Today, Episode 35 of Dyepot Weekly came out! Where has time gone? How has it been over 6 months since the launch of this video series? With the release of Dyepot Weekly #35, I have officially completed my Kickstarter Campaign. I initially hoped to fund the first 25 episodes of Dyepot Weekly but everyone's support helped SMASH all of the stretch goals I could come up with.
If you've missed some episodes of Dyepot Weekly along the way, don't worry! I have a playlist on the ChemKnits Tutorials YouTube channel so you can catch up on the whole series:
Don't worry, Dyepot Weekly isn't over. I just about to schedule episodes #42 and #43 and I'm in various stages of filming through #50!
What's Next for ChemKnits?
Many of you have asked me if I would do another Kickstarter campaign. The honest answer is maybe. I think that it could be fun to participate in a Make 100 campaign, or to do another campaign if I needed the capital to launch a special series. However, I do not have plans to do another Kickstarter at this time. There are, however, other ways that you can support ChemKnits.
One way you can support me right now is through Patreon. To become a ChemKnits Patron, you subscribe to a reward tier and contribute to ChemKnits on a monthly basis. As a Patron, you have access to some fantastic perks that can include early access to new dyeing videos, behind the scenes sneak peeks, advance notice of yarn destash sales and more. I think my favorite part is the monthly Patron only poll where they provide input into the next early access video.
Another way you can support ChemKnits is by interacting with my videos and other content. Subscribe to the ChemKnits Tutorials YouTube channel, share videos via social media, like videos, comment on videos. All of this helps more people discover my content which in turn gives me the resources to create more videos.
Speaking of destash sales... one is coming. I am currently at the beginning stages of opening up an Etsy shop! My stash of hand dyed yarn is rather large, and I need to make some more space in my closet so I can create more yarn dyeing videos.
What else is next? I have a whole backlog of crafting projects that I want to write up here. The only real thing that is holding me back is the need to edit some of the pictures first, and then I can start sharing more of my fun crafting adventures.
Thank you for being a part of this journey. I look forward to many more years of creative adventures with you.
The finished yarns dyed in the Sock Blank Special 2 #ChemKnitsDyeAlong Livestreams.
What a fantastic adventure! Earlier this year, I scheduled a week of sock blank dyeing videos to explore many different techniques for applying dye to these pre-knit, and crochet, pieces of fabric. During the Sock Blank Special 2 weeks, I released 10 different dyeing videos: 5 edited prefilmed videos and 5 dyeing livestreams. What I didn't expect was that the SBS2 week would continue over another week with multiple unraveling livestreams so you could see what these yarns looked like with the blanks unraveled.
Phew! I dyed 21 blanks during the livestreams. That is a LOT of yarn, and a lot of videos. I have a playlist that organizes all of the SBS2 videos in roughly chronological order. This is a little confusing because there were some sneak peek episodes where I unraveled blanks for the edited videos. I placed these unraveling videos after the relevant edited video in the playlist. (The livestream unravelings are all at the end.) I always like to film a recap video after a livestream so you can see the finished dry yarn and hear some concluding thoughts, and there is a recap for each of the livestreams. For this special week, I also felt the need to film an overall summary so you could see not only the dried blanks but the finished unraveled yarns. Therefore, I made a summary slideshow so you could see pictures of the dyeing, finished dry blank, and unraveled yarn. The yarns are arranged according to the livestream where they were dyed, so this should help you find the specific replay in case you want to learn more about the technique.
Want to learn more about all of these yarns? Check out the Sock Blank Special 2 #ChemKnitsDyeAlong Playlist or watch below. (I know that there is a LOT of footage to go through. Some of my followers say that they watch livestream replays on 2x speed to get to the action parts of the dyeing.)
