Knitting

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Kool-Aid Dyeing with Kids

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kool-aid yarn dyeHave you ever done Kool-Aid dyeing? I have, and I loved the results, which you can read about over on About. It’s really quick and easy, and because Kool-Aid is safe to drink you don’t need any special equipment like you would if you used harsher dyes — just use a regular pot on the regular stove.

But what if you want to involve your kids in the really fun process of dyeing yarn? Palak over at Make it Handmade wanted to do just that, and she’s got some great tips for doing just that.

She used a slow cooker instead of a pot on the stove and dyed the yarn in two stages so some of it is a little darker than the rest, giving a subtle striping to finished knits made with it without any trouble at all. She also threw in an already knit hat to give it some color, which is just brilliant.

Have you ever dyed with kids? I don’t have a slow cooker but that’s such a great idea!

[Photo via Make it Handmade.]

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Comments

  1. Thank you for the feature! We honestly had so much fun doing this. Slow cookers are plentiful at the thrift store, I hope you try it out!

Have you read?

Golden Peak Media Acquires CreativeBug

Throughout the saga of the closing of Joann, I’ve been wondering what would happen to CreativeBug, the subscription-based online craft learning platform that Joann acquired in 2017. 

Golden Peak Media has announced its acquisition of the company in a media release. 

Golden Peak is “one of the largest media and education companies serving art and craft enthusiasts in the United States,” according the release, and includes in its portfolio brands like Interweave, Sew Daily, and nine print magazines including Love of Quilting and Interweave Knits. They have daily newsletters, magazines, digital patterns, on-demand classes and host live events.

David Saabye, CEO of Golden Peak, calls the purchase a “very natural fit” supporting crafters in their lifelong learning journeys. 

CreativeBug general manager Liana Allday will stay on and the company will retain its headquarters in Berkeley, Calif. 

Abby Glassenberg of the Craft Industry Alliance collected reactions from some CreativeBug instructors and others with a history at the company, and heard lots of optimism about the news. Ursula Morgan, who was CEO of CreativeBug when the company was acquired by Joann, said Golden Peak is a “perfect home” for CreativeBug as they’re getting an owner that “deeply understands the craft consumer.” 

I, too, am relieved to see that this platform will be able to continue. I’ve been a subscriber for years and I love that it has solid instruction in a wide range of crafts (including knitting, of course!) and is always adding new content to keep the platform interesting. It’s also a great service that CreativeBug is available to many for free through their local libraries, so be sure to check on that where you live if you don’t already subscribe. 

This feels like the last piece of the puzzle in the story of Joann that’s going on all year, along with the announcement that Michaels had purchased Joann’s intellectual property so its private label brands can live on, but of course I’ll keep watching to see if there’s more to come.