Over-dyeing Angora Yarn

I experimented by dyeing a skein of variegated lumpy Angora yarn in strawberry pink; after setting the color, I dropped blue food color on top of the yarn in various places then cooked it again. The entire hat is made from this yarn.


The same yarn is used in making this hat by combining it with tort natural color yarn.

I dyed the variegated Angora yarn in blue first; after setting the color, I dropped pink on top of the blue yarn in various places. The colors are the same but the order reversed; it gives a different look from the yarn in the top picture.




The same yarn is used in conjunction with tort natural colored Angora lumpy yarn to make this hat.









Betty says,


"My hats are very popular; I am always looking for different ways to change the designs while keeping the same characteristics.


Normally I dye the yarns in one color then combine that yarn with natural color such as white, fawn or tort. Or if I want more than one color, I'd put the yarn in a container than drop different color dye on different spots.


To make things more interesting, I decided to dye one color over another dyed color. The resulting yarns are bold and loud. Some may like them, some may not. So far these hats have proven to be quite popular in sales.


These four hats are available for purchase. Contact me if interested."

Kool-Aid Dyed Sheep

We dye our Angora wool or yarn with Kool-Aid regularly. Kool-Aid dyed yarn is not something of a rarity; though a Kool-Aid dyed sheep would be a rarity.

Found on the net an article by "Moutain Shadow Ranch" talking about Kool-Aid dyeing the sheep for "Sheep to Shawl" contest. This picture is not a photoshop creation; the Kool-Aid is used to dye the wool on the sheep. Here is the insturction to go with the photo:

"Take one very friendly tame sheep, who will hate you for this, wash in cold water with a hair shampoo for greasy, oily, dirty, hair. (Use a people shampoo!) Rinse well, wash once more with shampoo. Don't use too much as the first time it won't suds too well, and the second soaping just use a little as you will rinse forever if you use too much. Then let sheep dry, help with towels, if she is still speaking to you by this time. (a hot day helps, too). Then mix whatever color of Kool Aid as follows: 2 packages of cool Aid to 1 c. of cold white vinegar. Pour on sheep and rub in with hands. If you don't want your hands dyed, use rubber or latex gloves and very old clothes, because the sheep will manage to shake just like a dog and get the dye all over your clothes. It will take several packages to dye one Cotswold adult ewe with a six inch staple length. I use several colors and make a rainbow sheep. Also, to get a bright yellow or green, I use food coloring, as Kool-Aid doesn't make those two colors. Next, let sheep dry overnight, and then rinse very well, with lots of cold water. The excess dye will rinse out. The sheep will have a fruity smell with a dash of vinegar. The dye job is pretty color fast, as I have spun the wool and washed and set it and the color remains. Now, I have also asked my vet. who's a sheep and goat specialist, and she said this does not harm the sheep in any physical way. I also make sure that the sheep has a very clean and draft free place to stay till dry and time to go to the sheep to shawl. I don't dye the sheep until a few days before the contest as I want the sheep to be as clean as possible for the shearing. "

This is very interesting, may be we could do that to our Angora rabbits? In the 80s, there was an exhibitor by the name of Elizabeth Deal who brought a green French Angora to a show in Dixon as a celebration of the St. Patrick's Day. She said it was done with food color. People were shocked; but unfortunately no picture was taken then.