Dyer Consequences Read Online Free PDF Page B

percent merino wool and fifty percent silk.” Turning toward the laundry tubs attached to the walls, Mimi dabbed her fingers into the water. “This skein has also been prewet and spun dry. That’s the first step. You have to prewet the yarn with a wetting agent. That’s a chemical solution we put in the water to help remove anything which would keep the yarn from taking the dye. Then we drain it, and spin it dry in the washing machine.” She dropped the skein into the water and poked at it with a metal rod beside the tub.
    “What kinds of things get on the yarn?” Tracy asked.
    “All sorts of things can inhibit the process. For example, sometimes commercial spinners use spinning oils. That’s why we prewet first.” Mimi poked at the skein again. “This is good and soaked, so now we can start with the dyeing.” She stirred a measuring cup of clear liquid into the dye tub. “First, we add white vinegar. Next, we dissolve the powdered dye crystals in water before adding them.”
    She pulled on thick rubber gloves before opening two plastic containers. “We’ll use pink and blue for this first demonstration.”
    Scooping from both containers, she sprinkled them into separate water-filled bottles, coloring the waters bright pink and vivid blue. Mimi proceeded to pour each bottle into the dye tub.
    “We’re looking for variegated colors, so each skein will have pinks and blues and purples distributed throughout.”
    “You don’t mix it?” Jennifer asked, watching Mimi gently poke the skein in the tub with the metal rod.
    “No, because you’d lose the variegated colors we’re looking for. Instead, you’d have one solid color. It all depends on what colors you want.”
    Kelly peered into the tub, noticing the skein taking color differently throughout its length. Robin’s egg blue, light pink, lavender, periwinkle. “Wow, look at the colors,” she observed. “It’s doing exactly what you said, Mimi.”
    “Well, let’s hope so.” Mimi poked the skein again.
    “Fascinating,” Tracy said, staring wide-eyed at the process, clearly captivated by the chemistry experiment taking place before her eyes.
    “Now, we’ll let this set for thirty minutes or so. It would be longer if you wanted a darker color, but we’re going after light springtime colors. Once you’ve got the colors you want, then you would drain the tub and refill to rinse the yarn thoroughly.”
    “You drain all that dye water out then refill the tub?” Jennifer asked. “How hot is the water?”
    “Hot enough to burn,” Mimi warned. “About one hundred seventy degrees.”
    “Ouch.” Jennifer flinched.
    “After you rinse the yarn, you’ll spin it to remove the excess water.” She pointed to the doorway leading into the darkened furnace room. “Then you’ll spread out the yarns on frames so the commercial fans can blow the yarn dry. There’s yarn on the frames right now. Go take a look.”
    Tracy and the others headed for the room next door. Kelly followed, but noticed that Jennifer stayed put. “Don’t you want to take a look?”
    “Nope. That looks too much like horror movie territory to me.”
    Kelly gave her a playful punch in the arm, then glanced into the furnace room from the doorway. There were the frames with freshly dyed dark blue fibers spread out. Two large fans sat on the floor. “Those are big fans, Mimi,” she said as she returned to the dye tubs.
    “And they make a big noise, too. That’s why they’re turned off right now.”
    “Can you use a hair dryer?” Jennifer asked.
    “Sure, if you’ve only dyed a small amount. But you’d want to use the big fans for a lot of yarn.” Mimi removed a large skein of pink yarn from a nearby shelf. “But now, I want to show you something else we do before we even rinse the yarn.” She dropped the skein of yarn into the dye tub.
    “Whoa, did you mean to do that?” Kelly asked.
    “I bet I know why,” Tracy said.
    “I bet you do,” Mimi said with a