I came across a DIY post on Tumblr that showed how you can freeze watercolor paints in ice cube trays and then use the frozen paints to "draw" on fabric or paper. I instantly thought I could do that with Kool Aid and yarn! I just had to wait for my Oregon "summer" to cooperate. I needed it to get sunny and warm enough to melt the ice cubes.
Update: Doing a giveaway for this yarn! Read more on this post.
Remember to wear your gloves! I took one packet of Kool Aid and mixed it with just enough water to fill 3 ice cube sections (do not add sugar! Just KA and water.) Then I froze them.
I used:
Kool Aid grape
Kool Aid strawberry
Klass brand pineapple
Klass brand hibiscus
Klass is a Mexican version of Kool Aid that I picked up at a Latino grocery store.
I soaked my WOOL yarn in warm water and vinegar for about a half an hour. I gently squeezed out the water and then laid it into a glass 9x13 baking pan. I put the frozen dye cubes on top and set it outside in direct sunlight.
When I first put the dye cubes on the yarn.
After an hour in the sun.
Once it was completely melted- in my case about an hour and a half- I covered it with saran wrap to help raise the heat and incubate the yarn. In hindsight, I could have just covered it when I first put it outside to melt. You need the yarn to reach about 180 degrees Fahrenheit (really, you just need it to be HOT!) to set the dye in the yarn. You could also cook the yarn in your oven or microwave it for a few minutes but I wanted this to be a solar project. So I covered it and left it outside all day.
Yarn steaming in the sun.
You'll know it's done when your baking dish is hot and the liquid in the yarn is clear- that means that the yarn has absorbed all of the dye. Bring yarn inside and let it cool down to room temperature. I then gently washed the yarn in warm water with some Eucalan (again there should be no dye washing off- your yarn bath should be clear. If it is running color, stop washing immediately and put back outside to cook some more. Or wrap it in saran wrap and nuke it in the microwave for a few minutes.) Gently squeeze the water out and then allowed it to air dry.
I'd say this was a total success!
Name: Summer Popsicle
Yarn: Knit Picks Bare Peruvian Highland Wool
Weight: Bulky
Yards: 137 yards
Posts
Awesome! I'm going to try this!
ReplyDeleteOh wow! That is beautiful I am super jealous. This looks like a fun project. On and that hibiscus sounds fabulous. Love what you named the yarn.
ReplyDeleteholy crap you're a genius O.O
ReplyDeleteI've done four skeins of yarn with Kool-aid and it always came out awesome, but i was never very good at splotching it like all you 'professionals' (hard to do when all you have at your disposal is a spoon o.O) So this is perfect! :-D loving it! (i even have tube-shaped ice-cubes instead of the square ones! wonder how well those'd work!??)
This looks so delicious! :) Great idea!
ReplyDeleteJust decided to try this, and I think you might have had more water in your ice cubes than I did, because the color just sat in little spots, didn't spread at all, and there isn't any liquid to be clear. I'm gonna try again with the same colors but make bigger (and more diluted) cubes, and make sure there's water so the dye has a way to spread. But. Love the idea! And it smells so good!
ReplyDeleteSublimecreatin- That is interesting! Was your yarn wet to begin with? I also wonder if it's a temperature thing. I'm in Oregon, so when I did this- when it was HOT it was in the 80s. Hot for Oregon but not really the summer temperatures people are getting elsewhere. Did you put the plastic wrap on right away or after they melted like I did? Maybe if the wrap is on in the beginning, it could help with evaporation. Just some thoughts.
ReplyDeleteWhat a clever idea! I've never tried ice cubes before. And the result is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteThis is so cool! I wonder how well it would work with superwash wool. My kids would think this is fun!
ReplyDeleteBeth- superwash wool won't affect the dyeing process at all. Go for it!
ReplyDeleteVery cool! And the yarn turned out so pretty! What did you use it for? I've never tried dyeing my own yarn. I'm too busy creating things with it. LOL
ReplyDeleteThanks Dee! I did a giveaway for this yarn, so a lucky reader now has it. Give dyeing a try!
ReplyDeleteWOW! I really like this idea but I am allergic to wool :( and I really love the was wool holds color and its water resistance.
ReplyDeleteMy question is this; will this work with cotton yarn? I hope so.
Raggz2baggz- This type of dyeing only works on wool. To dye cotton, you can't use acid dyes (like Kool Aid or food coloring.) You have to use a completely different type of dye- like RIT. I'm not sure but I don't think solar dyeing would work with cotton yarn either. I know from dyeing cotton clothing, that you need the dye bath to be extremely hot. I'm sorry you're allergic to wool. :( Maybe you can try this out while wearing gloves and then gift the yarn to a knitter you love?
ReplyDeletethis is a fabulous idea!! Just a quick question: is using Eucalan for that final rinse vital? Or can I just use water or a bit of laundry detergent?
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for this DIY! Can't wait to try it.
Meghan
@Meg- No, the Eucalan isn't important. I use it to help rid of the vinegar smell and give it a lovely scent. I don't suggest using regular detergent as it can be too harsh on wool/knitting. I say either skip it or use some gentle shampoo.
ReplyDeleteThat is just absolutely brilliant!
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a fantastic project. Any tips on using the oven? It's winter here in Canada!
ReplyDeleteThanks Allegra Young! To use the oven, keep your temperature low. No hotter than 200F. Just keep checking on it- first for the ice cubes to melt and then for the yarn to absorb it all- you don't want any colored liquid coming off. Any excess moisture should be clear. I would say that it wouldn't take longer than 30-90 minutes using the oven method.
ReplyDeleteThis is AWESOME! Linking up this Thursday at Tangled Happy. Thanks for sharing this FUN idea. :)
ReplyDeleteMy kids want to try this! Guess I know what we will be doing this weekend. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThat Looks So Cool !!! I'm Definately Keeping This In Mind For When I Get Some Wool Yarn, I Can Dye My Own Colors
ReplyDeleteThank's,Dottie In Va
I have got to try this. I wonder how other fibers will react.
ReplyDeleteIt will only work with wool or mostly wool fiber. The Kool Aid or food coloring will not adhere to cotton or synthetic fibers.
Deleteactually Acid dyes (like kool aid) work well with all protein fibers, including silk, wool, Llama,Alpaca, Bison, camel, horse, dog... but Maia is correct that synthetics and plant based fibers, (including cotton, bamboo, rayon and anything with poly or lycra) will not take acid dyes well.
DeleteKoolaid has been used to dye human hair (a trick kids into Punk had used when I was growing up- ages ago), so it makes sense that it would work on anything that was once "hair" of an animal, as doula_char said.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Mark Lipinski sent me over. I wonder if I would be allergic to wool too, but I could wear gloves while couching these fibers down on a wall quilt. I bet if you mixed the grape,reds and yellows in each a different shade for every ice cube that the results could yield some pretty flowers once stitched down.
what was the ratio vinegar to water for the pre soaking?
ReplyDeleteI didn't measure. You only need a tablespoon or so. I just pour some into the large bowl as I'm filling it with water.
DeleteIncredible! Thanks for sharing this process. I will try this. Just recently I have tried out dyeing handspun with Koolaid. It is great fun!
ReplyDelete