I wound off 5 - 20 grams hanks of yarn in preparation for the KoolAid dyeing. I used Kroy Socks 4-ply in the Muslin colourway and unsweetened KoolAid.
The first batch was Lemonade. I was so excited, I didn't get a shot of it with its packet. I did use 2 packets of KoolAid in hopes it would be a stronger colour. I nuked it for 2 minutes, rested for 2 minutes, and nuked it again for 2 more minutes.
Then I tried orange.
Although the water is milky, all the dye was taken up by the yarn.
The pink yarn is acrylic which I tied onto the hanks to make it easier to pull the yarn out. The white/light spots are where I had tied the hank with its yarn. It will show when knit but should blend somewhat nicely with the tonal yarn.
This was Ice Blue Raspberry flavour. I only had to nuke it for 2 minutes.
Lemon-Lime. The yarn really turns out the colour on the packet. Everything is food grade so regular kitchen utensils and bowls can be used. Cleanup was really easy.
Cherry.
I dried them overnight and wound them into balls today.
All ready to knit.
This would be a great way to dye yarn for a baby sweater or dyeing wool felt for an applique project. It would be fun to do with your children or grandchildren and then knit them something they want with the yarn. The dye is permanently set with the heat and the citric acid in the KoolAid so no fading over time.
You can do about the same with those little food bottles dyes found at the grocery store just add some vinegar as mordant, plus you can mix your own colours. It will work on any wool/protein fibers.
ReplyDelete