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LoneKnitter
Chatty Knitter
USA
102 Posts |
 Posted - 04/18/2008 : 09:55:03 AM
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| Has anyone used hair dye to dye yarn??? |
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MindyO
Permanent Resident
USA
2493 Posts |
Posted - 04/18/2008 : 10:49:24 AM
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I've never dyed yarn but I've dyed my hair hundreds of times and I don't think it would be a good idea.
*One it would be difficult to get even coverage, with the thickness of the hair dye you'd almost have to run the entire length of the strand through it to make sure it got into the yarn.
*Two, it would probably work on 100% wool, or animal fibers, but hair dye does fade over time with washing. Even the ones that promise not to fade, will fade with every day washings in about 3-6 months. While you won't wash your garment that much, it will fade over time.
*Three it's rather hard to get all the dye "rinsed" out, in my experience the first couple hair washings usually still pull out some of the color.
Not to mention that smell that takes about 3 washings to get out completely. Maybe a vinegar rinse of some sort would lock in the color more and kill the smell, but I wouldn't know for sure. Next time you dye your hair try a strand long enough to swatch after and see what happens.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/squeeks76/
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LoneKnitter
Chatty Knitter
USA
102 Posts |
Posted - 04/18/2008 : 12:16:16 PM
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| I'll try it next time I dye my hair. My goal is to get a natural redish brown color, but I think you're right, it will fade over time if I don't use some kind of fixative. I'll post my results. I have some brown sheep I will try it out on. |
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MindyO
Permanent Resident
USA
2493 Posts |
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KS
Seriously Hooked
862 Posts |
Posted - 04/18/2008 : 5:18:36 PM
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I remember articles about using hair dye on wool way back in the 80's in SpinOff magazine. I've never tried it, but remember that human hair is a protein fiber as is wool. Just look at how many posts recommend using hair conditioner when washing wool. Personaly, I don't. I think it's a waste of money. Vinegar is cheaper.
I think standard acid dyes would be cheaper to use, but if you want to try hair color, I'd suggest trying a permanent type. I don't know about you, but I wash my hair every day. That's 90 to 180 washings based on Mindy's numbers. I do laundry once per week, so that's up to 4 years (probably more because I don't wear socks in summer) of washing my socks every week before I see too much fading. If it's a sweater, I won't live long enough to care, even based on the short number.
KS |
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Hair Dye ????
