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Fun Ways to Experiment with Dyeing Yarn at Home

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natural yarn dyeing methodsOver the weekend, when we were done dyeing our Easter eggs, I decided to use some of the leftover dye to dye some yarn. It’s really simple and if you use vinegar in the dye solution the colors should be pretty fast (though the pink has been rubbing off all over as I knit with it).

Dyeing yarn with basic stuff you already have on hand or natural materials you can easily procure is a lot of fun. These methods are great to use around kids, too, because they’re not toxic like some chemical dyeing situations would be.

I’m not the only one with dyeing on the brain lately. Portia at Makery UK has been doing some dyeing, too, using tumeric to make an ombre cotton yarn and food coloring in a series of small bowls to make another multicolored yarn that came out really subtle and pastel for spring.

If you’re looking for other ways to play with dye at home, try dyeing with Kool-Aid, dandelions or strawberries (other fruit would work, too).

Have you ever dyed yarn before? I’d love to hear about it!

100 % cotton yarn

Comments

  1. I tried Kool-Aid dyeing once with my kids. The yarn came out well, and was all sorts of colors, but it never lost the smell!

  2. The colors will strike a lot faster and be much more wash and rub fast if you steam the yarn after dyeing. You can do this in the microwave in ziplock bags or a glass dish, or in mason jars in a stock pot water bath. It was all ready to rinse as soon as it cooled off from steaming, with no bleeding or crocking in the rinse or after they were dry.

    The kids and I dyed around 10 oz of wool roving and a skein of fingering weight yarn with the dye left over from doing our Easter eggs. It’s become a tradition. 🙂

Have you read?

Knits for the Table for Thanksgiving and Beyond

As we get into the part of the year with a lot of food-forward holidays, it might be time to start thinking about knitting some new things for your table. While a few of these are more fall/Thanksgiving focused, just changing up the colors would make others work for Christmas, or keep it neutral and use them all year long. 

What got me started thinking about this was the lovely and simple Fresh Bread Dishtowel, a free pattern from Purl Soho. Worked in a lovely cotton and linen blend, the towel is mostly stockinette stitch with a bit of texture on the borders. 

You could use this same kind of pattern to make anything from placemats to a table runner, but let’s look at some specific patterns for those kinds of projects as well. 

The easy moss stitch table runner from Glass Bird Knits is beginner friendly can can easily be modified to fit your table (or, again, to make placemats instead of or in addition to a runner). This version is worked in macrame cord, but you could also use bulky yarn. 

Emielle Design has a garter stitch runner pattern that’s made with braided cotton cord for a lot of texture without a lot of work. But be sure to take a lot of breaks when knitting with cord because it can be rough on your hands!

I also love the diamond pattern on the Hamilton Table Runner from Wyndlestraw Designs. It calls for a DK weight cotton and linen blend yarn and comes in three sizes with different widths and lengths. The pattern has both written and charted instructions. 

Amy Marie’s Table Pumpkins (on Ravelry) is a fun mosaic knitting pattern that would be great to use as a table runner through the fall and for Thanksgiving. It uses a worsted weight cotton yarn in two colors, and you can make it as long as you like for your table. 

The no cable knit placemats from Yarn Culture Studio have a fun faux cable look that would be great for the table through the fall and winter. 

Or here’s another pattern from Wyndlestraw Designs, this time for an easy knit and purl stitch placemat pattern that looks different but still good on both sides. It calls for worsted weight cotton and comes in two sizes for placemats, but also has instructions for coasters, a hot pad and a table pad all using the same stitch.