Dyeing Day

So I finally devoted time to Kool-Aid Dying over this long weekend. I used Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Worsted in Natural and followed

Knitty's tutorial

For my first skein,I wanted it to be variegated with Lime Green and Bright Purple, but found that grape Kool-Aid does not look very purple, so I stocked up on various blues and pinks to experiment with in the future to find a good purple. I went with blue & green instead.

First, I soaked the yarn in mild soap (Method dishwashing liquid) and mixed my colors: 5 packets each Blue Moon Berry & Lemon-Lime, along with 12 Tbsp of water each.



Next, I spread the yarn on a plastic garbage bag and began diligently squirting Kool-Aid onto the yarn with a turkey baster.



Then I popped it into the microwave and alternated zapping & waiting until the water was almost clear. It looks like I didn't miss any white spots.




Now it was time for more soaking, another soap bath and a few more rinses.




Finally hung up to dry overnight and then wound into a skein.





Easy-peasy! I've never washed yarn before, but I think I did ok. Everything went smoothly and I think my yarn looks smashing! The hardest part is waiting for the yarn to dry. I immediately started knitting a horrendously finger-hurting pattern that I will hopefully stick with because the finished products are so cute. My next skein will be 4 or 5 different shades of pinks and reds.

I have a stack of FOs that have been completed in the past few weeks, but still need the ends woven in. Uggh, how I hate doing that! I wish I could be one of those people who love finishing as much as knitting, but alas as soon as the last stitch is bound off I am casting on again in a matter of minutes. Luckily my sweet Greg does a lot of weaving for me and he is excellent at it. I hope to post all these projects soon.