Thank you, everyone, who joined me in this journey. So many of you joined in on the fun and dyed your own homemade sock blanks. Thank you for sharing your pictures in the Facebook group for ChemKnits fans, ChemKnits Lab. I still have a few homemade sock blanks left in my stash, not to mention at least 10 stroll sock blanks from KnitPicks. (Affiliate Link)
If you want to support ChemKnits on a more personal level and contribute to fun dyeing specials like the Sock Blank Special 2, check out the ChemKnits Patreon. Patrons can receive exclusive behind the scenes sneak peek videos, early access to new dyeing videos, coupons, and more.
Are you ready to dye along with me in the Sock Blank Special 2? I have talked about the materials and equipment you will need for the #ChemKnitsDyeAlong, and now it is finally time to talk more about the schedule for the week. I plan to host livestreams at a variety of times of day so as many of you will have a chance of joining me live as possible. Don't worry if you can't catch me live, the livestream archives will be available to replay later.
In all of the livestreams, I will dye a combination of KnitPicks Stroll Sock Blanks and DIY blanks made out of various yarn weights, fiber types, and number of strands. The Stroll Sock Blanks are double stranded, so when we unravel the yarn we will get two identical 50 g skeins of yarn. The homemade blanks will feature both single stranded and doublestranded blanks.
ChemKnits Dye Along; Sock Blank Special Schedule
With each episode/livestream in the schedule, I have indicated if you will need any special materials to dye along with me. Make sure you refer to the General Materials list just after the schedule for things that will be used in most of the episodes. This list might be tweeked as we get closer to the Sock Blank Special.
LIVESTREAM: Sunday 2/25/18 7:15 PM EST - #ChemKnitsDyeAlong Kickoff! A chat to get excited about the week ahead of us. I might work on making some blanks (via knitting machine or crocheting) or unravel some dyed blanks.
Special Materials needed: Sock Blanks! Finish getting your sock blanks together to dye along with me this week.
Monday 2/26/18 8:30 AM EST - Dyepot Weekly #28 comes out a day early! This isn't a livestream, but I am moving up this week's Dyepot Weekly episode 24 hours so it can help kick off our week of fun. Want a sneak peek? Check out the livestream where I unraveled this blank.
Materials Needed: Squeeze bottles for applying the dye (Jacquard acid dyes) to the homemade double stranded sock blank.
LIVESTREAM: Monday 2/26/18 8:00 PM EST - Random Patterns! Tonight we are going for true random patterns. We will tie dye, randomly dip, and more.
Materials needed: Utensils to apply dye to the fiber (brushes, squeeze bottles, or syringes), a dish basen or dye safe bowl, rubber bands.
LIVESTREAM:Tuesday 2/27/18 9:00 AM EST - Stripes, Stripes, and More Stripes! We will dye multiple homemade and commercial sock blanks in a variety of striping patterns.
Materials Needed: KoolAid Packets, Snow (as a substitute, try either crushed ice or ice cubes!)
LIVESTREAM:Wednesday 2/28/18 Noon EST - Stamping and Stenciling Sock Blanks
Special Materials: Guar Gum (a thickening agent), Wilton Gel Icing Colors (they are already thick to begin with!), foam brushes, squeeze bottles, stencils, stamps, and cookie cutters
Thursday 3/1/18 Morning TBD - A New Sock Blank Special Episode!
LIVESTREAM:Friday 3/2/18 10:30 AM EST - Sprinkles, Speckles, and More!
Special Materials: Sprinkles (Sugar Sprinkles or nonpareils), KoolAid packets (or similar drink mix)
Friday 3/2/18 Afternoon/Evening TBD - Ice Dyeing a Sock Blank
Materials Needed: ice cubes (multiple trays worth, I filled up a whole dish basen with cubes), KoolAid packet (or powdered citric acid), liquid food coloring.
In addition to the above scheduled events, I might add some additional unraveling streams as our dyed blanks finish drying. General Materials Needed for the Dye Along
I covered this in the where to buy and how to make sock blanks post, but I wanted to recap the other materials you should have on hand. Please refer to the materials list in the "Where to Buy Sock Blanks" post for other items you should consider having on hand. If you plan to use acid dyes, make sure you use dedicated non-food equiptment and utensils for dyeing.
