Name: Mary
Message: What would you recommend to dye cream colored 50% wool 50% cotton yarn? I am interested in trying to make it multicolored but it appears that I can't use the same dye for both fibers, since the wool needs an acidic solution and the cotton needs a base solution.

This is the problem all-purpose dye was created to solve. All-purpose dye is a mixture of two types of dye, acid dye which will work on wool, and direct dye which will work adequately on cotton. You should simmer your yarn in the dyebath for an hour with plenty of salt, about half as much as the weight of the yarn. Be careful to raise and lower temperature slowly, and avoid agitation, so as to avoid felting the wool. Add vinegar to the dyebath, about 100 ml (3/8 cup) per four liters (1 gallon), to help the acid dye bond to the wool.

Direct dye is not very washfast, so you may wish to do an after-treatment with a commercial fixative product such as Retayne®, Dharma® Dye Fixative, or Aljo Pro-fix PCD®. Use this treatment only after you are sure that you are finished with dyeing, and will not want to re-dye the yarn, because the fixative that makes direct dye (or all-purpose dye) more permanent on cotton will also prevent additional dye from reaching the fiber.