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.]

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?

Stitch a Simple Sack Hat that Looks Like a Turkey

If your family is the sort to do a turkey trot for Thanksgiving, or even just to take family pictures, you’ll want to get started knitting up some Turkey Sack Hats with this pattern from Underground Crafter. 

The pattern uses super bulky yarn and is rated easy. It’s knit flat but there are a few skills in here around the shaping of the eyes, which includes changing colors, working bobbles and doing a wicked purl 3 together decrease. Twice. 

But that’s all in one row, and the rest of it is pretty simple. The beak is worked separately and sewn on, and the side of the hat is stitched up to make it into a hat. 

What’s great about this one is that it comes in 10 sizes, ranging from newborn to adult large, so you really can make one for everyone in the family. And because it uses super bulky yarn you can knit a bunch pretty quickly if that’s a thing you’d like to do. 

It’s also fun because you could use this base pattern to make different animals or for different holidays. Make it all in orange and stitch on a jack o’lantern face for Halloween, or make a white one that’s a snowman, for example. 

In any style this would also be a fun gag gift for that person in your life who has everything or doesn’t want gifts, or if you do a secret Santa or white elephant gift exchange at work or elsewhere. 

And make sure whether you’re making it a turkey or some other character that you include the pom poms at the top! They’re just so cure and a great way to add a bit more color to the project, and they’re easy to make. (See also: ways to make a pompom with yarn.)

You can grab the free pattern at the Underground Crafter website. 

[Photo: Underground Crafter]