Homestead Series How To Dye Wool Yarn With Kool-Aid

A new hobby of mine is dying yarn. You can easily dye wool with kool-aid or food coloring. In this video I'm using kool-aid.

Step 1. Put 1 to 2 inches of luke warm water in your crock pot and a "glug" of vinegar. Place your skein of yarn in the crock pot.
Step 2. Turn the crock on high and cover. Leave it until steam it starts steaming, try not to let it boil. That could cause it to felt.
Step 3. Place kool-aid into a heat proof container. I like measuring cups, they are easiest to pour from. Cover with about 1/2 a cup of boiling water. Stir to dissolve. Let the kool-aid cool until close in temperature to the yarn.
Step 4. Pour the coloring on top of the yarn in the pattern you like. They will mix a little were they touch. The more dye/liquid you have in the crock the more likely they are to mix together.
Step 5. Turn the crock down to low and cover. Leave it until the yarn has absorbed all the dye and the water is clear.
Step 6. Turn off the heat and let yarn cool completely.
Step 7. Remove yarn and rinse well, until the water rinses clear. Step 8. Drain and gently press out as much water in the sink as you can. Lay yarn on a towel, roll up and press out the rest of the water. Hang to dry.

This is a great site to check out to learn more about color mixing.
http://www.spindleandwheel.com/content/view/145/190/

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• dyeing
• wool
• yarn
• kool-aid
• koolaid
• knitting
• crochet
• handspun
• crafts
• frugal
• homestead
• series
• homesteadacres
• arts

[acidentprone]

Are you joking me??? That was the best idea I have seen, thank you. I do have a question about yarn...I mainly buy the Red Heart Yarn for my non-clothing projects...will this method work for that type of yarn also? Again, thank you so much.

[HomesteadAcres]

@acidentprone No kool aid and food coloring only work with wool. It might work with cotton but I haven't tried it. For acrylics you need a chemical dye.

[Michigansnowpony]

Hey, are you spinning your own wool now that you having to dye it? I dibbled in spinning years ago . . . I'd love to have time again to pick it back up.

[HomesteadAcres]

No, I don't have a spinning wheel. But it's on my to learn list! I'm hoping to get one as soon as I can...or get hubby to try making me one. :-) The yarn I was using is pattons classic wool

[Michigansnowpony]

Kim, Google Babe's Fiber Garden. These are inexpensive spinning wheels made out of PVC pipe and a wheelchair wheel! I have one and it works pretty darned well. (I bet your hubby could make one following this design too!) I took it to a beginner spinner class and the instructor was obviously skeptical about it until she sat down and tried it. By the end of the class, she was talking about buying a couple to have on hand for people to rent for her classes. I need to get back to it!

[HomesteadAcres]

Thanks! I actually just bought a wheel. :-) I got mine from heavenly handspinning. Its a home biz and their wheels get good reviews to. They are a wooden frame and the wheel looks like a bicycle wheel.

I can't wait for it to come!!

[BrendanBtch]

Your weird...

[430noelia]

Thank you for posting this! I just got several skeins of undyed wool and I can't wait to dye them now.

[sewfuntosew11]

what kind of items do you knit/crochet from this wool? Could you show us in a video?

[SpiritsisterEBR]

Beautiful!



[lenoralb]

I have been looking for a tutorial to dye felted yarn with kool aid for so long. I have all of this roving for a project and purchasing it already dyed was so expensive. This was a cool tutorial and much needed. Thanks :)

[32006june]

Im going to try this! I usually dye it in the microwave with plastic wrap but this looks sooo much easier!!

[cbiasca]

@acidentprone

koolaid only works on natural animal fibers, like wool, silk, human hair etc.. It doesnt work with synthetic yarn, or with plant based yarns

[cbiasca]

@kitsuneofthewoods

After you wash it, it just smells like wool nothing else.

[cbiasca]

How does the koolaid dye hold up? Does it come out after awhile or fade? Thanks for the video, it is very clear and easy to follow!!