Kool Aid Dyeing with Moolah

Sometime in the early 1990s, Drama brought me gorgeous natural wool from New Zealand.  I tried to knit with it many times, but it never looked quite right for the projects I wanted to do.  Then, several months ago, I learned that you could dye your own protein-based yarn using kool aid.  Moolah saw me watching how-to videos online, got as excited as I was, and asked to join me on my adventure.

Step 1:  Find the Wool

I needed to go to the under house and dig around for the wool. I had two balls that were slightly different colors and thought it would be interesting to see if they turned out significantly different.

Show them to Moolah, who proves that she's her Daddy's girl by saying "Look, Mama! Boobies!" 

Step 2: Skein the Wool

Realize I need to turn these into skeins for dying. It's actually quite a fine yarn, so there is miles and miles of it, and I don’t have a swift (a fancy tool that helps wind yarn into skeins). So, I go digging in my house for a substitute.  I find our lazy susan, a heavy box (containing medals & awards from high school), and a bowl.

Then, I manage to convince Moolah and Ace that spinning the box is SUPER FUN!

 Step 3: Math!

I marked the skeins with different colors so I could tell when they were done whether the slightly different color mattered at all.  Since the dye only works on protein-based yarn, I use cotton yarn for that part.

Then it's time to weigh it.  I've already done the research and figured out that I need 2 packets of kool-aid per ounce of yarn.

OK. Don't Panic.  It's just Math.  I know my recipe needs 3 packets of lemon-lime and 1 packet of orange, and since all the numbers I'm working with are multiples of 4, it shouldn't really require a pad & paper. But, if you're me, it does.  I promise I didn't use a calculator, but I don't promise that I didn't reach for one before I realized that my brain really could be trusted with this level of calculation.  

Step 4: Presoak & Other Prep

The yarn has to soak for a minimum of an hour, which I figure is just enough time to go to the store for Kool Aid and clean the microwave because there's no way I'm taking pictures of the inside of my microwave as it is.

Go to store to purchase Kool Aid and cheese. Find $90 worth of other things that we need

Come home and discover that Moolah is napping. Clean the microwave.  Moolah still asleep. Wait patiently. Start to bake bread while waiting. Decide to roast almonds while waiting for the yeast to proof. Moolah still sleeping. Continue baking bread. Decide to bake pumpkin muffins while the oven is on, the bread is rising, and the girl is sleeping. Wait more. Punch down dough. Wait more. 2 hours later…

Step 5:  Let the Mad Science Begin!

We mix 8 packets of Kool Aid (6 lemon-lime, 2 orange) into 8 cups of water.

Pour it over the first skein of wool. 

See how super thick and sludgy it is.

Step 6: Bring the Heat! 

Into the microwave for 8 minutes...

Marvel with Moolah about how much clearer the water is!  Seriously. This is cool stuff!  Where there are little pockets of green left, we could see them swirling toward the wool and soaking in.

Wait for the rest of the dye to soak in & the water to become clear. Make dinner.

Repeat the whole process with the other skein. Stare at it the same amount. Too cool!

Step 7:  Dry

Rinse and hang to dry. Note that the darker yarn shows more distinct shading, but the same color. It also made the bathroom smell like lime Kool Aid/Jell-o for several days, and the yarn still smells distinctly limey.

Step 8:  Finis

Pour wine. Enjoy the results of a busy day.