Yarn: In all of the videos, I will dye yarn that is in either a knit or crochet blank (read more about). All of the yarns will be predominantly protein based fibers (wool, alpaca, silk, etc.) I will use a mixture of homemade blanks (see how I make them in the videos at the end of this post) and commercial blanks (KnitPicks Stroll Sock Blanks)
Dye: This dye along will feature either food safe (i.e. food coloring) or commercial acid dyes. The overall techniques will work for either type of dye. If you plan to use commercial acid dyes, make sure you are using dedicated dyeing equipment and utensils.
Acid: Either white vinegar or citric acid
Heat: I will either use a microwave (with food coloring dyed yarns) or a pot on the stove. My dyepot has a steamer basket which I use for yarns handpainted with commercial acid dyes.
Miscallenous: plastic wrap, gloves, measuring cups and spoons, tongs, heat safe dishes, container for presoaking the blanks, cups for mixing dyes
Other Resources
I have two playlists on the ChemKnits Tutorials YouTube channel that features the dyeing of preknit blanks. There is the original Sock Blank Special playlist from videos and livestreams that took place in December 2017. All of these videos feature KnitPicks Stroll Sock Blanks. These blanks dye and unravel SO BEAUTIFULLY and they are a dream to use. I just orderd a bulk 20 pack of these blanks, which means that I plan to do some sock blank dyeing videos even after the dye along is over! (Maybe Sock Blank Special 3?)
I know that purchasing sock blanks can be expensive, so I am also going to use homemade sock blanks. I have another playlist that features videos of making and dyeing homemade knit blanks. I use a Singer hand crank knitting machine for all of my homemade knit blanks. I find that this machine works well for worsted (and thinner) single stranded blanks and fingering weight double stranded blanks. The machine struggles to make double stranded worsted and DK blanks, but I was able to complete them. I worried that I might strip the gears, so proceed with caution that you could damage your machine.
I have two young children and I work out of my home. The livestream schedule depends on my kids being healthy and able to attend school. If one of them is home from school sick, then I will need to shift the schedule above and potentially delay some of the livestreams. Thankfully, I am pre-filming many different techniques so you can still dye along even if I have to push back some of the livestreams.
Share Your Own Projects!
Tag your pictures with #ChemKnitsDyeAlong on Instagram and Twitter. I will have a post on the ChemKnits Facebook Page where you can share your finished dyed sock blanks, the unraveled yarn, and items that you made our of your dyed sock blanks. I can't wait to see what you create! You are also welcome to come and join the ChemKnits Lab Group to chat more about ideas and all types of dyeing projects. The group is filled with hundreds of ChemKnits fans and we are having a lot of fun. Watch How to Make and Dye Homemade Sock Blanks!
I cannot wait to dye along with you during this Sock Blank Special. I have tried to take many of the requests from the last Sock Blank Special and incorporate them into the events for this special week. Are you ready to dye along with me?
This post contains some affiliate links to Amazon and KnitPicks. All thoughts, opinions, and product selections are my own and I was not approached to promote any of the products.
The week of February 26, 2018 I'm going to host a DYE ALONG! I will do MULTIPLE livestreams to give everyone an opportunity to join in. The theme? SOCK BLANK SPECIAL 2!! I will demonstrate a variety of dyeing techniques on homemade and commercially knit blanks in a series of livestreams and pre-filmed videos.
In this article, I will share many places to purchase sock blanks, tools for you to make your own sock blanks, and materials that are helpful to have on hand so you can dye along with me.
The Sock Blank Special Dye Along schedule will be released in the middle of February, however I wanted to share the general plan now to give you a chance to get your hands on some sock blanks for the dye along. I will release a number of pre-filmed sock blank dyeing videos in addition to multiple livestreams. The livestreams will take place at a range of times (morning, lunchtime, and evening) to give as many people as possible the chance to tune in. What is a sock blank?
