Message: I have a large looped cardigan made of bright pink wool. What is the best colour to use to dye it? I would like black but will it take? Also I got a bit confused whether I can use the acid dye to dye my cardigan in my frontloaded machine. It's a beautiful garment but I want to change the colour but not ruin the garment. Thank you for your time

I would not dye a wool cardigan in a washing machine. The agitation is likely to cause it to felt. Felt is wonderful when it's what you want, but I am certain that you do not want your beautiful pink cardigan to felt.

You can use acid dyes to dye your cardigan. Be very careful not to stir it too vigorously, nor to subject it to sudden changes in temperature, and to follow the instructions for your dye closely. You will need a very large non-aluminum cooking pot to use for a dyeing pot; it is not recommended that you reuse this pot for food preparation, if you use any dye other than certified food coloring. Lanaset dyes are the very best dyes for wool, but the Jet Black WashFast Acid dye is less expensive and also very good.

Since dye is transparent, you can produce only those colors that include the bright pink in their make up. You can choose to dye it to a deep dark black, or a medium to dark purple, or a bright orange or red, or some browns. You cannot dye it any lighter color, and you cannot dye it green, yellow, or blue. Keep in mind that when you want to dye anything black, it's best to use two to four times as much dye powder as you would use for any lighter color. Examine your recipe before ordering your dye, and weigh your cardigan while it is dry, to be sure that you are ordering a large enough quantity of dye.

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