Day one concluded with hanks of yarns washed, mordanted and dyed. The hanks were left to dry overnight and in the morning they were ready to be washed. Many participants were anxious and concerned when we described the washing process - wash and wash again until there is no colour in the water. When the wool is washed this way the colour remaining on the yarn should be washfast. The group had some experience with synthetic dyes which were less than satisfying. Often the result of a thorough wash was a pale, faded, dimly coloured yarn.


Water conservation is important, especially in Morocco. The recommended system is a series of pails. Instead of repeatedly emptying and refilling pails, they are set in a line. The first contains the initial wash and has the most unused colourant. The hanks are then transfered from pail to pail with the last being the cleanest. The pails are not emptied until all the yarns have been washed.




The yarns are now ready for the second step - overdyeing. It doesn't take long before the colours multiply and the initial set of tones becomes a rich, varied, and beautiful palette.



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