True Blue, the final chapter

I delayed posting my spinning entry for the week until today as yesterday my yarn looked like this:

Not overly interesting, is it? However, it is indicative of finished handspun. :)

I ended up having to give it several baths in vinegar water as I was having some excessive dye run off. I don’t usually mind a bit of excess dye being released into my yarn bath (I bathe my yarn in hot water to help set the twist and ease out any residual dye, so for me a little bit of colour it perfectly normal), but I found the levels to be higher than normal. Given the colour and the fact that I’m planning on knitting this into neckwear, I wanted to make sure all the excess dye was gone before I spent my time knitting lace.

If you do find yourself with yarn that is bleeding colour, the easiest course of action is usually to use vinegar or disolved citric acid. Either will usually set the colour of dyes used on wool fibres. I simply continue with vinegar baths (about a cup of vinegar into water which will cover the fibre/yarn) until the water is coming out clean. Very simple, though if you are using hot water, remember to keep the water temperatures consistent to avoid shocking (and fulling) your yarn/fibre.

Today my yarn looks like this:

See? Wasn’t that worth the wait?

I’m quite pleased with the yarn. The colour is still vibrant, the yarn itself is soft, and it has great drape. I ended up with a heavy laceweight of approximately 487 metres measured before setting, so this is technically not the final yardage count. However, it is more than enough to do an Annis shawl. In fact, I still have leftovers from both bobbins in case I run short. After filling an entire bobbin to beyond capacity, I felt I had enough yardage and didn’t bother plying the remainder. I’ll likely keep the singles aside and use them in other yarns.

I’m really looking forward to knitting this shawl. I may even cast it on after I finish my cardi.