Fiber Dyeing: The Process

Here's the promised fiber dyeing process photos! :)

Celeste removing excess vinegar from fiber braids (the vinegar allows the dye to absorb into the fiber)

Mixing up new colors: The most popular color of the day was light blue. I think we each used about two to three bottles over the day. What can I say, it was a great base!

Working on my samples:

Celeste working a few of her braids:

As I worked on my two braids, I realized I used much of the same color combination. The main thing I changed was the amount of each color used/blended. My first braid was predominately pink, with minimal blending and fairly saturated (though still pastel-like) colors.

I also added brown to my first braid:

Finished product:

With my next braid I chose to color nearly all the fiber with the light blue dye and then add in medium blue, light green, and light pink, being careful to really blend them into the blue. Not all of the colors got wholly mixed, but I love the way it looks now.

After I braided my fiber up I was even happier with the way the colors looked. There's just something about braiding that makes the colors so pretty.

This was such a fun experiment. There's one thing I definitely learned, I LOVE colorful fiber. I came home very excited to spin, when previously I'd been a little "meh" about it, even though I have many beautiful (but neutral colored) fibers in my stash. I think in the end I'd probably prefer the neutral yarns for knitting, but during the spinning process I much prefer the colors! Conundrum? Probably :)

Make sure to check out Celeste's finished braids too, so so gorgeous!