hi there,
this is a post for a friend of mine. she is an experienced spinner and weaver and hasn’t had this problem until recently and can’t figure out why.
she is using the crock pot method, soaking her fiber first in 2 to 4 oz batches, making the dye mixture inside the crock pot, adding the fiber, and keeping the crock pot on low until the water is clear. she is not agitating it while in the crock pot and the water is barely at a simmer. she lets it cool to room temperature and then rinses in room temperature water, but it’s already felted at that point anyway.
she has also tried the space dying method, wrapping in saran wrap and using the steam basket in the crock pot and that felts also. she has tried Polypay and Rambouillet and it happens with both.
i have read that carding the fiber first sometimes makes it more likely that the fiber will felt, but this is commercially purchased roving that she knows is successfully dyed by many. any ideas of what she might be doing wrong or tips for her?
thanks!!!