wool staining or variegation

[Pleater]

I have always thought of saffron as the yellow colour on linen - so your less red colour is actually more saffron like - though it is usually a mustardy red colour on wool kilts - which I have assumed is not from 'real' saffron but just what is accepted as a colour called saffron.

To make it redder I'd try Cool Aid.

It is quick, cheap and easy and can be repeated if it fades or washes out.

It is used a lot by knitters making socks or tye dyeing felt bags, so there should be a lot of information about it around on the interweb.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[CDNSushi]

Hi Pleater,

Thanks for the advice with the cool-aid. If I have an itch to make the kilt redder I might try it. I could also try re-dying it with real saffron. I actually have enough in my pantry that I could give it a go. (Yes, it's real saffron. Yes, I have lots of it. Yes, it was expensive). But as I said, at this point the stain is quite negligible, and the color variegation on the pleats is all but gone.

The one thing that would stop me from re-dying it at this point is the fact that the friggin' thing seems to take FOREVER to dry....

MacBean: I really couldn't tell you what the kilt was dyed with, and I'm not sure whether Jerry at Stillwater would know either. We know he gets his kilts from Pakistan, and that he visited his supplier's operations at least once, but he may not know what they use for dying. Personally, I wouldn't be surprised if they used something completely different than saffron OR safflower, and opted instead for a man-made, chemical dye.

At this point, I'm going to quit while I'm ahead, and hopefully the next posting will be of me wearing the kilt in question.

Cheers,

Jim

[MacLowlife]

CDNSushi,

I am pretty sure I saw an image in the fabric- it looks like a man's face with a beard, or something...

[CDNSushi]

CDNSushi,

I am pretty sure I saw an image in the fabric- it looks like a man's face with a beard, or something...

LOL!

Quick! Call the scientists! Call the Vatican! To the carbon dating lab! Post-haste!

[unaspenser]

I have a fair bit of experience dyeing with kool-aid. I like buying old wool from thrift stores and re-dyeing it for use. I've also used it on yarn I've spun myself. The rule I've heard is one package of kool-aid per ounce of wool. Luckily, it's very cheap. The benefits of kool-aid is that it's acidic enough that you don't have to add vinegar or anything else, and it also smells nice. Here's the article I found most helpful: http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEfall02/FEATdyedwool.html

Either way, though, the kilt really does look great! What a difference a wash makes.

[Pleater]

I thought that with Cool Aid that you could add the colour in tiny amounts, so gradually build up the shade you want.

I forgot about the problem of drying - I have always had a stand alone spin dryer - separate from the washing machine for use when hand washing, dyeing and suchlike, and which is really useful for kilts and fabric as well as knitting yarn.

Kilts and knitting yarn usually need to be wrapped around either in an old pillow case or a piece of sheet to protect the edges of the pleats or stop the yarn from escaping from the drum, but the spinning removes a lot of water - even from things out of the washing machine, which is a front loader, the normal sort here in the UK. It means that heavy items can be hung up straight after, and they usually dry overnight.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[unaspenser]

Good point, Anne! I should have mentioned that the 1 packet per ounce is for total color saturation.

I often use the spin cycle on my regular washer to help get hand-wash items dry enough to hang.

[LadyGriffin]

I LOVE this thread. What a wealth of information.
The kilt definately looks much nicer after being washed. I would be afraid to try and dye it myself, but I"m ont you. <G>

I have washed my beloved's 18oz wool kilt and I cannot believe how many rinses it took to get it fully clean. (who knew it could collect that much dirt and still look good) Hand washed it in the tub. Took it to my mom's to hang to try. Took 2 full days to get fully dry. All we did while it was drying was gently wipe hands down the pleats to 1) get more of the water out and 2) get any wrinkles out from moving it from the tub to my car and to mom's.

Good luck!

Julie

[CDNSushi]

So, I've been wearing my Saffron now that it's pretty much fixed. The inaugural outing was a Christmas camp/party with a group of friends from the Japan Outdoor Club.

I ordered an Irish brooch from EBay to serve as a kilt pin, which does the job quite nicely. I'm going to have to secure the fastener somehow though, as it came undone at least once during the trip and I actually lost the pin at the campsite. Fortunately, the next day I found it in the morning hidden by some foliage.

Here's an idea of what it looks like.



This is also a cross-post to the thread I posted up in the pictures forum if anyone's curious to see some more kilted Saffron "action" shots.

Thread is here:

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/c...152/index.html

[Woodsheal]

I like the post-wash color better than the original. You ended up with a nice looking kilt...!