Easter is on it's way and look what I've found......Easter egg dyes!!! (this post will explain my excitement) Am I gonna dye eggs? NOPE, I'm gonna dye YARN!
The very first article I read about dyeing yarn was from Simply Notable. It seemed do-able. Even for a beginner. At the time I read the article, though, there were no Easter egg dyes around. So, I did a little experimenting with Kool-Aid and food colors. I've had some good success too, but , sometimes the mixing doesn't always yield the color you were shooting for.
Easter eggs always have such pretty, intense colors.....I'm hoping that will carry over for the yarn.
To get started, I'm going to follow this self-striping yarn tutorial from the yarn winding (I only did 6 wraps instead of ten) right up to where they were put in Ziplock bags. That's where I'm going in a different direction. Why? Because I know me. I'm afraid that step is just an invitation for disaster for me and my kitchen. I can picture it all now. Dye everywhere. On the floor, in the microwave, on the counters. I'm just telling you what would happen for me......I'm sure anyone else would be fine.
Instead, I'm going to use my handy-dandy Crockpot and three wide-mouth Mason jars.
I put a little water in the bottom of the Crockpot (about an inch). I mixed the dyes right in the Mason jars. I just used the instructions 1/2cup of water and 3 Tbsp. vinegar. Put the pre-soaked yarn sections into the dye. The connecting yarns run from one jar to the next. I just kept moving these into the dyes during the cooking process. Sort of back and forth until MOST of the white was covered.
Turn on the Crockpot. Set on Low setting and let it cook for an hour or two or until the dye is soaked up into the yarn. Then rinse (I rinsed right in each Mason jar with a little more vinegar for insurance) and hang to dry.
The sections before they dried.
Pretty....don't you think?
Love it! I never had the courage to dye yarn but maybe I can try this. thanks. www.stonehouseworkshop.com
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