It seems that we have been remiss for talking about "prepared skeins" for dyeing and not mentioning how you get those. Preparing skeins for dyeing is very simple; all you need is some cotton string for making ties and a bucket of soapy water.
First, untwist your skein and place string ties every third of the way around the skein. We do this by weaving a figure eight through the skein. This keeps the skein from becoming tangled in the dye pot.
Second, undo the hitches on the skein and tie the two skien ends together. This keeps there from being a tight spot on the skein where the dye cannot properly penetrate and it keeps you from losing your ends during the dyeing. You can undo the skien ends and retie the hitches after you are done dyeing.
Third, wash the skeins in warm water with mild soap to remove any residual dirt and carding oil, then rinse them until all the soap is removed. This will allow you to obtain a more even and colourfast colour with your dyeing.
You are now ready to mordant or direct dye your skeins!