Outline for dyeing our cotton/Cellulose yarns:

You will need to use different dyes from the ones you are most likely using for wool. These are known as Fiber -reactive dyes, these also are sometimes branded as Procion MX DYES.

Although our cellulose yarns are prepared for dyeing they do benefit with an extra scouring step, this just helps the dye penetrate better and you will get stronger colours. For this, we recommend the following steps:

For 1 kilo add 20mls of Synanthrapol and 40gms of Soda Ash (Sodium Carbonate) to a pot with plenty of water, add the yarn in, and simmer for 1 hour, rinse and then proceed as you would normally for dyeing a cellulose fibre. This is the same procedure if you are using natural dyes on these yarns, or Procion MX/Fiber reactive dyes.

The process when using fiber reactive dyes differs from acid dyeing in that you don’t need acid or heat. Dyes for cotton rely on a higher Ph rather than a lower one, and cooler temperatures and time.

In addition to your dyes, you will need Sodium Carbonate (soda Ash) to increase the PH and make the yarn more Alkaline so that the yarn and dye bond. If you are new to dyeing cotton and you want to reduce your costs, (I can’t speak for other countries) but in the UK you can pick up Soda crystals for cleaning in the supermarket, I use these as they are really easy and cheap to get hold of and I get good results using them, they are less Alkaline than Proper Sodium Carbonate, so bear that in mind, you might need a bit more. However, to get the best colours Soda Ash is better.

You may also find Urea helpful, as the dyes require a longer period of time to fix, this acts as a humectant (just means it attracts moisture). I use this if I am painting yarn with dye, but it’s not necessary for low-immersion dyeing, as the yarn will be submerged in water.

Method:

Soak your Cotton/cellulose yarns first in a solution of Water and Sodium Carbonate, or soda crystals.

About 250g/cup per 4 litres of water. If I am using soda crystals I would add a bit more. I make the water warm so that the soda crystals dissolve better, and the yarn will get wet quicker. Cotton does seem to repel water at the start, so warmer water makes this easier.

Soak for about 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Make up the dye. Optional: I add a teaspoon of Urea to 250mls of dye if I am painting the yarn as the yarn needs to stay wet for the dye to fix, but as mentioned above this isn’t necessary if the yarn is being immersed.

Remove excess soaking water from the yarn.

(using gloves because the solution is quite alkaline) squeeze out the excess water and then either paint, sprinkle or put the yarn into the dye solution as you wish.

Now the yarn and dye need to be left to what I call ‘cure’ but it’s fixing essentially. This takes time, and the longer you leave the yarn the better the colour will fix. Anything from 3 hours to overnight, if I want strong colours, I always leave it overnight.

During this time you do not want your yarn to dry out, as this stops the fixing process, so either wrap it up in plastic wrap…although this is not good for the environment, I prefer to leave it in pans with a cover to stop it from drying out. Some plastic boxes with lids would work well, or the gastronorm trays with a lid. The Urea will help too if you’ve used it.

The ideal temps for fixing is a comfortable room temperature (21 C), so if it’s cooler your yarn may take longer.

Once you are done fixing the yarn it needs to be rinsed. Don’t panic if quite a lot of colour comes out. That’s quite normal with these dyes, rinse with cool water first, and then near the end, you can increase the heat to wash the excess particles out, but don’t use hot at first as this can cause dye release over subsequent washes. You can use Synanthrapol to help, or I sometimes use fairly liquid once I’ve done an initial rinse to remove any residual sodium carbonate.

I hope that’s helpful