Kool Aid Dyeing
Over the weekend I was discussing Kool Aid Dyeing at the SnB. I keep thinking I want to give it a try. It seems so simple. Maybe I'll look for some bargain bin natural yarn to play with.
I found a couple of good sources that I thought I'd share with you all. The Knitters Review had a pretty good article on how to use the dye, how to get the handpainted look, and a link to a gallery of garments done in Kool Aid yarn.
This one's my favorite though. A Kool Aid color chart! Can you believe it? And not just on white. She also dyed a darker grey/brown yarn as well. The darker yarn seems to come out almost heathered. Very pretty!
I'm tempted to try out a pair of socks or a tank top or even maybe a backpack.
In Other News
I have been knitting, albeit not as much as usual. I'm about 5 inches from being finished with the front of the Cabled & Ribbed sweater. I think I might be able to squeeze this in over the rest of the week when I need a break from all the renovation work. It would be great to get one piece of this sweater behind me. The good news is this is the hardest piece as the rest of it is just ribbing.
You are gonna LOVE Kool Aid Dyeing -- it is so much fun. Especially if you use the microwave! I experimented using some recycled cream-colored cashmere I bought off ebay - a sweater's worth for like $20 and made a bunch of different colors. I really like how Grape turns out, and the blues & greens (I forget what I used for blue, but the green was one of those that starts as one color as a powder, then another after adding water and tastes entirely different from either of those two colors) I've gotten so far are really really bright, so they'll be good for baby/kid stuff. Next in line is some Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool to play with when I get the urge. FUN!
You could always combine kool aid dyeing with felting. Go crazy different color combinations and use the yarn to make bags, hats, or fuzzyfeet for yourself and for gifts. Each of them will be completely one-of-kind.