Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Two More Dyeing Experiments
Before vacation was over I did two more experiments with dyeing yarn. This is what happened:
I liked the results of Lily Pond so I thought I would try it again but experiment with different dyes. At first I thought I would try for a deeper blue and green using Wilton Dyes. When I got to Michael's to purchase them I just got Royal Blue and then some white. I thought it would be nice to have white to tone down some of the colors. I really wanted to try for a pastel blue and green. I love those colors.
Color: Apple Blueberry Pie A la Mode
Yarn: Knit Picks Bare Merino (100 grams)
Gauge: stitches on #5 needles
Dye: Royal Blue Wilton'’s Icing Dye
Wilton'’s White - White Icing Dye
3 packets Arctic Green Apple Kool-Aid in 1 cup boiling water
I started with the blue and dissolved ½ teaspoon Royal Blue Wilton's Icing Dye along with an undetermined amount of the white icing dye in ¾ cup water and ¼ cup vinegar. I could tell while I was mixing that it looked like the white would separate from the blue. So I was skeptical about ending up with pastel yarn. I then put a dry wound ball of Knit Picks Bare Merino in the mixture and decided the liquid wasn't deep enough so I added more boiling water. I then put it in the oven to set. Periodically I would turn the oven on to warm to keep the water warm but after 4 hours there was still dye left in the water. That was the point I took it out. Originally, I was going to mix some of the white icing dye with the Arctic Green Apple Kool-Aid but I discovered after I had dissolved the Kool-Aid in the water that the green color was a milky light green, very pretty. It only took a short time for the yarn to absorb the color leaving a milky liquid behind. The yarn was a brighter hue but not the same color. I then bathed the ball of yarn in tepid water, a little shampoo and conditioner. Then I wound it into a hank and rinsed it for a while since the water had a bluish tinge.
Notice the white on top separated from the blue.
Unwinding the ball and making it into a hank.
Now for a bath.
I send this yarn to my Winter Wonderland Swap pal, Kate. She is knitting it up into a One Skein Wonder for her mom.
Color: Rainbow Sherbet
Yarn: Knit Picks Bare Merino (100 grams)
Gauge: stitches on #5 needles
Dye:
Arctic Green Apple Kool-Aid
Pink Lemonade Kool-Aid
Melon Klass Aguas Frescas
This is going to be my last dyeing experiment for awhile. I am almost out of yarn to dye and the last hank I think I will experiment with mini hanks for color swatches. My plan was to pink, peach and lavender. I shopped at Super Walmart and Pick n Save looking for more Kool-Aid and also what might be available in the Hispanic section of the grocery store. I picked up some Klass Aguas Frescas in the Melon, Guayaba (possibly a pinky peach color) and Horchata flavors. I wanted to try the Horchata because it looked white and I thought it could soften some of the colors. When I prepared to dye. I mixed up 5 bottles of dye putting I packet of Kool-Aid for 8 oz. of water in an empty water bottle. They were grape, blue raspberry lemonade, and pink lemonade Kool-Aid. The other two were melon and horchata aqua fresca. I didn't like the way the grape was turning our colorwise so I mixed it with some horchata. I still didn't like it so I tried adding some other colors to make it a lavender (instead of mud). It just wasn't going to happen so I poured it out and got my Artic Green Apple Kool-Aid and made up a bottle. I soaked the yarn for about 30 minutes and then gently squeezed out the extra water. I laid my hank out on plastic wrap and poured the colors, one at a time over the yarn.
You could see the color being absorbed very quickly as the liquid under the yarn was clear. I then wrapped it in the plastic wrap and coiled it in a microwave safe bowl.
I microwaved it for 2 minutes checked it and then for 2 more minutes. Then I let it cool to room temperature. Last was a bath with a little shampoo and conditioner followed by a rinse.
It turned out very pretty and I determined it a success.
I also started knitting up The Joy of Pink into socks for Joy. I really like the way the color knits up.
I liked the results of Lily Pond so I thought I would try it again but experiment with different dyes. At first I thought I would try for a deeper blue and green using Wilton Dyes. When I got to Michael's to purchase them I just got Royal Blue and then some white. I thought it would be nice to have white to tone down some of the colors. I really wanted to try for a pastel blue and green. I love those colors.
Color: Apple Blueberry Pie A la Mode
Yarn: Knit Picks Bare Merino (100 grams)
Gauge: stitches on #5 needles
Dye: Royal Blue Wilton'’s Icing Dye
Wilton'’s White - White Icing Dye
3 packets Arctic Green Apple Kool-Aid in 1 cup boiling water
I started with the blue and dissolved ½ teaspoon Royal Blue Wilton's Icing Dye along with an undetermined amount of the white icing dye in ¾ cup water and ¼ cup vinegar. I could tell while I was mixing that it looked like the white would separate from the blue. So I was skeptical about ending up with pastel yarn. I then put a dry wound ball of Knit Picks Bare Merino in the mixture and decided the liquid wasn't deep enough so I added more boiling water. I then put it in the oven to set. Periodically I would turn the oven on to warm to keep the water warm but after 4 hours there was still dye left in the water. That was the point I took it out. Originally, I was going to mix some of the white icing dye with the Arctic Green Apple Kool-Aid but I discovered after I had dissolved the Kool-Aid in the water that the green color was a milky light green, very pretty. It only took a short time for the yarn to absorb the color leaving a milky liquid behind. The yarn was a brighter hue but not the same color. I then bathed the ball of yarn in tepid water, a little shampoo and conditioner. Then I wound it into a hank and rinsed it for a while since the water had a bluish tinge.
Notice the white on top separated from the blue.
Unwinding the ball and making it into a hank.
Now for a bath.
I send this yarn to my Winter Wonderland Swap pal, Kate. She is knitting it up into a One Skein Wonder for her mom.
Color: Rainbow Sherbet
Yarn: Knit Picks Bare Merino (100 grams)
Gauge: stitches on #5 needles
Dye:
Arctic Green Apple Kool-Aid
Pink Lemonade Kool-Aid
Melon Klass Aguas Frescas
This is going to be my last dyeing experiment for awhile. I am almost out of yarn to dye and the last hank I think I will experiment with mini hanks for color swatches. My plan was to pink, peach and lavender. I shopped at Super Walmart and Pick n Save looking for more Kool-Aid and also what might be available in the Hispanic section of the grocery store. I picked up some Klass Aguas Frescas in the Melon, Guayaba (possibly a pinky peach color) and Horchata flavors. I wanted to try the Horchata because it looked white and I thought it could soften some of the colors. When I prepared to dye. I mixed up 5 bottles of dye putting I packet of Kool-Aid for 8 oz. of water in an empty water bottle. They were grape, blue raspberry lemonade, and pink lemonade Kool-Aid. The other two were melon and horchata aqua fresca. I didn't like the way the grape was turning our colorwise so I mixed it with some horchata. I still didn't like it so I tried adding some other colors to make it a lavender (instead of mud). It just wasn't going to happen so I poured it out and got my Artic Green Apple Kool-Aid and made up a bottle. I soaked the yarn for about 30 minutes and then gently squeezed out the extra water. I laid my hank out on plastic wrap and poured the colors, one at a time over the yarn.
You could see the color being absorbed very quickly as the liquid under the yarn was clear. I then wrapped it in the plastic wrap and coiled it in a microwave safe bowl.
I microwaved it for 2 minutes checked it and then for 2 more minutes. Then I let it cool to room temperature. Last was a bath with a little shampoo and conditioner followed by a rinse.
It turned out very pretty and I determined it a success.I also started knitting up The Joy of Pink into socks for Joy. I really like the way the color knits up.
