Fiber Friday - To Dye For
July 31, 2009 | By
Of all the ways that fiber crafts can be considered ‘open source’ crafting, dying your own yarn or fiber is one of the ways to gain the greatest creative control over your projects.
There are lots of ways to start out but the easiest and least expensive ways to become a home dyer all use things you can find at your local market. There are several things to consider before you begin dying.
Fibres
First you’ll need to find yarn that is suitable for dying. Natural fibers take dye the best and in my experience wools take most dyes very well and evenly. Synthetic fibers like rayon or acrylic are harder to dye with the sorts of dyes you can get at a grocery store or market.
You can start with a yarn that is white or off white in color or if you’ve got something in your stash in a light color that you’re not fond of you can ‘over dye’ it a darker color. Starting with a white or off white yarn is best for controlling the outcome of the color, as over dying sometimes produces unexpected results.
A great source for undyed yarns at relatively inexpensive prices is Knit Picks or you can visit your local yarn shop and find a yarn you like in a light color. I like the cream shade in Cascade 220 yarn because it’s inexpensive and good quality wool. It’s great for hats, mittens or even sweaters. 
Dyes
To acquire your dyes you have a few choices; Kool-Aid or other powdered drink mixes work very well and require very little extra work. All you need is a little white vinegar or powdered citric acid and a packet of the powdered drink mix and viola, you have a dye bath! You can also use natural items like beets, berries, spices and coffee or tea. Hint It’s a good idea to soak your wool before you dye in a bath of tepid water and either vinegar, or powdered citric acid.
The Fun Part
Pat your hank with some towels to remove excess water, and then apply your dye bath. You can do this is a few ways; but I like to dip dye my hanks in sections for maximum saturation. Once your dye is applied you’ll want to heat set your yarn so that the dye fixes to the fiber and doesn’t bleed or run once the fiber is washed.
There are dozens of ways to mix dyes, apply dyes, heat set your yarn and then of course the possibilities once the yarn is dyed are endless! This is just a brief explanation of how you could go about getting started home dying your own yarn. With just a little research, a trip to the grocery store and some time you could be exploring the possibilities in no time!
(Hand Dyed yarn "Summer Fiesta" image courtesy of Teresa Levite Studios.)
Check out our Fiber Friday Going for a Spin Part 1 and Part 2
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