The yellow is very bright, and I got nice definition between the yellow, orange and purple. This was on a mixed roving, not the gray like the previous samples.
While I was reorganizing my spinning and weaving area this winter to make room for a few pieces of furniture from my mother's estate, I found some old packets of dye that I purchased in 1985. It is Spectrum Dyestuff's Kiton in several colors. Some of the open packets are no longer associated with their labels, and some are unopened. I don't exactly recall what I dyed in 1985 or what the results were. I decided to dye some of the Corriedale roving that I purchased from Alpenglow Yarns using these old dyes. I used the same fire pit method: I mixed the dyes in the afternoon, and poured on three colors: Blue, Turquoise, and what I thought might be Burgundy. It soaked for at least two hours in the pan. Then, after cooking dinner in the dutch oven, I waited until the coals were glowing (I managed to sneak in some gluten-free biscuits in the meantime - fantastic!). Then I put the fiber pan over the coals and just let it sit all night. In the morning, the bottom of the pan was still warm, but the colors were set.
Doh, I guess it was not Burgundy - it was Purple. But oh my, those blue colors came out so deep and nice. It's hard for me to get a good, deep blue color when I dye, but this time I was really happy. The weather has been very cool and damp here in San Diego so it's not drying very quickly. But I can hardly wait to spin this up. For sure, I am going to use some more of these old Kiton dyes.
Lots going on next weekend: Old Town, Powell Sheep Ranch, and Earth Day in the Backcountry. More updates to come after that.
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