Name: karen
Message: I knitted a hand dyed yarn scarf (Yarn by Magic Ball "be sweet" baby mohair) - and it bled on my clothing.  Any suggestions for color fasting the scarf?

See "Is there any way to "set" dye in purchased clothing or fabric? ", from the FAQ section of my site.

Hand dyed should not mean incompetently dyed. People who sell hand-dyed yarn that have not been properly fixed give a bad name to all dyers. Unless the item had a label indicating that the dye would come off, the maker is legally required to maker good on this. Is there any possibility that you can return it to the dyer, for refund or replacement with a properly fixed yarn? No, of course not, because you do not want to lose the scarf you spent so much time knitting.

Being unable (or unwilling) to return the item is a major problem, because you do not know what dye was used or how the dye was fixed. What care instructions were included with the yarn? Did it say to have wash in cool water, or to dry clean only, or what? Any reasonably professional hand-dyer will include these instructions with the yarn. If the yarn was dyed properly, and just did not have excess dye removed, then repeated washings will solve the problem. (If the yarn was dyed improperly, this might leave you with an undyed scarf.)

You should contact the company that markets this yarn, even if you are unwilling to return it. They have a web site at http://www.besweetproducts.com/ . They need to know that they are selling inferior products; their hand dyers can and should be supplying a better product. Perhaps they will have advice for how to fix their yarn.

Mohair is usually dyed with acid dyes. If the scarf was dyed with acid dyes but was not fixed properly, it might help to heat it in a cooking pot in the presence of an acid, such as vinegar. (Note that this will never work with cotton, but may work with animal fibers such as mohair.) However, you should never use a cooking pot that is intended for food use, because the dye is probably not safe to eat, and tiny amounts of stains might persist to contaminate future uses of the pot. So, not a very good idea, unless you are yourself a dyer and find it useful to invest in a stainless steel or enamel dye pot. Also, there is no guarantee that the dyer did not use a different dye type, in which case this would not help.

The best suggestion I have for you is to mail-order a commercial dye fixative. Cationic dye fixatives such as Retayne, Raycafix, or Dharma Dye Fixative will fix most dyes, though they do not work on vat dyes such as indigo, nor on basic dyes. You will have to mail-order your Retayne or other brand of this product; most dye retailers online will sell it, see my page of dye suppliers around the world. These commercial dye fixative products are very useful for fixing the dye in almost any commercial garment that is not washfast, so it is good to have some on hand. Retayne is supposed to be added in hot water, which you may wish to avoid, but Dharma Dye Fixative is supposed to be added to a cold water rinse, which is less worrisome for your mohair. Of course, Dharma Dye Fixative is sold only by Dharma Trading Company, but other dye suppliers may have their own brand names of the same product. 

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