Thanks Rebecca! That was sooo fun! I wouldn't have thought to THINK that blacks would come out different with different brands etc, so that's informative. And wow!!? The results .. That teal one was just beautiful! Thanks for yet another great chem vid :))
+ChemKnits Tutorials Rebecca, I was wondering if you might revisit the breaking black in a new video perhaps doing a dip dye ombre like you did with the wiltons violet. I'd be very interested to see how each black dye would break into a gradient. I really like watching your dying adventures. Please continue to make more videos. Thank you!
There are two things I would do. 1) I would start with a low level of acid and then gradually increase it (so reds don't crash out of solution.) 2), presoak the yarn you're trying to dye and 3) use a LOT of dye. If the color comes out brownish, try using even more dye. Good luck!
+Pru Jane Doe, I don't think I wrote down the ingredients in order on my lists, I wrote them so they could be compared side to side. Thank you for sharing the new ingredients!
I love all of your videos! I shopped for food colorings today, the Wilton's I found has corn syrup and sugar in it. Have you found this to be a problem with bugs getting into your fiber or yarn?
kaaatjeful it is wash fast! Some food coloring colors might fade in direct sunlight, but I saw no fading with machine washing. (I tend to handwash hand knots but I machine washed a sample as a test.). I'd wash on cold, as warm water can cause acid dyes, including food coloring, to bleed a bit.
I know this is an older video, but I am going to be trying to dye unspun wool black for doll wigs, and now I'm scared it's not going to actually dye black.... Will all food colouring break like this when dyeing wool? Can I achieve actual black with either brands???
Ronda Kristen Wood I've never tried to do all black. I might recommend using a commercial dyenif you want a true black. if you add presoaked fiber to the dyebath cold and slowlybheat it you could end up with less breaking, but the color might still have some fluctuations.
ChemKnits Tutorials Hmmm I don't really know what other dye types I can easily, and cheaply, obtain heh I will have to test out your idea and keep my fingers crossed lol Thanks so much for the quick reply!
So, I tried to do a "breaking black" by dip dyeing. But, I think I had too much of the Wilton's black. I ended up with a beautiful purple/plum color. (I'm not upset with it). I also, did a hand painted skein with my 3 year old and 5 year old. I'm not sure how to post a pic or send a pic on here.
If you're looking for a good black from the Wilton's black, add some McCormick's red and green (2x green to red) to it. I got a beautiful black then. The first time I tried the Wilton's alone, it gave a reddish dark brown/black (hence the extra green above). Not very a very impressive color, TBH. :)
Wilton's has changed the formula a few times since I filmed this video. If I use enough of the black food coloring, I can get an almost black on the yarn. But it does lean reddish/purple.
Thanks Rebecca! That was sooo fun! I wouldn't have thought to THINK that blacks would come out different with different brands etc, so that's informative. And wow!!? The results .. That teal one was just beautiful! Thanks for yet another great chem vid :))
Thanks!
+ChemKnits Tutorials Rebecca, I was wondering if you might revisit the breaking black in a new video perhaps doing a dip dye ombre like you did with the wiltons violet. I'd be very interested to see how each black dye would break into a gradient. I really like watching your dying adventures. Please continue to make more videos. Thank you!
that is a great idea! I'll add that to my queue.
Wonder how it would look if spun together.
This is so cool!! :) Makes me want to experiment with food colouring on yarn, or maybe even spin my own after dying it!
I love these color breaking vids
^^
I love your videos. Thank you.
Rebecca,
What if I actually want to dye something black? Is there a way to make the dye stay black instead of breaking into its component parts?
There are two things I would do. 1) I would start with a low level of acid and then gradually increase it (so reds don't crash out of solution.) 2), presoak the yarn you're trying to dye and 3) use a LOT of dye. If the color comes out brownish, try using even more dye. Good luck!
+Pru Jane Doe, I don't think I wrote down the ingredients in order on my lists, I wrote them so they could be compared side to side. Thank you for sharing the new ingredients!
I tried the grape Crystal light powder. It came out really pretty!
Awesome! I haven't tried many powdered drink mixes yet beyond KoolAid, but they should all work pretty similarly.
We could see it better if you used white spoons. :)
Great suggestion, thanks!
I just bought some wiltons black icing colour but it just says colour E153 on the ingredients, did I buy the wrong type? Thx
Interesting experiment. Do you think it would have broken better if you had used less dye?
probably!
I love all of your videos! I shopped for food colorings today, the Wilton's I found has corn syrup and sugar in it. Have you found this to be a problem with bugs getting into your fiber or yarn?
But how do I get it to NOT break? My husband would love a grey scarf.
that would be really really hard with food coloring. it would likely come out brownish vs gray. I'd try commercial acid dyes.
Can you wash the final product or will the color run out?
kaaatjeful it is wash fast! Some food coloring colors might fade in direct sunlight, but I saw no fading with machine washing. (I tend to handwash hand knots but I machine washed a sample as a test.). I'd wash on cold, as warm water can cause acid dyes, including food coloring, to bleed a bit.
I know this is an older video, but I am going to be trying to dye unspun wool black for doll wigs, and now I'm scared it's not going to actually dye black.... Will all food colouring break like this when dyeing wool? Can I achieve actual black with either brands???
Ronda Kristen Wood I've never tried to do all black. I might recommend using a commercial dyenif you want a true black.
if you add presoaked fiber to the dyebath cold and slowlybheat it you could end up with less breaking, but the color might still have some fluctuations.
ChemKnits Tutorials Hmmm I don't really know what other dye types I can easily, and cheaply, obtain heh I will have to test out your idea and keep my fingers crossed lol Thanks so much for the quick reply!
So, I tried to do a "breaking black" by dip dyeing. But, I think I had too much of the Wilton's black. I ended up with a beautiful purple/plum color. (I'm not upset with it).
I also, did a hand painted skein with my 3 year old and 5 year old.
I'm not sure how to post a pic or send a pic on here.
Sounds pretty! You can share pictures with me on the ChemKnits Facebook page.
Have you experimented with adding both black food colorings yet?
not in one pot, but I have done a comparison of them in separate pots. I really should add them together in one pot!
I wrote it on my list to have this high up!
If you're looking for a good black from the Wilton's black, add some McCormick's red and green (2x green to red) to it. I got a beautiful black then. The first time I tried the Wilton's alone, it gave a reddish dark brown/black (hence the extra green above). Not very a very impressive color, TBH. :)
Wilton's has changed the formula a few times since I filmed this video. If I use enough of the black food coloring, I can get an almost black on the yarn. But it does lean reddish/purple.