over to the all-angora items.

 

[judymac]

indigo is amazing for blues and greens.

Should have mentioned that the rather blah soft yellows that you get from many plants, are perfect for overdyeing with indigo to get lovely shades of green. Those odd colors you sometimes get are actually quite useful when making designs, as they are great for shading brighter colors and creating contrast, besides being good for overdyeing to get even more shades.

 

[CheleBelle75]

Mostly you will have to ask each English Angora breeder if their rabbits molt--unless they spin or show they may not know. I bought 2 girls from the same litter, one has molted...the other...not so much. She may require shearing. Betty Chu developed a line that does not shed and this is super desirable in a show rabbit. Unfortunately, that means they were crossed into many lines...my girls have a betty chu great grandmother, but it would appear that at least one still molts. fortunately most of those rabbits appear in the bloodline as "Betty Chu's (bunnyname)" or maybe just Chu's... You would want to avoid a rabbit that comes from multiple Chu bunnies, on both sides.

Ok. Thank you so very very much

 

[CheleBelle75]

Never a dumb question. Felting is the process of interlocking fibers (usually wool, but you can felt angora and alpaca as well) in order to make a solid fabric or shape without spinning or weaving. Those dryer balls they advertise to help with static cling in the dryer are felted, as are some blankets. There are several ways to make felt, originally they involved heat, moisture, and movement. That's why a wool sweater stuck into a hot wash, cold rinse, and hot dryer can shrink several sizes smaller. The heat, moisture and movement allowed the microscopic scales on the fiber to intertwine and condense, shrinking the garment. I use that idea to make my felt balls. By wrapping up the carded fiber into a ball shape, putting it into an old piece of pantyhose to hold it in shape and tying it off at the top, and putting it through several hot wash, cold rinse & dry cycles before removing it from the nylon sock, the fibers will have enmeshed and condensed and made a solid ball. Another trip through the laundry without the sock will finish it off nicely.

You can make sheets of felt fabric by layering carded fiber on a piece of cotton sheeting with the fibers aligned up and down, then adding another layer on top of that with the fibers going side to side, and finally a last layer up and down again. This works like plywood, giving strength to the fabric. Place another piece of cotton sheeting on top, and baste the whole package together (that means sewing it with fairly large quick stitches). If you do the sewing in a pattern, the design will remain on the finished felt. Now do the same as you did with the felt balls, several hot wash, cold rinse & dry cycles before you remove the felt from the cotton sandwich by removing the stitching.

You can also card the fiber, and place it around a hand in order to make a felted-to size mitten, or on a foot for a slipper. Put a plastic bag over the hand/foot, then wrap the fiber in several layers around the hand, and spray the fiber with warm water. Rub with soap, then add another plastic on the top to hold the fiber in place. Start rubbing, the warmth of the water, and motion of the rubbing will begin to condense the fiber. Some fibers, like many breeds of wool, will start to felt rather quickly, although others, like Suffolk wool, may never felt. It's trial and error. Continue adding warm water and soap as needed until the fabric is becoming well formed. You can totally remove the top plastic at this point, and continue rubbing until the fabric is firm. If holes develop, add more fiber to those places and keep rubbing. It will take at least 20 minutes for a firm fabric to form, sometimes a lot more. The felt walls for yurt tents are made somewhat like this, but on a large, large scale.

The other popular option for felting are using felting needles. These are slim needles with barbs, that snag individual fibers and interlock them with other fibers as you punch the needle in and out of the fabric. Felt blankets are made with machines with an entire large bed full of these needles. For home use you can buy on eBay or Etsy single needles. Keep the needle perpendicular to the carded fiber, and punch up and down. Don't twist the needle or try odd angles, it may break the needle. Angora needs a very fine needle to felt, I use size 40 for angora. This is how those cute little felted animals are made, roll the carded fiber in the shape you want, and start stabbing the bundle of fiber with the needle. The fluffy fiber will begin to condense into a solid shape fairly quickly. I use this technique to make designs on the machine felted balls. Take a look at https://www.etsy.com/search?q=felted animal&ref=search_bar to see what you can do with a felting needle.

Oh my gosh. Those animals are amazing. I didn't even know this was a thing. I never heard of it before. Thank you so ery much for taking the time to explain things. I love making things and this has me excited. I get excited over the silliest things.

 

[eco2pia]

Oddly enough, I greatly prefer the 100% angora yarn. I also do the 50/50 blends with wool, and they are nice, but the feel of 100% angora is so amazing that I prefer it. If you are using a spinning wheel, the biggest problem is the wheel trying to tug the yarn onto the bobbin before you get enough twist in the yarn to make it strong. The yarn won't look fuzzy right away, but will fuzz out as you work with it knitting/crochet/weaving. To solve this, take the tension off the wheel while you are treadling, until the bobbin flyer stops spinning around. Then add just enough tension to make the flyer again rotate at normal speed. This will give you time to spin a nice yarn with sufficient twist for strength.

Commercial angora wants to look fuzzy right away, so they choose angora with coarser fibers that will fuzz out better, and add almost no twist to the yarn. Looks pretty, but the yarn falls apart without sufficient twist.

I do make angora socks, and mittens and hats and scarves, not sweaters. Even just done in plain knit stitch, the softness and loft wins customers over to the all-angora items.

I agree it is amazing on it's own too--one trick I have found is to use it on a sweater as trim--fluffy collar and cuffs or a fuzzy stripe here or there--then I get the fit and spring of wool with the fluff of the angora. Another thing I think would be amazing is a shawl--but I am not a big shawl wearer!

 

[judymac]

-one trick I have found is to use it on a sweater as trim--

I agree, I trim all of my wool or wool/angora blend ski hats with pure angora brims, so it's super soft around the face.