Dyed with food colouring!

[nataleeza]

I've been so envious for so long of Koolaid dying, but it's almost impossible to get Koolaid here in NZ. So, I tried using liquid food colour, and it looks beautiful. I almost want to crochet it up just to see how it looks! (but I'll wait until I find a good pattern)

Here it is!

http://www.geocities.com/scraffles/yarnhank.jpg

It's so beautiful I want to cry :c9

There's more info here (http://hookstars.blogdrive.com/archive/14.html), on my blog.

[crochetdiva]

Wow!!! It is really beautiful!!! I love it!:cheer

[Reba]

That's so gorgeous! I'm reading your blog entry right now, to find out how I can do it! Did you figure out the dying process yourself? I've dyed some yarn with kool-aid before, your post has inspired me to maybe post some pics of it.

Do you know what you're going to crochet with it?

[NurseFrawg]

Ohhhh my!:drool That yarn is very very yummy! I have yet to venture into the dyeing world. Some day maybe... I know that I have been eyeing some :1sheep sheep:2sheep in my neighborhood. (Okay so maybe neighborhood is a stretch)
Elizabeth

[losingmymind2]

That is absolutely lovely. I want to start dying one of these days....when I can get my hands on the right wool, that is.

Kathy

[Stacey]

That's beautiful! Looks good enough to eat :U

[nataleeza]

Thanks everyone - this is the best place to get praise! My partner appreciated that I'd done it myself, but really didn't appreciate the beauty of it :think
Did you figure out the dying process yourself?
I read some instructions on Koolaid dying (I forget where, how terrible...) and I've been reading the Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook which has loads of good dying info. I kinda worked out what was needed (vinegar, soaking, dye heat) and then guessed how I should do it with food colouring.
Do you know what you're going to crochet with it?
No idea! I just woke up on Saturday and knew that it was the day I was going to try dying yarn ;) . I might make this shrug (http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=35101.0), but I'm not sure if the colours will be too bright on me.

[carrieanne]

Oh, I LOVE it. Those colors are great....just beautiful!

[kellyv]

Thats it I must try dying!! That yarn looks sooooo wonderful!!!! I am going to your blog to check out how to do this.

[mamaoso]

Went to Hancock on Sat. :shop had coupon for 20% off a skein. Up 6 skeins. got some wool just waiting to be dyed.. I think using food dye you can get more different colors then with kool-aid. All you need is Red, Blue and Yellow to make all colors...

[xantha]

All you need is Red, Blue and Yellow to make all colors...

Not exactly true -- if you want teals and pinks and deep deep purples, the neon color food coloring actually works much better. It's just about impossible to get a good bright pink with red/blue/yellow. ;)

The dyed yarn looks great!

[nataleeza]

Yeah, about pink... I wasn't too happy with the colour of my pink, I wanted it a bit rosier but couldn't work out how to do it... But I found this food colouring color chart (http://www.homebaking.org/familyfun/preschool_2003.htm) online, and for the rose pink it says to add a little blue.

I'm sure that would work, as the blue would tone down the reddyness of it. I highly recommend The Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1931499160/qid=1128365806/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-4707552-2796731?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) (I borrowed it from our library, and now I'm going to buy it) for a really good explanation of how to make muted colours with the complementary colour.

I'll have to try it as soon as I can, but it's my sister's 21st this weekend, so it probably won't be until the following weekend :(

I'll let you all know when I've given it a try (I've just scored 400g of DK cream wool, it's whiteness is calling out for colour!)

[kahud48]

The colors are so vivid. Thank you for giving it a try, turned out so bright.
Now we have something else we want to add to our
(mile long) list :hook.

Very pretty.

[mamaoso]

Not exactly true -- if you want teals and pinks and deep deep purples, the neon color food coloring actually works much better. It's just about impossible to get a good bright pink with red/blue/yellow. ;)

The dyed yarn looks great! My art prof is going to love this....:D
Sorry, I guess I worded it wrong. Should have said that you can make MO
ST all colors....But, I can get teal without neon.

