Spinners
everywhere have probably dyed with Kool Aid drink mix at some
time or another. The recipe is so easy and the ingredients
are safe for even children to use. It is also a very
attractive and consistent way to dye fibers. For those who
haven’t tried it yet, here is the
recipe:
2
packages of Kool Aid drink mix (no sugar)
½
cup white vinegar
2
½ quarts water
1
wet skein of yarn or wet raw wool, 4 – 6 oz
Mix
water, Kool Aid and vinegar completely in a large enamel dye
pot. (Do not use aluminum, it reacts with the vinegar and
will change the color outcome. Never re-use the enamel dye
pot for cooking meals, use it only for dyeing.) Heat all
together over medium heat on the stove
until simmering. Simmer until all color is gone from the
water, about
10 minutes. Cool and rinse your finished product.
Of
course, changes in color can be made by mixing colors of Kool Aid
and pastels are made using only ½ to 1 package per batch.
For larger skeins or more than 1 skein, or larger amounts of wool,
simply
double or triple the recipe.
Now
for that designer touch, let’s get creative! For a skein
with variegated colors, fit a wooden spoon over the top of the dye
pot. Suspend the wet skein over this spoon so that only a
portion of the skein is in the dye. The yarn may be left as
part natural and part dyed, or
cool and rinse the skein and mix a different color in the dye
pot. Now
suspend the skein so that the undyed portion is in the dye.
Another
idea is to dye sheep wool in Kool Aid and blend that with
natural colored angora, alpaca or llama. A very pretty
combination is pink or purple dyed wool with natural gray
fibers. Dark colors with white are very dramatic while
pastels with white are subtle.
Tie
dyeing works with skeins to variegate the colors as well.
Use scraps of cloth, plastic wrap or rubber bands to wrap the skein in
before putting in the dye pot. For more dramatic tie dyeing,
wrap before wetting the skein. For a two tone effect, pick
complimentary colors such as yellow and green. Drop the
wrapped skein in the green dye first. After it’s done, cool
and rinse the skein. Prepare a yellow dye, remove the
wrappings and dye the skein again.
I
hope you’ll try some of these ideas and have some fun with
dyeing. If you are timid at first, use some old scraps of
yarn or leftover ends
of skeins until you are confident to tackle a larger project.
Happy
dyeing!
Twin
Willows Farm
