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Post by hannah on Jan 31, 2019 0:07:50 GMT
Hi. I recently purchased a cashmere sweater online, thinking the colour was blue, but it turned out to be a deep periwinkle. I would like to dye it, but there are a few worries I have about the process. I’m afraid that since the product is already made, if I dye it the colour will be patchy or uneven. I’m also concerned that certain dyes will make the cashmere scratchy of uncomfortable, or just in some way damage the sweater. Also, since the product has already been dyed, I’m worried that the chemicals in the original dye will combine in some weird, unexpected way with the new colour to produce something I didn’t want. I was also wondering about the buttons, which are mother of pearl. Will they be dyed in some way if I leave them on during the process? And finally, do you need to use hot water to dye wool. I would prefer to use cold water to avoid possibly shrinking the sweater, as I am new to this and may agitate it too much. Any additional advice would be appreciated.
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Post by wolgelukkig on Jan 31, 2019 11:16:27 GMT
You can do it but you are right to hesitate. No worry about agitation because you can use cold water, put the dyed sweater in foil and set the dye in the microwave or with steam if it is too big for the microwave. So little agitation and no chance for felting. You have to think seriously about the result you want because if you want a plain color it is difficult to get the color you want because it is predyed and it is difficult to get a good even color. You have to soak well before dyeing and to stir the dyesolution very very well. Even then, you get uneven spots because for an even result you have to constantly move the sweater in the water which is not good and causes felting. You can better choose to dye in different colors, or grading colors where spots are a design detail. You can even thicken the dye and paint in the colors where you want them. I do that with my alpaca socks. But if you want to dye in one color I would not recommand it for a cashmere sweater.
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Post by MTRuth on Jan 31, 2019 13:47:14 GMT
I agree that over dyeing your sweater might not give you the results you want. If I was going to over dye it, I would use immersion dyeing. But you would need a very large pot to put it in so the sweater would have room and not be all wadded up. Plus blue is a very difficult color sometimes. Especially since you don't know how it was dyed to start with. If you were going for a variegated look, it would be possible, otherwise I would not recommend it.
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Post by lyn on Jan 31, 2019 15:05:58 GMT
Just a thought - is it too late to return the sweater as it's not the colour you thought it would be?
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Post by Pandagirl on Jan 31, 2019 16:17:02 GMT
I agree with Ruth immersion dyeing would be best. And blues can be sketchy. Lyn’s idea of returning the item is a good one. It would save some work and aggravation. Good luck.
Using a microwave to dye it needs to be dedicated to dyeing for safety reasons.
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Post by hannah on Feb 1, 2019 23:07:29 GMT
The return shipping would be $70 both ways, so I'm not doing that. Also I don't have a microwave. Thank you all for responding. I'm taking your advice into consideration. Is there anyway the colour could be made to look even? If I were to dye over multiple sessions?
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Post by Shepherdess on Feb 2, 2019 1:27:14 GMT
The only dye I can think you would get even would be an indigo bath but that presents a different set of problems as yo have to make the dye vat and its not easy. you could then dip check the colour then dip again for darker and keep going. I think the best bet would be to cut your losses and sell it on line or through a high end nearly new shop.
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Post by hannah on Feb 2, 2019 21:36:49 GMT
How would the indigo bath work? Is it costly?
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Post by Shepherdess on Feb 3, 2019 15:01:34 GMT
I don't know that it is that complicated but it is time consuming. Best to look up dying with indigo. there are lots of how to's out there. I have only participated in one once. it was fun but I wasn't trying to rescue a cashmere sweater. does it have any other fibers in it? or embellishments other than the buttons? is it sewn together with cashmere yarn or something else. they will all take the dye differently. it is not an easy thing to dye a whole delicate garment. I do not know any professional dyer who would do it and guarantee a good result.
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