Dyeing A Little

One of the goals we had for this years' education was to learn the yarn process, starting with raw wool and learning to spin, dye and create projects using techniques of knitting, crocheting, felting and weaving.  We figured that spring would be the perfect time to purchase a fleece and begin making this goal a reality.  While we wait for the fleece to arrive, we decided we could work on other aspects of the fiber process.

This week we experimented with dyeing.  We found some wool yarn being clearanced out at a local craft store and tried various techniques and dye sources, including Kool Aid, food coloring paste and Easter egg coloring pellets.  The three batches were all completed using dry wool.  Two batches used bare yarn wrapped into hanks and the third batch was done by adding two store-wound skeins to the dye bath.

This worked like magic and was nearly mess-free!  We started by adding a couple of tablespoons of vinegar to a pot containing several cups of boiling water.  Each person added a variety of colors to his batch:  Peter used red and orange dyes and Thomas used blue, green and red.  Each of the boys sprinkled cherry Kool Aid onto their hanks of wet yarn after they were in the bath, which made interesting patches of color.

Emma colored her two balls of yarn using purple and blue food coloring.  Because different elements of color absorb into the yarn at different rates (reds wick in first), the variegation of color included more pink-violet on the outside parts of the yarn and had more bluish-purple tones on the inside.  It is very pretty!

From reading and online research we have learned that wool yarn will felt if it is swished and squished too much.  When dyeing, washing or rinsing, we always added the yarn to the water and used a spoon to gently but completely submerge it.

After adding the yarn to the boiling dye bath, we turned the heat down to simmer, put the lid on, and allowed ten minutes for the color to infuse.  After ten to fifteen minutes, we turned off the heat and let the water and yarn cool.  Then we used tongs to help the yarn out of the pot and into a bath of lukewarm water with some dish soap in it.  We submerged the yarn and let it sit for a few minutes, then transferred the yarn into a couple of clear water baths.  The yarn air-dried outside overnight.

We learned that we do not particularly like the smell of wet wool!  The kids enjoyed the aroma of the Kool Aid dye, though.  Peter's vivid orange yarn was exactly his favorite color, but he remarked that it is scary to think what that food coloring might be doing to our insides.

When the colored yarn was dry, we wound it loosely into balls, appreciating the ways variations of color show up in the strands.  We can hardly wait to see how the newly colored yarn works up!  Each child has been searching the internet on a quest for simple crochet projects that will highlight the colors we created.