A New Project

I know that I already have one blog detailing the events my life, but I thought a second blog would be a good idea for my readership interested in my current crafting projects. If you aren't interested in reading about knitting (and other things Martha Stewart), stop here and return to my original blog, which will now be yarn-free. Otherwise, read on!

I currently have two projects on the needles, but I will save those for the next post. They aren't going to be finished anytime in the immediate future. As the title implies, this post will be about a new project, which actually has two meanings. The first reference is to the blog itself, and the second is to a new technique I tried out this weekend with some spare yarn--Kool Aid dying!

Of the different types of dying, using Kool Aid seemed to be a fairly easy way to experiment with coloring yarn. Plus, I frogged ("rip-it") an ugly scarf made out of white wool and wanted to do something with all of the leftover yarn. Kool Aid is actually very concentrated and works well to dye animal fibers (wool, llama, etc.) but not plant fibers (cotton, linen, etc). I got the instructions from an article on the Knitty website: http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall02/FEATdyedwool.html

Start with yarn, a few bowls, and some packets of Kool-Aid

Empty Kool Aid packet into bowl and fill with water

Soak yarn in solution

Microwave for a few minutes. It's so easy!

Rinse and repeat

Hang to dry


It was a fun little project, and it took me only a few hours to dye the six colors shown above. The reds and yellow came out very bright, but the green and blue didn't take as well as I would have liked. Also, you can't make large batches, but I don't mind having bright colored wool to use on a small project or two. I'm already starting to daydream about the things I can make.

I hope you will enjoy my knitting exploits and stay tuned for future posts. For now, I am going to get cozy in my favorite handknit sweater. I wish you a very joyful week and happy knitting!