[Catana]

Beautiful colors. I bought some food dye but haven't tried it yet. I've had good luck with Kool-Aid, but I think the food dye is probably more concentrated so you can get more intense colors. At least that's my impression.

[superfurry]

oooh uncanny. i bought food colouring yesterday and have been trying to get more info on dyeing with it. although we can get koolaid (here (http://www.koolaiduk.com/)) i can't see me doing much experimenting since i've heard you might need 4 or 5 sachets per skein at 45p (80 cents) each :eek

thanks for the walkthrough - can anyone say whether the same mixture should work but baked in the oven or steamed? i don't have a microwave. actually come to think of it i'm sure i read somewhere that food dyes don't take much heat to set and you can just leave them out in the sun. anyone tried that?

i know i should just get on and do my own experiments but i'm fibreless :( i'm waiting for a huge order and trying to console myself by reading as many other peoples' adventures as possible.

[nataleeza]

can anyone say whether the same mixture should work but baked in the oven or steamed? i don't have a microwave. actually come to think of it i'm sure i read somewhere that food dyes don't take much heat to set and you can just leave them out in the sun. anyone tried that?

I'm pretty sure I've read that you can leave them in the sun, and do it that way.... Anyone else hear that?
and judging from my (so far very limited ;) ) experience, it doesn't take much heat to set food colour. I'd heated up the yarn and dye, and a lot of the dye had taken before I'd even gotten it to the microwave.

I think the main idea is to get it hot. I feel like I should add a disclaimer because I'm only guessing :blush

But, there's always over dying if it doesn't work the first time!

[superfurry]

it works! i did it in jars. i used 1/4 cup vinegar to approx 1 1/4 pints water, 25 drops of colour and 1oz wool. then i set all the jars in a big pan and put it over a gentle heat. by the time it was coming up to the boil the dyes had exhausted. i got really vibrant colours, if not quite the ones i wanted! next time i'd put more colour in, but i'm coming round to the unevenness in the dye, i really like the subtle shading.

if anyone wants to see it's all up on my blog (http://stitch.hellooperator.net/).

[dudleyspinner]

That is very pretty yarn! If you can wait until Easter, grab up some dye kits after they go on sale. The colors are very similar. I dye roving with it and it is so fast and easy. I use about 3 tabs of each color for about 10 ouces of wool roving. I am sure yarn would work too.
Deb
http://www.dudleyspinner.com/

[jenuine226]

Do you know how well the color stays in the yarn with the food coloring method? Does it bleed/wash out when it is washed?

[nataleeza]

If you can wait until Easter, grab up some dye kits after they go on sale. The colors are very similar.
That sounds really interesting! But we don't really dye eggs here in NZ, and I imagine that to buy egg dye anytime would be pretty expensive, I have seen it though, so I guess that's a bonus!

Do you know how well the color stays in the yarn with the food coloring method? Does it bleed/wash out when it is washed?
Well, not yet! I still haven't made anything out of it... I've heard that it's pretty colourfast though. Anyone else?
But when I washed it after I dying, there was no bleeding then. And that would be the time it's most likely to bleed.

[jenuine226]

OH, that is really exciting, I might just have to try it out!

[deneen]

Beautiful!

[superfurry]

just wanted to report that the colours didn't hold up very well to the temps involved in felting. but that said i was trying to convince the most relucant fibre so it went through a long 90º wash, perhaps if it had been merino or something else that felts easier it wouldn't have been such a problem.

the colours are still there, but very washed out :(

[nataleeza]

just wanted to report that the colours didn't hold up very well to the temps involved in felting...

the colours are still there, but very washed out :(

That's a real shame :blink I'm planning to do a bit of felting with my dyed yarn. Although I normally hand felt so the water is hot to the touch, but not so hot it hurts my hands (learned that one the hard way!), maybe that would make a difference?

