Message: Could you very kindly advise me if I am able to dye a 50% angora 50% acrylic blend hat. It's dark brown and I'd like it to be black. What could I use on it? With very many thanks!

No. It's pretty easy to dye angora, or any other animal fiber, using acid dyes, but it's difficult and unpleasant to dye acrylic. If you try, say, an all-purpose dye, the angora fibers will change color, but the acrylic fibers will wash out to be their original color.

There are two types of dye that can be used to color acrylic. One is Basic Dye, also known as cationic dye. In Australia, where you're located, hand dyers can mail-order this type of dye from Batik Oetoro, under the brand name Sandocryl. See my page on Dyeing Acrylic with Basic Dye.

The other type of dye that works on acrylic is less toxic; the the same Disperse Dye that can be used on polyester. Unfortunately, it will not produce dark shades on acrylic, so you can't use it to dye acrylic black. See my page on Dyeing Polyester with Disperse Dyes; scroll down to find a link for ProChem's instructions (and caveats) for using disperse dye to immersion dye acrylic.

Both basic dyes and disperse dyes involve extensive boiling, a treatment which may damage the angora fiber in your hat. I can't recommend either of them for your situation.

If you would like a sort of heathered effect, with black angora fibers and brown acrylic fibers, then I recommend that you look into dyes for angora. Two good sources in Australia for high quality dyes are Kraftkolour and Batik Oetoro; both will sell by mail-order if you are not in their areas. Look at my page of Sources for Dyeing Supplies Around the World, and scroll down to the section on Australia and New Zealand.

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