Mmm

Cotton Candy...

Bubblegum...

Watermelon Cherry & Berry Blue

Just a few delicious sounding things that come to mind when I look at my newest yarn. 

Yummy!

My first dye project, it was super fun. I wanted the colors to turn out bold and for the yarn to be completely saturated. The berry blue took the color really well, no white spots just light and dark areas, I'm knitting it up into a baby hat for my cousins newest addition and I love it so much. The yarn is softer than I had expected so that is a bonus, and the way the color turned out, I just can't say I love it enough. The pink has white spotting which initially I didn't want, but after I saw how it turned out it just screams baby girl, and I adore it. So for once I'm glad something didn't turn out how I wanted!

How I Did It

First I picked my base yarn. I didn't want to go with anything too spendy with it being my first dye job, I figured it could turn out hideous and who wants to waste beautiful expensive yarn? Not me! So I just went down to Jo-Ann Fabrics and bought some Patons Classic Wool they had on sale. You will want to use a natural fiber or else the dye won't take. My yarn of preference is wool anyways. 

While you are out you might also want to pick up your kool-aid, there are tons of flavors/colors to choose from. I wanted a blue and a pink because I'll be using this yarn to create baby items for friends and family. I used Berry Blue for my blue and Watermelon Cherry for my pink.  

  You can make your yarn into a skein for easiest dying (wrap around a chair or free set of hands, hold your big loop of yarn at both ends and twist until it twists up on itself and just tuck one end into the other) I just left it how it comes but I can easily see how that makes it harder for the dye to penetrate all the yarn evenly. That's how I got my light & dark, and my white spots, which I wasn't going for but ended up loving the effect. Wash out your yarn, you can use a little soap just make sure you rinse completely. I didn't use soap I just rinsed it out a whole lot! Prepare you dye. I used two packets of each color (for darker colors use more), 1/4 cup vinegar (the acidity helps the dye take) and enough water to cover the yarn. Put your pot of dye & yarn on the stove and heat to just boiling, cover and let sit for 30-45 minutes stirring occasionally (be sure to get both sides of your skein unless you want white spots!). When you check on your yarn if the water is clear the yarn has absorbed all of the dye, if you water is still colored you can reheat and try again. Once your water is clear let it cool off and rinse your yarn with water the same temperature as the yarn to avoid shrinkage. Rinse until the water runs clear. Lay out to dry. Once dry ball or cake your yarn and enjoy your new fruity colors! Colors can fade over time & washes but won't rub off as long as you rinsed correctly.