I'm dying some more yarn today *evil laugh* so when I get enough to do a bit of felting, I'll let you all know how mine went! :D

[deneen]

just wanted to report that the colours didn't hold up very well to the temps involved in felting. but that said i was trying to convince the most relucant fibre so it went through a long 90º wash, perhaps if it had been merino or something else that felts easier it wouldn't have been such a problem.

the colours are still there, but very washed out :(

You know, I am wondering if perhaps adding salt to the dye bath would have helped make them more colorfast. Perhaps too, more vinegar. Kool-Aid has plenty of citric acid in it already, so you don't need to add a lot of vinegar. Food coloring doesn't have any, so you would need to add more acid to it.

[jacqui]

Have you thought about using jelly crystals to dye with? One of the lady's at my craft group is into dyeing in a big way i know shes done it with jelly. She has some great books i'll see if i can get the titles for you tomorrow and i'll let you knowyou will probably be able to get them at your local library. If you lived closer i could introduce you and she would show you what to do. Have you got someone in your spinning guild who is into dyeing its worth an ask. Jacqui from Toowoomba.

[nataleeza]

just wanted to report that the colours didn't hold up very well to the temps involved in felting

I managed to felt some of that yarn in my 1st post, and I didn't find that the colours faded at all
I did hand felt it though, and I use a mild shampoo to felt, I don't know if that helped at all

I don't have a pic yet, but I'll post when I do.

[Frangipani]

Hey Natalie,
Firstly, GREAT job on your first dyeing session. While I was visiting the states a few months ago, I totally stocked up on Kool Aid (BIG TIME) and would be happy to hook you up with some, if you like. Just PM me. =)

Just wondering what food colour brand you used? I've been wanting to try it as well since Kool Aid doesn't grow on trees in Oz either!!!

Bec

[nataleeza]

Hey Bec,
I just used that good ol' Kiwi classic, Hansells food colouring (http://www.hansells.co.nz/baking.asp). It's been colouring icing and coconut ice in my family for generations :P I'm the first to use it on wool though

It's just a liquid food colour that comes in little bottles. I imagine any food colour would work the same. All you need is vinegar and heat to set it.

I'll have a think about the koolaid... but I have a spindle and some fushia pink roving arrived today (hopefully) so I probably won't be doing a lot of dying for a while ;)

[jacqui]

Hey Bec,
I just used that good ol' Kiwi classic, Hansells food colouring (http://www.hansells.co.nz/baking.asp). It's been colouring icing and coconut ice in my family for generations :P I'm the first to use it on wool though

It's just a liquid food colour that comes in little bottles. I imagine any food colour would work the same. All you need is vinegar and heat to set it.

I'll have a think about the koolaid... but I have a spindle and some fushia pink roving arrived today (hopefully) so I probably won't be doing a lot of dying for a while ;) I found out about the Jelly dyeing for you sorry it took me a bit longer than intended. Mix jelly as usual add 1/4 cup vinegar 2teaspoons salt. soak wool for 1/2 an hour squeeze excess water put it in jelly cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 3 minutes.See what it looks like if all the colour is out of the jelly its done, if not microwave it for a further 2 minutes. Wash in warm water when its cooled. She said its colourfast. She also said we who don't have Koolaid have Tang which is its equivalent . There is a Creative Knitting magazine available here in Oz if you can't get it the adress for information on the"The DYEPOT NZ'article is, 1084 Maraekkabo RD5 Hastings NZ Phone+6468764233. Also the book 'Natural Plant Dyes' by Judith.V. Hallet. Kangaroo press isbn 0864174381 is out of print but if you look in your library you might find a copy. It might be helpful because it is an Australian book as compared to the US ones available. Well i hope that helps bye Jacqui:cheer

[nataleeza]

Ta for the info!
Hmmm, jelly is definately worth a go! Would smell nicer than the vinegar-woolly smell that I'm getting ;)

I can get hold of that book too, must be the only dying book in my library I haven't checked out yet! Hmm, must run to library...

(btw, that roving and spindle did arrive, and I'll be posting pics as soon as I take a couple - man, I'm going to have yarn coming out my ears!)

Anyone else been dying (yarn)? :)

[jacqui]

Hey Natalie see if you can get Spin Off magazine its american but its terrific if youre into spinning you might even get it through your library. If not try your nearest spinners group.