Why This Method

Dyeing your own yarn can be a fun and rewarding process. However, when space and money are limited so are your options for dying techniques. In a small, poorly ventilated kitchen (such as mine), non-toxic dyes that allow you to use your regular cooking equiment are necessary. To my knowledge, there are two popular food-safe dyes that can be easily and safely applied in these circumstances: Kool-Aid and Wilton Icing Dyes. Now, Kool-Aid dyeing is the clear favorite, as demonstrated by this Knitty how-to article. It seems to me that Kool-Aid is the favorite because a) it's novel, b) it smells good, c) it appears to be an inexpensive project, and d) it's acessable to everyone (every grocery store sells Kool-Aid). However, there are drawbacks to this method. The dye in Kool-Aid produces incredibley unpredicable results. When applied to yarn properly the results are color-fast, however they do fade fairly quickly with exposure to sunlight. Also, Kool-Aid dyeing tends to produce less saturated colors.

Now, Wilton Dyes also have drawbacks too, but I think the positives of this method outweigh the negatives. These dyes can't match the novelty of dyeing with a kids' drink mix and they don't produce fruity smells, however those are the only real advantages I see it has over the Wilton method. Wilton dyes are inexpensive at about $1.35 per tub. They are easy to find in any craft store in the cake and candy making aisle. The procedure of dyeing with Wilton is very similar to Kool-Aid and just as easy. And dyes produce much more predicable results; the color on the tub and the final results match very closely. The dye is color-fast just as in the other method. Finally, though I have no idea how quickly these dyes will fade in light, the colors are incrediblely, excitingily saturated.

Kitchen Preparation

What you need:
- protective coverings for all surfaces
- rags
- kitchen garbage bags
- (optional) masking tape and marker

Wilton Dyes are permanent. They will stain anything they come in contact with including your counters, your clothes and your hands. Any surfact that might come into contact with dye needs to be covered. I use plastic table cloths and garbage bags

You will need one kitchen garbage bag for every skein of yarn you plan to dye. I suggest using clear or white bags so that you can more easily see your dye application later on. Spread each bag out flat and stack them on top of each other in the area you plan to dye.

If you are dyeing with a friend, I suggest using masking tape to mark ownership of skeins. Each time the yarn moves to a new area, the tape with the name of the owner moves too. That way you always know who made it. I also use this method when I'm doing experiments, so that I can easily tell which skein is which.

It is also essential that you have rags available. Accidents are inevitable!

Preparing the Dye

What you need:
- latex gloves
- plastic bottles with leak-proof caps
- Wilton Icing Dyes
- grease pencil or marker
- water

Now that everything in the kitchen is ready, it's time to mix up your dye. This process could not be easier. For each color I plan to use, I use one 1-liter soda bottle. Any size and type of bottle will work equally well as long as the cap is leak-proof. On the cap of each bottle write the name of the color it will contain. Write out the whole name, not just the first letter. Pink and Purple start with the same letter and it is easy to get them mixed up when refilling later on if you aren't paying careful attention. It also makes it possible to re-use the same bottles over and over again without having to worry about muddying colors because of the residue remaining in the bottle between uses.

As I mentioned before, this dye will stain your hands. If you don't want that to happen, then put on latex gloves any time you are working with the dye.

Making up the dye is a three step process. 1) Scoop out the dye and place it in the bottle. 2) Place a small amount of very hot water in the bottle with the dye and shake the two together until the dye is completely dissolved. 3) Dilute to desired color level by adding cool water to the bottle.

I usually start by adding about 1/2 a container of dye to the bottle and then diluting it with 1/2 to 3/4 a bottle of water. You can test the colors by dipping in a paper towel. It is also important to make sure that all of the dye is completely dissolved in the water before adding the cool water. Otherwise the undisolved gel will leave darker spots in your yarn when it is applied. In this form the dye holds up for quite some time. It can be prepared far in advance if desired.

That's it! Your dye is ready to go! In Part 2, I'll cover preparing your yarn and the dye process. Part 3 will demonstrate how to set the color and get your yarn ready for knitting.