Dyeing Yarn with Kool-Aid

I decided that I wanted to attempt dyeing yarn with Kool-Aid. I've read a few blogs about it and watched a few videos online... then I developed a plan.

I started with KnitPicks 100% Peruvian Highland Wool, fingering weight from the Palette collection in white. I chose this yarn because it was $2 for the ball and if I wouldn't feel like I wasted too much money if I had messed it up. I then purchased 8 packets of Kool-Aid powder at 10 for $1. So, the entire experiment cost me $2.80 plus tax. Not bad!




I hanked out the wool using my homemade niddy-noddy (see an earlier post) and soaked it in hot tap water. Then, I emptied 2 packets each of Tropical Punch, Grape, Ice Blue Raspberry, and Lemon-Lime Kool-Aid into 4 glass cups filled half way with hot water. I put those glasses into a pot filled half way with water and turned the heat to medium. This was to keep the water warm and promote saturation.

I put the yarn into the glasses (see below) and made sure to dip the overlap into the both colors to assure that there were no white spots. and to blend the colors to make a smooth transition.




After about 30 mins, all the color had disappeared from the glasses of water and soaked into the yarn. Very cool.


I then put the yarn into a warm bath to soak and relax for about five minutes or so.

I hung the yarn to dry on a clothes hanger, over a bucket (to catch the drips), overnight. This is what I found this morning....

The purple into the green looks a little muddy, but overall, a very successful adventure. It was SUPER fun, too! I can't wait to do it again. Hmmm... I have 2 more skeins of that wool... I'm off to the store to buy more Kool-Aid!!!

I finally washed the Cashmere

So... after all that panicking, I finally bit the bullet and washed the cashmere christening gown. Can YOU see a difference?

Before:

After:

It's sooooo soft now. I'm really glad I did it. The blocking brought out the design and I am more proud of this than any other garment I have made. YAYYYYYY!!!!

The Christening Gown

It's DONE!! I loved working with the Colourmart Cashmere/Viscose blend. It was soft and yummy. The gown is BEAUTIFUL!!! What do you think?

I still need to wash and block it. Mental note: Next time I work with Colourmart yarns: Prewash and shrink the yarn before making an heirloom piece! LOL!! I'm a bit nervous about the washing, but I've been told by Colourmart devotees that if it is blocked, I shouldn't lose too much in the size. PRAY PEOPLE!!

Kaylin's Christening Gown

The cashmere is PERFECT for this gown. I took this photo a few days ago, so it has gotten longer since then. The pattern is my own and I'm pretty much winging it as I go....

Stay tuned for more updates!

Kaylin

This is me with my Goddaughter, Kaylin, born on Friday, August 13. I can now begin work on her Christening set! YAY! Isn't she beautiful?

On Friday, I made her a hat and on Saturday, I made a sweater in the car on our way to NY.

Erin in her DRESS!

As requested, here are pictures of my lovely little girl in her dress!

Erin's Dress

This is the dress that I designed for my dearest 3 year old daughter. She begged me for a dress and it HAD to be pink... so on Monday, August 9, 2010, I pulled out my pink cotton and a size k crochet hook and started to randomly crochet. This was the result and I LOVE it... I'm making another for Ava, my younger daughter! It's simple and sweet with a circle skirt that will make every aspiring ballerina proud. She loves it and wants to wear it EVERYWHERE. I'll take a picture of her in it tomorrow and post for you all.

This design IS going into the pattern book I hope to publish in the not so far future.