How do you dye yarn? Any tips/info etc.? :) Thanks!

[shore--alpaca]

How do you dye yarn? :) I bought a few skeins of this tussah silk yarn in "natural" (thinking I'd dye it) and of course! lol (I don't know how! lol).

Can I use kool aid to dye silk???? Is kool aid really an effective dye? (can yo
u use food coloring as a sub. for kool - aid????)

Also...... How do you get pretty/ multi hues like yarn in the pic???? Any tips for that???? Thanks! :)

Any tips etc. from experience yarn dyers APPRECIATED! :)

[mintdee]

First of all Hi!! :)

Kool aid dying works beautifully for wool yarn but unfortunatly you have to you acid dyes for silk. It is beautiful when finished but a little more involved. As for the color changes you can "paint" your yarn by dipping it or pouring the dye on the yarn
http://www.yarndreams.com/dye.html Good link for Kool-aid dyeing

http://www.gfwsheep.com/rov.inst/rov.inst.html great pics on dyeing, she is dyeing roving but it is the same principals as yarn

http://www.peak.org/~spark/dyeingfelt.html Great resource

Good luck and have fun!

Edited: because I can't tell the difference between IMG and URL :doh:

[Julie]

I've actually had success using Wilton dyes on silk -- you do have to soak it in vinegar water first, and for a long time -- silk takes a long time to get thoroughly wet, and if it's not completely wet it won't take the dye evenly. The colors are so beautiful and vibrant! :D

[photogirl72]

http://www.neauveau.com/dyeingyarn.html

This is a really basic simple tutorial with good pix. She dyes wool, and she even tells how to over dye if you end up not liking your end result.

[kemp]

I think this is one of the best resources for dying (http://www.pburch.net/dyeing.shtml) you can also read some basics here (http://www.divaknitting.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=83&zenid=3996b12577e04a289b115f20363f4c04)

[shore--alpaca]

Thanks so much! :hug: I'll cruise through those sites for info. ;)