We dyed roving in my spinning class at the local community college. All the roving was shoved in a quart mason jar with some water after soaking for 8 hours. The instructor then had us pour kool-aid powder or food coloring over the roving. I used mandarin orange and pink lemonade koolaid. Then my roving was BOILED in the microwave. Needless to say, my wool is no longer soft even after rinsing appropriately. I believe in simmering one's wool gently.