A sock blank is a knit piece of fabric that you can dye and then unravel to use in a knitting or crochet project. These make it really easy to create gradient yarns and other unique asymmetric colorways. When a sock blank is knit with two strands of yarn, aka a double knit sock blank, you can use this to create identical or symmetrical colorways. A single knit sock blank is knit with one strand of yarn.
Where to Buy Sock Blanks
You have two main choices, purchase commercial blanks OR create your own. You could hand knit a blank, but that would take a long time. If you want to create your own custom blanks (single or double stranded), I recommend getting an inexpensive hand crank knitting machine. I will talk more about this in the next section.
Here are some choices for purchasing your own sock blanks:
KnitPicks - Stroll Fingering (75% superwash merino / 25% nylon) is one of my favorite yarns to dye, and KnitPicks offers a double knit sock blank with Stroll Fingering as the base. You can purchase an individual blank that contains two 50 g balls of yarn knit together (462 yards total) for $19.99 or you can buy a 20 pack of sock blanks for $339.80 with the bulk discount (Affiliate Links)
Wool2Dye4 - Wool2Dye4 offers three different sock blank options that you can purchase as a 5 pack. They offer a double knit blank (i.e. two strands of yarn knit together so you can make identical socks) in their Platinum Sock line (75% superwash merino, 25% nylon). You can buy a single knit blank as Sparkle Blanks (with 5% stellina for some sparkle) or a single knit blank in Platinum Sock Yarn. (In the single knit blanks there is only one strand of yarn knit at a time, so you can make a really stunning gradient or striped yarn but you will not get two identical skeins of yarn when you unravel the blank.) Prices for the 5 packs run from $68 - $71.
Dharma Trading - Their single strand Super Sock Blanks are made out of 75% superwash merino / 25% nylon. Prices start at $18.55 and will go down to $15.90 if you order 20 or more.
ACME Fibers - For an additional $6-$6.50 CAD, you can order any of ACME's bare sock yarns as a double stranded or a single stranded sock blank. They offer a wide variety of fingering weight and sock yarns that you could get as a custom blank WITHOUT having to wind it yourself! This final cost per sock blank will range from about $20 - $27 CAD depending on the yarn base you choose. ACME Fibers is a Canadian company, and I'm not sure whether they offer international shipping.
Etsy - You can purchase undyed sock blanks on Etsy for a variety of prices (I've seen anywhere from $14 - $22 USD.)
Make Your Own Blanks for Dyeing
There aren't many options for purchasing commercially knit blanks for dyeing. All of them are fingering weight yarns and most of them have the same, or very similar, fiber content in a superwash wool / nylon blend. If you purchase a hand crank knitting machine, you can create your own knit blanks using whatever yarn weight and fiber content you desire.
Before you make your own blank, it can help to think about what you might want to make out of the yarn. Do you want to make socks or mittens? Consider making a double stranded blank so you can get identical pairs. Are you making a hat or a cowl? how do you want the colors spaced? Will you want stripes? These questions can help you decide how you want to dye your blank, but also the type of yarn you want to use in your blank. Most commercially wound blanks use either a single strand or double strands of sock yarn. With a hand crank knitting machine, you can create your own blanks in almost any yarn type. Double stranded lace? Go for it! You have your pick of bare yarns to choose from. The knitting machines that I own (shown below) are intended for worsted weight yarn. These also work well on fingering weight and double stranded fingering weight yarn. However, creating a double stranded worsted weight blank was really hard on the machine so I do NOT recommend trying that. (I have not yet tried DK or sport weight.)
I use a Singer hand crank knitting machine to make my own blanks. This plastic machine is designed for children, but it works well enough to make imperfect tubes that I can use for dyeing yarn. (You can also create flat blanks with the machine but I tend to do tubes because they are faster to crank out.)
I have a few videos that feature my singer knitting machines:
I'll probably do a livestream at the beginning of the Sock Blank Special Dye Along where I will make a double stranded blank. Maybe I'll even make a flat one!
