Yarn Dyeing

A while ago, I thought I'd try dyeing yarn . I checked out a few blogs and pins on Pinterest. A Polish Granddaughter  is a good one. She shows how to dye yarn with marigold petals. Also, I like Repeat Crafter Me, where she shows how to dye yarn with Kool Aid. I tried using petals and herbs and that didn't work so well. I had some nice 100%wool yarn in a light cream colour and I wanted to dye it green. I tried all sorts of stuff. Basil, spinach, and a bunch of other green stuff growing in my garden. Nothing worked. Then I tried to dye it blue or purple with blue berries. That didn't work either. My yarn turned a dirty sort of gray. Finally, I gave up on the natural stuff and tried the tough chemicals...Kool Aid, of course!

Eww. So gross. I don't know how people drink that stuff. I might have had a glass or two as a child and  I hated it. But I love it now!!  As a dye. : ) It worked great. Even on my already grayish yarn, it made a nice purple. And it's super cheap at the corner store close to my house. 

 Here is my grayish yarn being dyed purple. I used 3-4 small packets in Grape flavour. It's really neat how after 30 minutes the water looks just like regular water, but all the colour had soaked into the yarn. 

This is the purple, still wet and cooling off.

This is what it looks like dry. It's actually a lot more purple in real life. For some reason my camera made it look a bit navy. I'm not sure what to make with it. I just thought I'd try a swatch to see how it looks. I really like the different shades of purple here and there. 

Here is a brand new bunch of 100% wool yarn in a light cream shade. I think I used 4 packets of Cherry and 1 Orange. 

This is what it looks like out of the water, but still wet. Kind of looks like ground beef. Eww. I got a little impatient and added some cool water to help it cool faster. Bad idea. The quick change of temperature to my hot yarn, made it felt itself a bit. That's ok. I'll still use it, but I've learned my lesson.

And here is what it looks like dry. I think next time I'll put in more packets. I think my camera made it look a little lighter than it really is. I like this colour but I was hoping for something darker.

I had lots of fun doing this and can't wait to do it again. Hmmm what colour should I try?