Good enough to drink... and dye

Many many months ago, I was fascinated by the prospects of dyeing my own yarn. So venture I did. I wanted quick and easy so I chose the Kool-Aid route. Armed with a buggy load of vinegar and unsweetened packs of Kool-aid, the cute checker-outer boy at the grocery store asked me if I was having a party. I said I was making Kool-aid into yarn. He looked at me like I was David Cooperfield's aunt or something.

I printed instructions from the web and began the journey into powdered abyss. I quickly became enamoured of all the cool colors I could make (and not make). The only color for me that was not successful was grape. Ugghhh.

In my backyard was a clothes dryer rack I had bought at the thrift store that quickly became my yarn hanger. And quickly is right . This does not take long. My ultra smart hubby made me a board with 2 posts - evenly set apart -so that I could wind the yarn back into nice even hanks. Of course, Debby had to have one too.

I dyed 100% worsted weight wool, cashmere and wool blend, lace weight (there is a secret to that) nothing was safe. I even overdyed some yarn that came out really crapola. A favorite saying of a friend of mine when I get over zealous about something is ..."Folks, she drank the kool-aid". And drank it I did.

I saw a couple of skeins turned into head turbans for the hospice I volunteer for and gave some skeins away to the nursing center ladies (and a gent) that I knit with. They loved it and even more loved the fact that it was "homemade". Now if I can just get my property rezoned so I can have my own sheep ... well that would be the sugar in the kool-aid for me!

Try it sometime. Would love to hear your experiences with different types of dyeing of yarns. I did try some cotton but we won't talk about that ultra disaster ... Lost a pot over that one ... I think I'll stick with the Kool-aid kid... We also won't chat about how much undyed yarn Debby and I purchased one time either. It's long long filed away ... Huh, Debby?