How to Prepare Wool for Dyeing

You can't just grab it off a sheep and stick it in a pot of dye. So how do you dye wool? Here's the first step.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Mordant Bath
• Towels
• Wool
• Towels
• Latex Gloves
• Mild Soap
• Mild Soap
• Cotton Strings
• Towels

1. Loosely tie strands of yarn wool together with a cotton string.

2. Hand wash the bundle in mild soap and warm water to remove chemicals, oil or dirt.

3. Rinse it in warm - not hot - water.

4. Wring out and roll the wool in a towel to remove excess moisture.

5. Put the wool into a lukewarm mordant bath (see Related eHows).

6. Slowly heat the bath. Be careful not to allow it to reach the boiling point.

7. Lower heat and let it simmer gently, stirring gently occasionally, for about an hour.

8. Turn off the heat and allow the pot to cool down.

9. Let the wool sit in the mordant bath overnight if possible.

10. Remove the wool.

11. Remove excess water from the wool by rolling it in an old towel.

12. Place the damp wool directly into the lukewarm dye bath, or dry it in a cool area and store it for later dyeing.

Tips & Warnings

• Wool reacts badly to abrupt temperature changes. Take time to heat it and cool it slowly.

[dyer]

on 7/18/2008 First of all, the "editor" implies that this article is about preparing wool "from the sheep". Therefore, instruction #1 makes no sense, because raw wool from the sheep is not yarn yet and one cannot tie it together with a string! Raw wool must be soaked in hot, soapy water to remove the lanolin and dirt and will require several washes and rinses in water of the same temperature to prevent felting. It is hot dirty work and not recommended for the casual novice.

[dyer]

on 7/18/2008 First of all, the "editor" implies that this article is about preparing wool "from the sheep". Therefore, instruction #1 makes no sense, because raw wool from the sheep is not yarn yet and one cannot tie it together with a string! Raw wool must be soaked in hot, soapy water to remove the lanolin and dirt and will require several washes and rinses in water of the same temperature to prevent felting. It is hot dirty work and not recommended for the casual novice.

[dyer]

on 7/18/2008 First of all, the "editor" implies that this article is about preparing wool "from the sheep". Therefore, instruction #1 makes no sense, because raw wool from the sheep is not yarn yet and one cannot tie it together with a string! Raw wool must be soaked in hot, soapy water to remove the lanolin and dirt and will require several washes and rinses in water of the same temperature to prevent felting. It is hot dirty work and not recommended for the casual novice.

[dyer]

on 7/18/2008 First of all, the "editor" implies that this article is about preparing wool "from the sheep". Therefore, instruction #1 makes no sense, because raw wool from the sheep is not yarn yet and one cannot tie it together with a string! Raw wool must be soaked in hot, soapy water to remove the lanolin and dirt and will require several washes and rinses in water of the same temperature to prevent felting. It is hot dirty work and not recommended for the casual novice.

[dyer]

on 7/18/2008 First of all, the "editor" implies that this article is about preparing wool "from the sheep". Therefore, instruction #1 makes no sense, because raw wool from the sheep is not yarn yet and one cannot tie it together with a string! Raw wool must be soaked in hot, soapy water to remove the lanolin and dirt and will require several washes and rinses in water of the same temperature to prevent felting. It is hot dirty work and not recommended for the casual novice.