Where in Saskatchewan Canada can I find the Lanaset Jet Black B dye? I bought a gorgeous wool/cashmere ivory coat and would rather dye it than have it dry cleaned.

Name: Wendy

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Message: I've never dyed anything before. Where in Saskatchewan Canada can I find the Lanaset Jet Black B dye? I bought a gorgeous wool/cashmere ivory coat and would rather dye it than have it dry cleaned. Thanks so much for your reply. I couldn't find this answer in the FAQ.

It's very difficult to find a source for this dye locally, so, like most serious dyers everywhere, you would need to order your dye online or by telephone. You can order Lanaset dyes from Maiwa Handprints in British Columbia, under the brand name of Telana. They are the exact same dyes, made by the same manufacturers; only the name is different. (Here is a link to the Telana dyes on the Maiwa web site.) This is an excellent dye for both wool and cashmere.

However, I can't recommend you try to dye your beautiful coat. Dyeing a wool coat is fraught with difficulties, especially if the coat is stained, since stains are difficult to cover using dye. It is essential to clean any garment thoroughly before dyeing it, as otherwise both visible and invisible stains will prevent the dye from reaching the fabric evenly, resulting in severe blotchiness.

Shrinkage is an serious issue; even if the coat is still large enough to fit you after you dye it, the wool/cashmere outer layer is very likely to shrink more than the lining of the coat, which will ruin the shape of the garment, especially in the shoulders. It is much better to dye wool before using it to construct a garment, so that any shrinkage presents fewer difficulties.

Another important issue is the expense of buying a sufficiently large non-aluminum dyeing pot, one which you do not plan to ever use for cooking food. Because wool requires considerable heat for dyeing, you cannot use a plastic bucket. You would need to buy a stainless-steel or enamelware cooking pot to do your dyeing in that is large enough for the coat to move around freely while submerged in the dye mixture; this pot would probably have to be five or ten gallons in size. A smaller pot will result in an uneven "tie dyed" effect, which can be nice but does not sound like what you are looking for.

I recommend this kind of project only for those who are already experienced in dyeing wool, and even then only in cases in which you are willing to take the risk of destroying the coat. It would be far better for you to start your dyeing experiences with either dyeing wool yarn, before knitting it into a garment, or dyeing cotton clothing. Your chances of success with those projects will be much higher.

Here's a link to another blog entry on my site about the difficulties of dyeing a wool coat: "How can I dye a washable bright yellow lined wool peacoat?".

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Posted: Wednesday - January 16, 2013 at 09:19 AM

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Where in Saskatchewan Canada can I find the Lanaset Jet Black B dye? I bought a gorgeous wool/cashmere ivory coat and would rather dye it than have it dry cleaned.

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