I have been waiting all week for the day I got to start dyeing with Kool Aid. It seems to me that this is the craziest thing … the very thing we all grew up drinking during those long, hot summer months is the thing that is to become a very ‘safe’ dye. Weird. Who knew that Kool Aid could dye wool well… and permanently???
(Okay, if you are reading this, and you already knew the great things that the humble Kool Aid could do, then I definitely pay homage to your Kool Aid dyeing prowess, and admit my ignorance in the ways of all things Kool Aid dyeing. But, if you have never given this a try, and you love to sew or knit or crochet or work with fiber at all, then I say….. you gotta give this a try!!!!)
There are lots of sites on the internet that talk about Kool Aid dyeing – I won’t list them all here, but I loved the detail that I found on ThePiper.com, Knitty.com, KeeponKnittingintheFreeWorld, and CutoutandKeep.net … these are four sites that are definitely worth the read if you are interested in giving Kool-Aid dyeing a try (especially because these sites also give you instructions for dyeing in the microwave and I am going to focus only on stove-top dyeing method.)
So – my Kool Aid dyeing experiment starts with a good variety of materials. I have:
- 100% wool (that Cedarview wool I love so much) in a natural colour,
- an 80% wool/15% Angora/5% nylon yarn in a peacock blue/teal colour,
- a 20% wool/80% acrylic yarn in a variegated oatmeal colour,
- a wool/viscose blend fabric in an off-white colour,
- cotton t-shirting samples,
- and an old blouse made from 100% cotton.
Why so many different kinds of fabric and wool?
The easy answer is that I am curious. All those sites that give such great instructions for Kool Aid dyeing are all focused around wool. (So I knew that plain wool roving and wool yarn were givens to start this experiment). But since very few of those sites talk about fabric, I knew I also wanted to try a little of that too. And lastly, every where I looked, everything I read said that Kool Aid dyeing was only for ‘protein fibers’ and I just wanted to see what happens if I throw some cotton into the mix too – or some low percentage wool yarns.
And then I have the Kool Aid… 6 kinds. (This was all the kinds in the store at the time, but I am sure there are lots more – they are going to have to be an experiment for another day):
- Tropical Punch
- Cherry
- Orange
- Grape
- Lemon-Lime
- Strawberry-Kiwi
With the fabric, the Kool-Aid, a little vinegar and a very big pot for ‘cooking’ my dyed materials in, I am ready to go. The very biggest question is what fabric and what flavour of Kool Aid will turn out the best….?
But that is a question for tomorrow.
Have you ever tried dyeing with Kool Aid? I would love to hear your experiences!