Materials for the Sock Blank Special Dye Along
In addition to pre knit (or crochet!) blanks, there are some other materials that you need to dye along with us.
DYE - In the Sock Blank Special Dye Along, I will use mostly food coloring or Kool-Aid in the live streams. However, all of the techniques I will do in the dye along will translate nicely to commercial acid dyes. I will talk more specifically about the materials I will use in each livestream when I release the final schedule. YARN - There are many suggestions on where you can purchase sock blanks or how to make your own above. I wanted to give a few reminders about the fiber content in this section. Since we are using either food coloring or acid dyes, we need to have yarn that is made out of protein based fibers such as a wool or silk. Most commercial sock blanks are wool/nylon blends and these dye beautifully. I have had great success with 50% wool 50% viscose (a cellulose fiber). Wool/acrylic blends can work, but the resulting colors will be more muted. If you are going to make your own sock blanks, I recommend picking yarns that have high % of wool. ACID - I mostly use white vinegar (acetic acid), but you can also use powder citric acid to help the dye bind to the yarn. The amount of citric acid found in a KoolAid packet is sufficient for dyeing yarn so if you are using KoolAid then you don't need any additional acid.
HEAT - In the dye along, I will either use a microwave or a pot on the stove to set the colors. In the microwave, I usually will wrap the yarn in plastic wrap and then steam it, however you can do kettle dyed yarns in the microwave. On the stove top, I will either have the yarn completely submerged in the dyebath or use a steamer basket to steam the yarn after it has been handpainted. EQUIPMENT - The following are equipment pieces that I regularly use when I am dyeing yarn. If you are planning on using commercial acid dyes, please make sure that you use dedicated pots, utensils, and other equipment that you don't use for food.
A dishpan or large bowl for presoaking yarns and washing the yarns at the end (so I don't have to lay them directly in the sink)
A microwave safe plate(s)
Slotted Spoons (to press fiber down in a pot)
Measuring cups and spoons
Plastic cups for mixing dyes
paper towels for cleaning up messes
Plastic wrap for steaming and/or microwaving
Tongs (helpful for removing hot yarn from a pot)
OTHER TOOLS - You can apply dye to knit fabric in many different ways. Sometimes I will just pour out of cups, other times I will use some foam brushes or squeeze bottles to hand paint the blanks. The following tools are completely optional, but might make an appearance during the Sock Blank Special Dye Along. When I release the final schedule, I will create some specific materials lists.
Foam Craft Brushes (or maybe a sponge) to dab dye onto the blanks
Needle nose squeeze bottles - these are great for creating thin lines of color on your sock blanks during hand painting.
Syringes for applying dye to yarn (as an alternative to squeeze bottles. These are also useful for measuring out dye volumes.)
Sock Blank Special - In December 2017, I had a Sock Blank Special week where I released multiple videos featuring different ways to dye sock blanks. These videos feature techniques like spray painting for graffiti effects, dip dyeing for gradients, and hand painting stripes and random patterns. We also unraveled some of these blanks in livestreams.
In addition to the sock blank special, I have dyed a number of homemade blanks:
So what can you expect to see in the Sock Blank Special 2? I plan to take some requests on the techniques we explore, but here are some of the suggestions that might make an appearance:
Stripes (with blanks that I can unravel since the last time I had to send the backer a completed blank)
Write a love letter on a blank
Stamping/stenciling
A crochet blank
Space Dyeing a blank
Is there anything that you would like to see? Please let me know in the comments! I look forward to another week focusing on dyeing pre-knit blanks. Hopefully you will get your hands on some blanks so you can dye along with me in the week of February 26, 2018.
This post contains some affiliate links to Amazon and KnitPicks. All thoughts, opinions, and product selections are my own and I was not approached to promote any of the products.
The whole Dyepot Weekly experience is giving me an opportunity to explore and experiment with less conventional materials for dyeing yarn. One of my favorite new techniques is dyeing yarn with sprinkles.
