MVKG Dyeing Yarn/Roving Workshop

This is the Power Point Presentation that accompanies my Miami Valley Knitting Guild workshop on Dyeing Yarn/Roving with Kool Aid & Wilton's food coloring that I presented last night.  

This will be posted in at least two blog entries to fit all the slides in.

Enjoy!

Dyeing Yarn/Roving with 

Kool Aid & Wilton's food colorings

by Kathryn Beck

TOOLS:

•Undyed yarn or roving

•Kool Aid packets (at least 2 per color) and/or Wilton’s food coloring (gel or liquid is fine)

•Apron, plastic gloves

•Plastic wrap, plastic tarp, jars or cups to put dye mix in (one for each color)

•Syringes, sponge brushes, squirt bottles

•Vinegar, dish soap (I use PLANET unscented), glass bowl, oven mitts, thermometer, small hand mixer

•Heat source:  Microwave, steamer pot, crockpot, oven

Important Notes Before Starting:

•Presoak your yarn/roving!  At least 30 min prior.

•Be gentle with yarn/roving that is not superwash!  You want to rinse, wring out, and wash gently so as not to felt your wool.

•The items used for dyeing should NOT be used for food items in the future.  Keep your dyeing equipment separate from your food items.

•Put out plastic sheeting on your workspace to protect from coloration. 

•Make sure to wear your gloves.

•Work in a well ventilated area.  Open a window, or wear a face mask.  Definitely more important if you move on to other dye methods.

Crockpot Method:

•After soaking, place the yarn/roving into the crockpot. 

•Cover with water.  About an inch above your yarn/roving.

•Turn heat to HIGH. (My crockpot only has 2 settings, LOW & HIGH)

•You can add dye at any time, before it heats up, or after it has heated for a little while. 

•Add color, one, two, three, four…whatever you want to do!  Remember, colors will blend a bit, so use complimentary colors.  You can pre-mix the colors then add, or you can just dump colors in.  Experiment!  Be sure to turn yarn as you work so you don't have white spots (unless you want white spots).  

•Cook until water is CLEAR.  Then let cool.  

•Rinse and wash yarn/roving.  Gentle wring out water by hand, in a towel, in a washing machine (spin cycle) or in a salad spinner.

•Hang to dry

Microwave Method:

•Using plastic wrap, put two pieces out on your workstation, one slightly overlapping the other. 

•Get your dyes mixed together.  At least 2 packets per color.  Add water and a glug of vinegar

•Decide how you want to dye:

–Hand paint with sponge brushes

–Syringe spray

–Squirt bottle

–Or put into the jars

•Once you finish adding color, wrap it up using the plastic wrap underneath, CAREFULLY, and roll it up into a jelly roll and place in a bowl or lay on a microwaveable safe dish.

•Microwave for 2 min on, and let it rest for 2 min until color exhausts.  Depending on the intensity of your microwave, this could be very fast, or take 12-15 min of cook time.  My microwave is older, so takes longer to set colors.  

•Let cool, rinse, wash, gentle press out water, and hang to dry.

Steamer pot method:

•Same process as microwave dyeing, except instead of putting into the microwave to cook, you place it into a steamer pot.

•Turn heat to Med High on stove, and let it steam.  You can use a thermometer to check the temperature.  You want 180-200 degrees for at least 20 minutes. 

•Let cool, unwrap, rinse, wash, gently press out water, and hang to dry.

Other Methods:

•Solar dyeing

•Oven dyeing

•Using other food colorings (McCormick’s) and even Easter egg dyes

**Presentation continues in next blog post....