Designer Dyeing with Kool Aid
by Pegg
Thomas
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!
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