Thursday, July 1, 2010

Dyeing yarn

I recently have been attempting to dye cotton yarn with kool-aid and gel food coloring. First attempt was awful. My color washed out. Right now my second attempt is in the works. Sometime this weekend I am going to get a tie-dye kit. I do plan to purchase real dyes but I want to practice on inexpensive products first.

I even thought about dyeing wools. I can wear gloves and mask if the fibers irritate me skin. I think it would be okay.

On Ravelry I have gotten myself set up as a designer. Hopefully I will soon get all of that figured out. Right now I am working on some Blythe doll patterns to publish- the Shark Hat is one and the other a Bulb Skirt. My friend told me that they are also called Tulip Skirts. I will post the patterns here and on Ravelry.

3 comments:

Sarah said...

The secret is that cotton is a plant-based fiber, and that kind of dye + citric acid (or vinegar) method only works on protein-based fibers, like wool and silk (though nylon in blends works too). I wanted to dye up some cotton last fall and then found out I'd have to get RIT dye or some other fancy dye set, and decided it was better for me to stick with wool!

Pandora said...

Hmm, interesting. I have found a few places that have suggestions on how to dye cotton. I am pretty sure that you are right about the vinegar. It is not working at all. I did find a company that sells quite a few plant fiber dyes, Dharma Trading Company. I am going to try those dyes soon.

Anonymous said...

How cool! Looking forward to seeing your patterns. Good luck with the dying. I have tried some kool-aid but it was on wool.