I Heart Corriedale

That 12 pound Corriedale fleece that I bought last May has finally reached its full potential. Unfortunately, I had too much fun plying it and it took on a life of its own.



It had an over abundance of energy. It needed a lot of taming so it got a long, hot bath.



Since I was going to have to show this yarn who was boss, I decided I might as well put some color on it at the same time. I am not the most talented dyer out there, in fact, I stink at it so I decided to do something simple-with only one color. Since Valentine's Day is just around the corner, I picked Russet.



As per instructions in Hand Dyeing Yarn and Fleece by Gail Callahan, I made a little nest out of a giant plastic bag that was inside a big pot.



I mixed three different strengths of the dye solution. I started by pouring on the weakest solution first.



I kneaded it in, but was afraid of felting so I went lightly on the massaging. It proved to be an error because it came out blotchier than I wanted.



It went for a spin in the microwave for about 6 minutes. Heating 2 minutes, resting 2 minutes and repeating it until the solution ran clear.



There was a little pink in the water but not enough to worry about.



After a spin I could see that there was some white spots and some very harsh dark blotches. It's a pretty amateur looking job.



It's not the worst dye job I have ever done but it is not what I wanted. That elusive gradient quality that I admire in other people's work seems to be beyond my meager abilities-but I'm not giving up. There is plenty more white stuff where this came from that I can ruin.