Dying question...

[funfunkyfantastic]

I'm new to working with wool... in fact... this is the first time i've ever used wool. I just crocheted a newborn sized wool wrap and I'm wondering: Should I dye it and then felt it? Or Should I felt it and then dye it? I haven't a clue. Does it make any difference? Oh, and any tips on dying would be great too. It's all a great big experiment for me. lol. Plus, do I have to lanolize the wool before I use it for the first time? I'm just so new... I feel silly asking.

[flapjack]

Well, you don't have to felt it (depending on the pattern you followed.) I personally would dye then felt, because it minimises the risk of it shrinking further when dyeing.
And yes, you need to lanolise. Or at least, you should...

[UnassistedMomma]

This is right up my alley! I do spinning and custom dyes for my home business.

If it were me, I would dye it FIRST and then felt b/c once it's felted the fabric is very dense and it will be harder for the dye to thoroughly soak through.

I don't know what to recommend for dyes, as I buy large containers of professional acid dyes, but when I've needed small quantities of a color I knew I wouldn't use much of I've been able to find good ones on eBay. You might try there.

"Acid" dye is not as dangerous as it sounds btw. Usually the acid referenced is vinegar or citric acid.

[iowaorganic]

You could use koolaid or food coloring (I add in vinegar just to be sure) to dye your soaker. Youcan do a thread search for lanolinizing.

[cristeen]

I dye everything with food coloring. Add a little vinegar and heat, and it works nicely.

[Think of Winter]

Just for an alternate pov, if you're sure you want to felt it (I can't really imagine prefering felted wool to unfelted for a soaker), then I might felt it first so that the felting proces doesn't remove your dye.

Felting requires heat and agitation. As long as you don't agitate your soaker while you dye it (gentle squising should be ok, especially if it's already felted), you won't felt it more.

[eepster]

You could felt it while you dye it. Seriously, You have to be careful while dying to not accidentally felt things. So, if you just relax and don't wait for the dye bath to cool before rinsing in cold water, and you wash it vigorously with soap, and you stir it while in the dye bath it will probably come out felted anyway.