Get Noticed: Try Dyeing Yarn of Your Own
If you've never tried dyeing yarn, it might be just the thing to flex your creative muscles.
In this day and age, we're not used to the idea of dyeing yarn. After all, with so many beautiful colors available in the stores, why would we ever want to dye our own yarn? Well, with so many beautiful sweaters, why would we want to knit one? Exactly: for the pure enjoyment of creating something beautiful. Besides, dyeing yarn is just plain fun. Of course, anytime you can use kool-aid for a craft project is fun in my book.
Getting Started
Only animal fibers will work in this project: don't even try it with acrylic yarn. Begin by wrapping the yarn around the back of a chair to make a large loop. Tie the loop shut on both ends by tying a loose piece of yarn around. Now soak the loop in a mixture of very hot water and about half a cup of vinegar for thirty minutes.
Doing the Dye Thing
Wring it out as well as you can and put the damp yarn in a microwaveable casserole dish. Mix any color of kool-aid with 6 oz fairly warm water and 2 oz white vinegar. Carefully spread the kool-aid mixture over the yarn, doing your best to make sure you color everything evenly. If you don't mind getting your hands dirty (and if you're hand dyeing yarn, you probably don't), you can flip the loop over once or twice.
Now this step seems like magic, but it isn't, I swear. Cover the casserole dish with plastic wrap and poke some holes in it. Then microwave the whole thing on high for two minute chunks. Every two minutes, check on its progress. Within about ten minutes, the water at the bottom of the bowl will turn clear, all on its own.
That means it's done. Dump the whole thing into the sink (it will be hot) and let it cool down for a while. Once it's had a chance to stop simmering, pour warm water over it and rinse it out until it's cool enough to handle. Squeeze the water out, roll it up in an old towel and wring it carefully, and then hang it to dry.
Kool-Aid Rocks
Remember how bright those kool-aid colors seemed when you were a kid? They were half the appeal of the drink (I guess the sugar was the other half). Well, now you can knit a sweater in your very favorite shades of kool-aid, all by dyeing yarn!
