I just ordered some yarn to try my hand in dying thanks to you and your wonderful tutorial. You make it less scary! thank you so much. I am so happy to have found your podcast. Greetings from the peach state of GA.
Thanks! It is so much easier than dyeing on the stove. Sure, you can't get some of the cool effects as easily, but for learning I think it's a great method. :-)
so i tried dying with food color in the crock pot. Very simple, but I got a dusty lilac color, not bad, but I don't think I had enough color. I guess I can try to dye over it and see if I get better results. For sure an easy way to do this. Thanks for your wonderful tutorial!
Hi there! Thank you for a great tutorial I am trying to have a go at this so far looks like the wool is taking up the dye but even after 3 hrs the water is still not clear. Have added some more vinegar but still not coming clear. Have you any suggestions please?
I think the most I've done is maybe 3 or 4? But as long as you are being nice to your yarn there's not much risk of damaging it. When I know I want to do multiple runs like this, I will do the first color but not untwist it after the dye is exhausted. Then I let it cool nice and slow to room temp, then untwist and gently wash, usually just soaking in some Eucalan to replenish the lanolin-y goodness. Then I let it dry for at least 48 hours, retwist, and go at it again! So it makes for a pretty slow process but the end result is usually worth it. (For example, my "Chocolate Peppermint Bark" colorway takes about 5 days from start to finish with all the drying time.)
Interesting tutorial. I have two questions. Why is it too late to change the colour after you've put the yarn in? I'd think, you could add even more play to the colours by adding drops of dye after you added the yarn, as you could drip more blue or yellow directly onto the yarn, or just change the strenght by adding it to the water around...? And why would you set the timer to 2 hours? All it normally need to set is 30 mins below boiling point (80C) if it hasn't taken all the dye by then, you could add a bit more vinager and/or just leave it in the pot to cool? Does the crockpot change anything in that, or doesn't it get that hot???
I think it's that the crock pot just took longer to heat up compared to a pan on the stove. :-P And I have changed my colors after adding the yarn to the water but if you are using a smaller vessel the new color is likely to be pretty patchy since there's less room for the water to flow around the yarn.
This is an older video so I'm not sure if you still see comments/questions but I haven't been able to find an answer.... Once the dyebath is exhausted and the remaining water is clear, can it be reused over and over (or just over once lol) for more dying? We have well/septic and water conservation is important for us as a result so I'm just curious....
It can! Sorry for the delayed response... I live on city water but I am a bit of a hippie so I try to conserve water whenever I can too. I have frequently reused water multiple times. I usually just add a splash more vinegar (since a lot of the vinegar should still be left in the water) and more dye and get to the fun bits! I do always let it cool down all the way, so that I'm not tossing fresh yarn into hot water but that's a personal preference. :-)
I know that plant fibers require a different set of conditions than animal fibers and special dyes. That's the only reason I haven't played with it - I don't think those dyes are super good to have mixing with cooking dishes. But it's not impossible, just something I haven't tried.
hi i loved the yarn in your Shorty Sporty Sock Army (17-03) multicolors in short lines, can you tell me approximately how to hand paint or dye the yarn to come out in these mini stripes? I have no idea how to do it to knit up like that.
Dyeing the yarn with the method I show in this video produces really little pops of colors like those socks have, so the tricky bit is getting all the different colors. I would suggest starting the yarn twisted up in a crockpot or regular pot with very little water, maybe just enough to cover the yarn. Heat the water and yarn before adding any dye. Then when things are steamy and hot, start adding in dye one drop at a time. This will help it absorb more quickly and not spread as much. You should be able to get a multicolored effect on the yarn. Then if you want even more color, cook it until the dye is all absorbed then gently untwist the yarn, spread it out in the water, and add single drops of color again.
My guess would be probably half a teaspoon? Start with half a teaspoon and if it seems like the yarn isn't taking up the dye, add another quarter teaspoon.
You could... The trick with speckles is that you don't want to add them until your water is hot enough to start setting the dye immediately, and then be careful not to agitate the water too much.
I'm not sure... I know that Rit is meant to dye things like cotton and other plant fibers, which take a different method than animal fibers. Plus Rit is not food-safe, so I wouldn't do it in any dishes you use for food. I think when I used to dye t-shirts and such I would just follow their directions on the box but again, that was always for plant fibers like cotton.
Yes, you can use Rit for wool or other animal fibers. You add just add vinegar. If you are dying plant fibers like cotton you add salt. Directions are on the box.
I just ordered some yarn to try my hand in dying thanks to you and your wonderful tutorial. You make it less scary! thank you so much. I am so happy to have found your podcast. Greetings from the peach state of GA.
Thanks for the tutorial and making dying in crockpot look so easy. I liked that you use food dye and I’m going to give it a try. Thank you!
Yay! Let me know how it turns out! :-)
Thanks so much for sharing!! I'm so going to give this a try as you made it look relatively easy. 😊
Great tutorial! Love the way those colors came out!
Wow! this seems even easier. I may try this way first! Love the way the yarn turned out too!
Thanks! It is so much easier than dyeing on the stove. Sure, you can't get some of the cool effects as easily, but for learning I think it's a great method. :-)
so i tried dying with food color in the crock pot. Very simple, but I got a dusty lilac color, not bad, but I don't think I had enough color. I guess I can try to dye over it and see if I get better results. For sure an easy way to do this. Thanks for your wonderful tutorial!
