So I tried the KoolAid dyeing this morning, with much trepidation, on my newly frogged (recycled) yarn angora/wool/nylon blend from this sweater:
If you can tell it's terribly fuzzy but it's oh so soft! It's also got a tan strand and a white strand that runs all the way through the yarn, which I was hoping would make for an interesting colour variation. So here's what I started with:
So I did my reserach on Ravelry with the help of some very knowledgeable women, then got to work. At first I poured both packets of Orange koolaid in to the bowl, decided that was way too much, dumped out 2/3 of the bowl and added more water, THEN dunked in the yarn. This was my first result:
Soooo... I was thinking that the Nylon probably wouldn't absorb as much of it, right? And well maybe by only doing 4 rounds of 2 minutes in the microwave it won't soak in quite so much. Ummm... not so much. Traffic Cone Orange wasn't my goal. So I decided I would try to put the red over the top to make it more... oh I dunno... reddy-orange like a fall colour. Here's my second result:
Better, right? But still NEON. I guess I"ll have to find some green dye if I want to muddy it up some? Or you know... just knit it as my swatch piece for gauge and be DONE with it. LOL Oh, and I totally didn't use gloves either! Hehehe! I'm typing this post with some very red finger tips!
So now I'm at an impasse. Do I use more of this soft cuddly yarn to keep experimenting with? Or do I just knit it up in it's boring white/tan colour way? I'm thinking it's bulky enough and that I'll have enough of it (about 600 yards?) that I can knit something pretty nice.
I would really appreciate any feed back from the more experienced dyers! What the heck did I do wrong and how do I do it right next time? LOL
I don't think it's a fail! A lot of people like bright colors like that. You are right, though, muted color would be gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteHm. I'm not really sure how you could make it darker, so I can't help you there. A little bit of green (or perhaps blue maybe?) might make it darker, but don't take my word for it. Good luck with dying the reat of it, and I hope that whatever you make from it turns out good, weather you dye it or not.
ReplyDeleteYour blog is so interesting. I'll be following! Thanks for visiting and following mine
ReplyDeleteCame over from sknitter, really like the blog. I tried dyeing w/ Kool-aid, looked just that vivid, big neon blue and yellow splotches. I just ended up using it as scrap yarn, but I still like it! http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEfall02/FEATdyedwool.html This article has a great picture of which "flavors" equal which color.
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting on my blog post about my first attempt at Kool Aid dyeing (http://homeinnd.blogspot.com/). I would say keep trying the dyeing thing. My next attempt is going to be dyeing some yarn using the Jacquard Acid Dyes I just got from KnitPicks. I'm also going to try some overdyeing of some of my stash yarn the color of which I'm not so enamored. Great blog - I'll be following you!
ReplyDeleteEvery journey starts from the first step. The thrill of crafts is that there is always a chance to redo things or use yarns for something else. The world need colours, also those we might not like that much.
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