Dyeing Yarn With Koolaid!

I recently bought 10 hanks of undyed wool sock yarn so that I could experiment with dyeing yarn.  After searching the internet for recipes, I settled on my own modified version.

Equipment Used:

2 unsweented packs of koolaid (or any powdered unsweetened soft drink mix)

White vinegar

Wooden spoon

Large heat proof bowl, either glass or plastic (I used a large tupperware bowl)

Measuring cup (1/2 cup size)

2 quart tea kettle

1 hank of wool yarn (mine is 100 grams, 92% wool and 8% acrylic)

The process:

First, fill your tea kettle with water and set it to boil on your stove. 

Empty your koolaid packets into your bowl and add 1/2 cup of white vinegar.  Stir to dissolve koolaid.

Now add the 2 quarts of heated water to the mix and stir.  Then untwist the hank and add your yarn.  Gently push the yarn down into the mixture with your wooden spoon.

Place the bowl in a draft free area (I used my microwave).  Let sit until all of the color has been taken up by the yarn. The water will turn clear.  Let sit until it reaches room temperature.  Then rinse the yarn in cool to lukewarm water.  Gently squeeze the excess water from the yarn and hang it to dry.  This may take a day or two. 

What I learned from this process:

The yarn does not take up the color evenly.  Some areas are darker than others.  The result will be, in my opinion, beautiful in a pair of socks.  When I knit some socks with this yarn, I will be sure to post a picture.  Here is a picture of some of the yarn I have dyed using koolaid.

This was a fun experiment and did I mention, cheap!?!   My next experiment in dyeing will be using Rit dye.  I’ll let you all know how that goes.