Dying wool with food dye.

misstialouise · 05-23-2007, 04:21 AM

I have a friend who has just knitted a great cardi in an awful pale lime green 100% merino (gifted to her by her MIL)... Now, if said friend looked good in pale lime green, she'd be very over the moon about the cardi..

After the obligatory photo to show the MIL, she'd like to dye it to a darkish brown (I'm guessing a chocolate colour).

How would she be best to do it?

TIA for your help :D

Silver · 05-23-2007, 01:39 PM

If she's using food dye (which I've never tried), she can mix red, blue and yellow to get brown. But I would use a jacquard acid dye in the exact color she wants... but that's just me.

misstialouise · 05-23-2007, 10:38 PM

I have suggested a normal clothing dye, but she's not one for using chemicals if she can help it....

knitasha · 05-24-2007, 03:36 PM

I'm not sure that food coloring is a whole lot less "chemical" than regular dye -- it may be edible but that just means the dyes in it won't kill you if you ingest them; it doesn't necessarily make them "natural."

Your friend can probably dye her sweater some shade of brown with coloring made from black walnuts, onion skins, etc. Google "natural dyes" and you'll find lots of information.

brownishcoat · 05-24-2007, 04:09 PM

Then there's always coffee and tea!

NinaT · 05-24-2007, 10:09 PM

I know someone here has had a lot of success using Wilton's paste food coloring (for decorating cakes). I know they'll have a dk. brown.

CarmenIbanez · 05-24-2007, 10:12 PM

I recently used some dye from Dharma Trading Company. The acid dyes and the fiber reactive dyes I did not find any more complicated than the kool-aid method.