How to Dye Handspun Wool Using Indigo Dye

Dyeing animal or plant fibers with indigo is a fascinating and rewarding experience, but one that requires an informed approach. Indigo is a pigment, originally from the weedy plant called woad. As a pigment, it will only attach to plant fibers as a coating when the pH of the dye solution is alkaline using caustic soda (NAOH) or lye.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Large stainless steel or ceramic coated pot used only for soapmaking or natural dyes (If ceramic coated, no chips)
• Indigo dye pigment powder
• Lye crystals or flakes
• Several gallons of distilled water
• Chop sticks or bamboo skewers
• Wooden or stainless steel or plastic spoon for stirring
• Rubber gloves
• Kitchen sink with good ventilation
• small bowl or cup preferably glass, plastic, or ceramic

1. For dyeing 1 pound of natural 100% wool yarn, fill a large 2-3 gallon non-aluminum pot with 1.5 gallons of distilled water. Do not heat. Yarn should be tied in a long loose hank or circular skein with lots of loose figure eight ties of acrylic yarn to keep it from tangling.
2. Make a paste of two tablespoons of pigment powder and 1/2 cup distilled water in a separate small bowl or cup. Mix thoroughly to wet, leaving no dry lumps. I suggest a chopstick or bamboo skewer for mixing. The powder may want to sink down to the bottom, but as long as it is well broken up that is ok.
3. Once powder is completely wet, empty the paste into the dyepot of water and mix well.
4. Add 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons of lye crystals into dyepot. Stir gently to dissolve and encourage the lye to incorporate with the pigment. To be ready to dye the solution should turn a scummy looking green color. The green color indicates the proper level of alkalinity. Be aware that too much stirring can introduce oxygen into the solution and turn it blue again prematurely, necessitating the addition of more lye crystals to make it alkaline once again. The solution will smell foul and the lye crystals may heat up the solution. This is normal, so ventilate well if dyeing inside.
5. Take 100% natural wool yarn skein(s) and gently dip into the scummy looking green dye solution getting all the yarn immersed fully into the dyepot and soaked with the dye solution. Stir gently a few times and then stop stirring, leaving the yarn undisturbed in the dye solution for approximately 2-5 minutes.
6. Using your rubber gloves, pull yarn out of the dyepot and let excess dye solution from the yarn drip back in. This is where the magic happens. The yarn will look green at first and then as it oxidizes with the air, it will turn a beautiful blue.
7. If the wool yarn is hot, allow it cool before gently rinsing in your kitchen sink in tepid water with a minimal amount of agitation. Squeeze gently to remove excess rinse water without wringing it out. Hang up to dry somewhere away from animals who might decide to play with it.

Tips & Warnings

• You will not need to use soap or detergent to wash out your newly dyed yarn. Water will be enough to rinse away any strange smells. Avoid excessive agitation of wool yarn. Avoid rapid changes in temperature of rinse water as this can cause your beautiful yarn to felt into an unusable mass. Wooden stirring utensils are ideal but plastic or stainless steel can also be used. Use distilled water rather than tap water because the lye may tend to react with the minerals in the tap water instead of the indigo pigment.
• Lye is a caustic substance and can react violently with aluminum. It can blind eyes and irritate skin. Do NOT use aluminum utensils or pots of any kind when working with lye. Do not allow the lye crystals to come into contact with skin as it can react with the sweat on your skin and cause irritation. Fumes are minimal when working with this small quantity of lye, but avoid inhaling them directly. Watch out for drips or spills with children or animals around.