21 June 2005

Dyeing for Summer

During my parents' visit last week, my Mom and I made our first attempt at Kool-Aid dyeing yarn. The yarn was Knit Picks' natural Wool of the Andes, a steal at $2.99 per 100 gram hank. We used two methods to dye. One hank we painted in three colors and then microwaved. The other three hanks were each put in a gallon size baggie with some water, 3 packets of Kool-Aid, and a glug of vinegar. We then set the baggies outside in the hot sun for several hours.

Were were quite pleased with the results. Now I just have to decide what to do with it!

3 comments:

Knatolee said...

Hey! I Kool-aid dye wool fabric for my rug hooking. It's a lot of fun, isn't it? I must say, I did end up with one project that smelled quite fruity. :)

Phyllis said...

I was meaning to ask you what you used to dye. I was really pleased with the results, and I guess there are worse things to smell like than Grape Kool-Aid. :-)I like that it doesn't use any nasty chemicals. Next week Allison and I will be dyeing some yarn together; she's already picked out the colors.

Knatolee said...

I use these Majic Carpet dyes, which are allegedly non-toxic (although I proceed with caution!)

I've been meaning to do more dyeing with natural things (like onion skins, etc) but haven't gotten around to it yet.

The Kool-aid colours were a lot of fun. ENjoy your wool!