Dye With KOOL-ADE

Here is an article Ann wrote a few years ago.

KOOL-AID WOOL
     

           For years I owned Shetland sheep, and had all the beautiful naturally colored wool that I wanted. That is if I just wanted white, grays, browns, or blacks, or mix, or blend of any or all these colors. I was happy to spin with these beautiful colors for a long time. But just like anything else your passion wants to grow.
       One afternoon at my spinning group, one of the gal's brought up the subject of dyeing their yarn. I though why would I want to dye my beautiful wool that is already colored, I'm ahead of the game, right?  But the more I thought about it, the more I liked the possibilities that dyeing could open up. I could have reds, yellows, greens, blues, or a blend of both natural colors and dyed, I could have the rainbow at my fingertips.
       So to start to learn how to dye, I  wanted to start  with a simple dye. It had to be a dye that I could get easy, work with easy, and easy to understand, then I heard about dyeing with Kool-aid.  Anyone that has had children and has given them Kool-aid knows how hard it is to remove Kool-aid from little hands and mouths.
             
            Getting started is fairly easy, you will need to choose your fiber. Kool-aid only works on natural fibers: wool, mohair, llama, alpaca, cotton, your hair, [  green for St. Patties Day]. It doesn't work  on  synthetics. You do not have to use just white fiber. Because I have a wide variety of natural colored wool to choose from, I can choose to dye just white yarn or, dye gray yarn with grape or, blue raspberry to get an heather or steel blue. Put black cherry on dark brown to get a mahogany color, mix your colors, just let your imagination go.
    It doesn't  matter if you dye spun yarn, unspun fiber, or even commercial yarns. If you are going to use your colored yarn on a project, make sure that you dye enough yarn to complete it, other wise it can be a little difficult to get the same results if you run out when your are almost done with your project.

           While you are gathering up your equipment that you will need for dyeing , put you fiber, or yarn in hot water to soak for about 20 minutes . The fiber will take up the color better and more even when it is wet, but if you want to dye your yarn dry that is o.k., dry yarn does not soak up the dye evenly, so you may get mottled yarn. Dry fiber will even out when you card and spin it, also un spun fiber will not look as bright until it is spun.
         There are 3 ways to do kool-aid dyeing, the first is the stove top method, second, the microwave, and third, the kid friendly way using the sun. What you will need to dye, one ounce of fiber or yarn loosely tied into skeins, one package of unsweetened kool-aid per ounce of fiber, water, stainless steel or enamel pot, microwave safe dish, or gallon zip-lock bag, depending on your method of dyeing, long handled wooded spoon, rubber gloves, and your heat source. So lets get started dyeing.

         With the stove top method,  you first need to bring about 2 quarts of water just to boiling, add your unsweetened kool-aid, stir to mix throughly. Now take your fiber and  squeeze out the excess water, remember that your fiber is hot so be careful, now add your fiber to the dye pot. You will not need a mordant with kool-aid, as it is acidic enough on it's own.
          Gently squeeze the fiber with your spoon to make sure that the dye gets into all of the fiber. Let it simmer for 15-20 minutes. The neat thing about dyeing with kool-aid, is that when you are done dyeing, your dye water will run clear, no color will be left in the water.  Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool to room temp. Now take your fiber out of the pot and squeezing out the excess water, rinse fiber in water the same temp. as the dye pot water, and hang to air dry.

         The microwave method, You will need, 1 gallon size zip-loch bag, 1 pyrex dish, and a colander.  While your fiber is soaking in warm water, mix up your kool-aid dye, one package of kool-aid to 2 quarts of cool water.  Put this mix into your plastic bag, take and squeeze  the excess water out of your fiber, than add the fiber to your kool-aid bag.
         Squeeze your fiber, gently, in the bag to distribute the dye evenly to all the fiber. Place the bag in your pyrex dish, put it in the microwave, and microwave for 2-3 minutes on high. Let it rest 2 minutes, you can squish the bag again to make sure the dye is evenly distributed.
        Now carefully check to see if the liquid is colorless : Caution- when checking your fiber, be careful when you are opening your bag, as steam will escape from the top of the bag. Do not put your face or hands over the top of the bag. If the liquid is not clear put it back into the microwave for another 2 minutes, let it rest 2 more minutes. Do this until you dye water is clear. Now take your bag and dump the fiber into a colander to drain, squeeze out excess water, and  rinse with water the same temp. as the dye water, squeeze out excess water, and hang to air dry.
         The last method, sun dyeing, is a kid friendly method. You will need 1 or more children,  1 gallon zip-lock bag, 2 quarts of cool water,  one package kool-aid, one ounce of fiber per child, and the sun. Put your 2 quarts of  cool water and kool-aid into the bag close, and squish together to mix. Place the fiber onto the bag close removing excess air from the bag, and close, squish again to distribute the dye evenly through out the fiber.
         Take outside and put in a sunny place. Let the bag sit several hours, or all day if possible. Let the bag cool, take the fiber out and rinse in water of the same temp., squeeze out excess water, and hang to air dry.

         Now if you want to get a little more bold with your dyeing, get 2 one quart jars, one 9x13 cake pan, one large plastic bag, warm water, 1 ounce of wool, 2 different colors of dyes, make sure that the colors you choose will go together,[ like red and blue will make purple, yellow and blue will make green].
        Place your quart jars into the 9x13 cake pan, fill with warm water, add your kool-aid, one color per jar, and stir, now put  your pre-moistened fiber, into the quart jars, one end to each jar. Now carefully side pan with jars, into the plastic bag and close,[this to keep the fiber from drying out while the dye is taking], now wait.
        The colors will wick up the fiber on each end, and come together in the middle, that is why you need 2 colors that go together. Take the  jars out of the bag and remove fiber, rinse your fiber, and hang to air dry. You will have tie-dyed fiber.

           You can also use food dye that you get in the grocery store to dye your fiber. Just a couple  drops of coloring into 2 quarts of water, and ¼ cup vinegar per batch to acidify  your dye pot. Also try Easter egg dye, it is the same as with food dye, add ¼ cup a vinegar per batch, follow the steps as with the kool-aid.
          Let you imagination go, and you'll be delighted in what beautifully dyed fiber that you can make. At first I thought that I would not like dyeing my beautiful naturally colored wool, but now that I have tried, I  love dyeing my wool. Now I am trying natural plant dyes that I can find in my area, or am able to grow in my garden.