knitting | Yarn dyeing resources?

You're viewing

knitting
Create a Dreamwidth Account Learn More

Reload page in style: site light

untonuggan posting in

knitting

I know this is *slightly* off-topic, but I was wondering if anyone had any links to some good tutorials on dyeing your own yarn. (I have come to realize that if I'm going to support my spinning habit *and* my knitting habit, I better start dyeing my own fibers.) I know I've seen posts over time on dreamwidth, which is part of what sparked my interest in the first place. Where those posts are, I do not know.

Also, any thoughts on natural dyes versus I-don't-even-know-what-the-term-is dyes, books, etc. would be most helpful! Thank you!

^____^

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

momijizukamori

If you're on Ravelry, What a Kool Way to Dye (food coloring and Koolaid acid dyeing) and Plants to Dye For (natural dyes) are both good groups with a ton of resource links and helpful threads.

I'd suggest starting with food coloring acid dyeing - despite what it seems, it's a lot safer than most natural dyes - the 'acid' part is either vinegar or citric acid (which is what makes koolaid tangy), while almost all natural dyes require metal solutions to develop and fix the color, which tend to range from 'slightly toxic' to 'very toxic' and require careful use and disposal. A lot of professional acid dyes also have some toxic components, although usually the risk is only while they're in powdered form (though you have a wider range of colors, and get more dye for your money).

Food coloring dyeing is easy to get supplies for, and everything is food-safe, so you can use pots you already have instead of dedicating a whole new set of tools for dyeing (particularly when you're just starting out).

All these are for protein fibers - basically any animal fiber (wool/alpaca/mohair/etc), silk, and rayon. Plant fibers (cotton, bamboo, hemp, linen) take a different approach, and most manmade fibers don't take dye at all.