Crochet Wonders  

Today I thought I would share some information about dyeing wool.  I started recycling wool from sweaters purchased at thrift shops. I will post more information about recycling sweaters later. If you do a search you will find lots of great information and also youtube videos.       

Here is a link giving some pretty good instructions onusing Koolaid as a dye: http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/FAQ/drinkmix.shtml.   Here is a great tutorial on dyeing wool using the Paas easter egg dye:  www.woolfestival.com/articles/eggdye.htm.                                  

Basically what I did was read through a lot of tutorials and watch a couple of youtube videos before I got started. Then it's kind of trial and error. I found my favorite method is the stovetop method. I used a large shallow stainless steel frying pan with just enough water to cover the yarn. I did use vinegar to help set the color. I used a dropper to add color because so far I have usually dyed one batch with several different colors.                                                                                           

I found that I could get some really pretty colors using Koolaid. One of my favorite colors to use is the blue. The orange also gives some very vivid colors. I have mixed blue and yellow to get a nice green.  The photo below is of some alpaca yarn I purchased at a nearby alpaca farm.  I used blue and purple Koolaid.

The one below is a fine peach cashmere. The one on left is undyed.

The photo below is a rust/orange shetland wool. I used orange, red and blue. The results were beautiful and unexpected. I think because the wool had such a deep color it was almost impossible to predict what would happen.