My favorite sweater's doppelganger

This is an Irish wool sweater that I recently found at the Goodwill.

For $6 I couldn't leave it behind. But then I felt a little foolish for buying it, considering that it is virtually identical to a sweater I already own.

Favorite sweater or no, who really needs two ivory-colored Irish fisherman cardigans, right?



Then I remembered that I keep wishing I had another fisherman cardigan, except charcoal-gray instead of ivory.

So...has anyone reading this ever successfully dyed a wool sweater? (I have to replace the buttons anyway since several are missing, so might as well, no?)

My very cursory research suggests that I need an acid dye (and vinegar), I should do this in a pot on the stove (not in the washing machine), and I should raise and lower the temperature of the dye bath gradually in order to avoid shrinking the sweater.



(Speaking of not shrinking sweaters, psst, Victoria, I washed this as we discussed--cold water, Woolite, handwash cycle in my front loader, lay flat to dry--and it turned out fine.)

Anyone have any other tips? Or a lead on someplace that does this professionally for a not-too-exorbitant fee?