Sooz Knits

Adventures with Kool-Aid!

September 19, 2007 · 8 Comments

So, recently I decided to try some adventures with Kool-Aid. It has been lots and lots of fun, and I am sure that I will try it again! Here is a step-by-step process of what I did:

1. Buy some 100% wool yarn.

wool.jpg

2. Buy a selection of Kool-Aid packets:

kool-aid.jpg

3. Wind the wool round something (camping chairs work really well, as you can collapse them slightly to lift the wool off!):

chairs.jpg

4. Tie tiny figure of 8’s around the wool using some cotton to stop the wool from tangling up:

figure-8.jpg

5. Soak the wool in room temperature water for 10 minutes (mmm spaghetti):

soak.jpg

6. Mix the Kool-Aid – I used 2 packets per litre of water (again I used room temperature water… careful not to felt your wool!). I also put one cap of distilled vinegar in – but I don’t think that this is necessary, and it doesn’t smell great. Then depending on how you want your yarn to look – place in a variety of pots and pans:

pans.jpg

7. Arrange your yarn in the pots and pans as desired:

colourful.jpg

8. Set all pans on a very low heat, and then set your timer for 30 minutes. The water does not need to boil. All the colour from the kool-aid should now be on the wool, and the water should become clear:

steamin.jpg

9. Leave the water/pans to cool completely, then take the wool out and rinse well in room temperature water.

10. Lay out to dry on a towel for a few minutes to absorb excess water, then hang up on a dryer:

crazy.jpg

11. When dry – wind into a ball of wool and admire your creation. You may even want to try knitting with it!

tutti-frutti.jpg

Unfortunately, my wool looked like a load of tutti fruttis have all thrown-up on my yarn. But at least I enjoyed dyeing it!

This is my second attempt:

second-attempt.jpg

Which I am making a pair of socks out of – like this:

sock.jpg

Loads and loads of fun – I would really recommend trying it!


Categories: craft · dye · dyeing · felting · grape · knit · knitting · kool-aid · lemon-lime · strawberry · tutorial · wool · yarn

8 responses so far ↓

Leave a Comment