The Dyes

Acid dyes - for my 100% British BFL, 100% British BFL HT and 100% Merino yarns

I only use non-toxic, quality, colourfast, fade resistant acid dyes from a family run business in the UK, who manufacture on site. My acid dyed yarn is fixed using an acid dye fixer and set using heat. Although the dyes are colourfast, they can occasionally bleed a little, particularly in the case of blues, reds, magentas and purples and/or on non-superwash yarns, which is completely normal and expected.

Similarly, with some skeins, a small amount of crocking can occur. This is where some of the dye colour comes off onto your hands when using the yarn and is usually caused by the PH of your skin.

I would recommend that you swatch before starting any project and hand wash your swatch in cool water (with a wool safe wash if you wish, although this increases the risk of bleeding), which will allow you to check for any bleeding, particularly if you are intending to use a very saturated dark colour alongside a much lighter colour. I always ensure that the dye baths are exhausted (all of the colour has been absorbed by the yarn and the leftover water is clear) and my yarns are all washed using wool wash until the water runs clear, prior to drying. However, there will no doubt be occasions when a small amount of dye bleeds. A small amount of bleeding is no cause for panic, however if your yarn appears to bleed and bleed and bleed, please do of course contact me!

Procion MX dyes - for my Silky Merino Tencel and Vegan Bamboo Linen yarns

I only use permanent, colourfast, non-toxic procion MX dyes from a family run business in the UK, who manufacture on site. Procion dyes follow a different process to acid dyes and do not require heat to set them. They do not exhaust (leave the dye bath water clear) the same way that acid dyes do and although the dyes are colourfast and permanent, procion dyes can be more susceptible to bleeding colour, particularly with reds, blues, magentas and purples, similar to acid dyes. Again, this is completely normal and to be expected.

Similarly, with some skeins, a small amount of crocking can occur. This is where some of the dye colour comes off onto your hands when using the yarn and is usually caused by the PH of your skin.

In the same way as with my acid dyed yarn, I would recommend that you swatch before starting any project and hand wash your swatch in cool water (with a yarn safe wash if you wish, although this increases the risk of bleeding), limiting agitation as much as possible.. This allows you to check the colours for any bleeding, particularly if you are intending to put a dark or more vibrant colour next to a lighter colour. Again, a small amount of bleeding is no cause for alarm, but if your yarn appears to bleed and bleed and bleed, please do of course contact me!