No stopping the woman...
... aka a Kool Aid dyeing photo story…
Take yarn (or fibre, I did both). Soak yarn/fibre (just water is fine – no need to add acid when using Kool Aid). Mix Kool Aid* (and because it’s made to be a drink, not a dye, take a sip – see, no need for any more acid!). Lay yarn/fibre on a sheet of clingfilm. Apply dye to yarn/fibre (I just poured it on). Wrap yarn/fibre in clingfilm and squdge about a bit to make sure the dye has penetrated well. Put in microwaveable bowl and zap on full power for about 2 min. Repeat until water is clear (I did this 3 times for each of the yarn and the fibre – I may have been a bit over the top.) Tip into bowl of hot water (make sure it’s close to the temp of the yarn/fibre to avoid shocking and felting). Give it a good (but gentle) rinse, then remove and (for yarn) hang to dry or (for fibre) lay out to dry. (Be careful handling wet fibre as it wants to fall apart… )
Wait very impatiently for fibre to dry so you can spin it up and compare the results with the dyed yarn.
For a much more thorough tutorial see here.
(For the record I used pink lemonade, grape and lemon/lime.)
*Don’t add sugar!
four comments:
Fab! I think they were the exact colours I used for my first kool-aid experiment
Yours came out darker so I guess I must have diluted with more water.What do you have planned to make with them?
Diane () (link) - 09 July '07 - 14:34
We used to also use Easter egg dye (the kind that requires vinegar) and Wilton’s colors for cake icing. Fun – but I have to say I’m happier with the acid dyes I’m using now.Chris () (link) - 09 July '07 - 14:45
What desirable colours. Did it dye your toungue, too?rosie () (link) - 09 July '07 - 19:34
SO what is it like to drink then?Daisy () (link) - 13 July '07 - 19:54