Thank you so much. Fantastic tutorial! You make it not so scary to do lol. Wonderful teacher. ❤️
Thanks! Now if only I could get my physics students to see the subject as not scary... :-)
I can't wait to try this! I'm going to give it a shot today if I have any food dyes.
Sweet! Be sure to show off your results!
Turned out beautiful!
Thanks! :-)
Hi there! Thank you for a great tutorial I am trying to have a go at this so far looks like the wool is taking up the dye but even after 3 hrs the water is still not clear. Have added some more vinegar but still not coming clear. Have you any suggestions please?
This was super helpful to me, thanks!
How many times would you recommend overlaying the colors?? I have 3 or four colors that I would like to use, but I'm concerned about damaging the yarn
I think the most I've done is maybe 3 or 4? But as long as you are being nice to your yarn there's not much risk of damaging it. When I know I want to do multiple runs like this, I will do the first color but not untwist it after the dye is exhausted. Then I let it cool nice and slow to room temp, then untwist and gently wash, usually just soaking in some Eucalan to replenish the lanolin-y goodness. Then I let it dry for at least 48 hours, retwist, and go at it again! So it makes for a pretty slow process but the end result is usually worth it. (For example, my "Chocolate Peppermint Bark" colorway takes about 5 days from start to finish with all the drying time.)
Thank you for the reply, I think this will be good a good project to try over my holiday break....
Interesting tutorial. I have two questions. Why is it too late to change the colour after you've put the yarn in? I'd think, you could add even more play to the colours by adding drops of dye after you added the yarn, as you could drip more blue or yellow directly onto the yarn, or just change the strenght by adding it to the water around...? And why would you set the timer to 2 hours? All it normally need to set is 30 mins below boiling point (80C) if it hasn't taken all the dye by then, you could add a bit more vinager and/or just leave it in the pot to cool? Does the crockpot change anything in that, or doesn't it get that hot???
I think it's that the crock pot just took longer to heat up compared to a pan on the stove. :-P And I have changed my colors after adding the yarn to the water but if you are using a smaller vessel the new color is likely to be pretty patchy since there's less room for the water to flow around the yarn.
This is an older video so I'm not sure if you still see comments/questions but I haven't been able to find an answer.... Once the dyebath is exhausted and the remaining water is clear, can it be reused over and over (or just over once lol) for more dying? We have well/septic and water conservation is important for us as a result so I'm just curious....
It can! Sorry for the delayed response... I live on city water but I am a bit of a hippie so I try to conserve water whenever I can too. I have frequently reused water multiple times. I usually just add a splash more vinegar (since a lot of the vinegar should still be left in the water) and more dye and get to the fun bits! I do always let it cool down all the way, so that I'm not tossing fresh yarn into hot water but that's a personal preference. :-)
awesome thank you for making this simple
Have you ever dyed cotton yarn? Would you be able to use the same method for the cotton? I hav a couple skeins of bare cotton I would like to dye
I know that plant fibers require a different set of conditions than animal fibers and special dyes. That's the only reason I haven't played with it - I don't think those dyes are super good to have mixing with cooking dishes. But it's not impossible, just something I haven't tried.
hi i loved the yarn in your Shorty Sporty Sock Army (17-03) multicolors in short lines, can you tell me approximately how to hand paint or dye the yarn to come out in these mini stripes? I have no idea how to do it to knit up like that.
Dyeing the yarn with the method I show in this video produces really little pops of colors like those socks have, so the tricky bit is getting all the different colors. I would suggest starting the yarn twisted up in a crockpot or regular pot with very little water, maybe just enough to cover the yarn. Heat the water and yarn before adding any dye. Then when things are steamy and hot, start adding in dye one drop at a time. This will help it absorb more quickly and not spread as much. You should be able to get a multicolored effect on the yarn. Then if you want even more color, cook it until the dye is all absorbed then gently untwist the yarn, spread it out in the water, and add single drops of color again.
Thank you! 💖
I have wilton food dye. How much citric acid would I use? I have a 6 quart crock pot.
My guess would be probably half a teaspoon? Start with half a teaspoon and if it seems like the yarn isn't taking up the dye, add another quarter teaspoon.
Nice tutorial
Great video!!!
Beautiful!
Just wondering what a "healthy splash" would be, roughly. I'm one of those people 😬
Um, probably 1/4 - 1/2 cup. (I'm usually one of those people too!)
Could I add speckles using this method?
You could... The trick with speckles is that you don't want to add them until your water is hot enough to start setting the dye immediately, and then be careful not to agitate the water too much.
10,000 Stitches Podcast Thank you! I’ve dyed a couple of color ways the same way you showed (but using acid dyes) and I love the result. ☺️
J'adoooooore ♥
Would you use the same process with Rit Dye?
I'm not sure... I know that Rit is meant to dye things like cotton and other plant fibers, which take a different method than animal fibers. Plus Rit is not food-safe, so I wouldn't do it in any dishes you use for food. I think when I used to dye t-shirts and such I would just follow their directions on the box but again, that was always for plant fibers like cotton.
Yes, you can use Rit for wool or other animal fibers. You add just add vinegar. If you are dying plant fibers like cotton you add salt. Directions are on the box.
Great clearly you had no pets in the bedroom, my dog would have drank the dye water he is crafty enough to figure out removing the lid.
Too much talking
Thanks for your feedback. :-)
I didn't think so
Neither did I. Excellent, friendly and informative video. Thank you x