Besides choosing the types of dyes to use, I also needed to chose my technique for adding heat to the yarn. This decision was based upon two factors: the kind of yarn I like and my dyeing set up.
Looking at the yarn that I have in my stash and what I'm most attracted to, I see a lot of semi-solids and tonal colors. Although variegated yarn looks beautiful in a skein, sometimes it can be a challenge to find a pattern that works well with it. And the types of projects that I knit and design usually use elements of lace or cables, which doesn't work extremely well with variegated yarn. So to get the tonal quality, immersion dyeing seemed to be the best option.
With immersion dyeing, I heat up a pot of water, add acid and dye, and add yarn. I let it "cook" for a while (until the water is clear, which means the yarn has taken up all the color and the dye bath is "exhausted"). Then I let it cool, rinse it, and dry it. I thought about using big stock pots on my stove top, but I have a three-year-old boy plus three cats, so leaving something on the stove with an open flame for an hour seemed like a bad idea. So I decided to use crock pots for dyeing. It works really well for my space and the rest of the occupants in my house.
I can still make variegated colorways, but they are a little more time intensive than other options (hand painting and steaming). But for now, immersion dyeing is working well, and I enjoy seeing the tonal qualities of the colors on the yarn.
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