over-dying

before dyeing

Looking through my sock drawer the other day I realized that I had to pairs of socks knit in almost identical yarns.  I decided to try to remedy that by over dying one pair.  I used Kool-Aid as my dye because it is non-toxic, super easy to use, cheap and readily available where I live.  The color is also surprisingly very durable.  To get a moderately intense green I used 3 packages of Lemon Lime.  Now I have a sweet "new" pair of Spartan green socks :)

after dyeing

How to dye with Kool-Aid

The Basic Recipe:

One package of unsweetened Kool-Aid per  1 cup water (about 4 pkgs per 50 grams for fairly intense color)

How to Dye Your Fiber using a Microwave

1. Soak fiber in warm  water  with 2 ounces of vinegar per 1 cup water
2. While it is soaking, make your Kool-Aid solution(s). For each package of Kool-Aid use 3 parts water to one part vinegar.
3. Remove your fiber from the hot water soak. Squeeze out excess water.

4.       Place in the pyrex container.  Pour dye over fiber slowly, being sure that you cover as much of the fiber as possible.

5.       Place container (with fiber) in the microwave and microwave for 2 minutes

6. Let rest for two minutes. If necessary, during this period, you may squish the liquid around again to ensure adequate dye coverage.
7. Check to see if the solution is colorless.
8. If the solution is not colorless, repeat steps 5 & 6 until the solution is colorless.
9. Rinse the fiber thoroughly in water the same temperature as the dye bath. At this point you may want to wash the fiber with liquid dishwashing detergent and rinse thoroughly using the procedure that you normally use for washing yarn.
10. Hang the fiber and let it air dry.