Sprinkles are not a conventional dye source. They contain sugar and ingredients beyond the food coloring that make them brightly colored. However, if you've ever eaten Funfetti cake, you know that these sprinkles dissolve to bring you bright pops of color inside the cake, so what would they be able to do with yarn?
I was really excited to find out. I presoaked some 100% wool yarn, Wool of the Andes Worsted Bare from KnitPicks (Affiliate Link), with some vinegar and the liberally sprinkled on some nonpareils sprinkles. I picked the most vibrant colored ones I could fine and crossed my fingers that they would transfer their color to the yarn.
The experiment was a complete success! I have now played with this technique a number of times (and I can't wait to show you more about those in future posts) but for now, I hope that you'll enjoy watching the first time I tried dyeing yarn with sprinkles.
Thanks to all of your support, the first episode of Dyepot Weekly was released on the day the Kickstarter Campaign ended. Dyepot Weekly #1 - Dyeing Speckled Yarn with Dry Kool-Aid is a fun project that I had been saving up just for Dyepot Weekly. I was blown away by all of the support I received to launch this new series of dyeing videos. We hit our goal within the first 24 hours of the campaign and then ended at over 350%! On day 2 of the campaign, I started planning and filming the episodes so I could launch the series as soon as possible.
Before I speckled the yarn, I wanted to create an all over base color. I used some Kool-Aid Bursts squeeze bottles to dye two 100 g skeins of yarn, Bare Stroll Fingering and Bare Wool of the Andes Worsted (KnitPicks Affiliate Links), a pale mint/blue color. I was surprised that the superwash merino /nylon blend took up the color from the cool beverage almost immediately to create a really cool splotchy color. I knew as soon as this happened that I needed to design some superwash versus untreated wool dyeing experiments.
I used a tea strainer to speckle the dry Kool-Aid on top of the damp yarns. I was more heavy handed with the cherry KoolAid on the 100% wool skein, and I feel like I really got my rhythm on the superwash/nylon fingering weight yarn. The specks on the sock yarn are so tiny, it is incredible! I have a suspicion that it is the superwash treatment that is allowing the colors to bind to the yarn so quickly, but this is something that I still need to explore further.
Check out the first episode of Dyepot Weekly to see exactly how I created these stunning yarns!
Thank you for all of the support you have shown me here on the blog over these years. I can't believe that I started this site 9 years ago. I get so much inspiration from all of your comments, questions, and suggestions. Thank you for fanning the flame of creativity that is inside of me. I can't wait to see what we create together next!
One of the most popular videos I released since Ryder's birth is a video called "Let's Tie Dye T-shirts!" I did a simple accordion fold on the diagonal and created some fairly monochromatic T-shirts for my college reunion.
I have a long history of loving tie dyeing. In 4th grade, my class raised money for the local Humane Society by selling tie dyed T-shirts. We dyed almost weekly and sold shirts, socks, and other cotton items to family and friends. In college, the chemistry department would have an annual tie dyeing activity.
An approximation of how the folds work to create a star shape
I wanted to try to step outside of my comfort zone and try a complicated fold to create a star on the front of a shirt. How hard could this be? It was actually pretty hard to fold shirts into fifths. You can hear me mention what take I'm on in the filming and then wonder how to proceed with tying up the shirt with rubber bands.
In the following video, I demonstrate the fold first on a piece of paper and then on the shirts themselves. I fold four different shirts which gave me four different chances to end up with a star. For the four shirts (two kids XS and two 18 month onesies), I used two full bottles of Tulip One-Step Tie Dye. I think I might have been able to stretch the dye onto three shirts, but the package (of 3 bottles, I didn't use the yellow), indicated that there was enough for six projects. I think it would be hard to use two bottles on four adult T-shirts.
If this works, I might try to do this live sometime in the future. Or at least maybe I can go live for the reveal, if I can figure out how to set up my camera to see my bathroom sink! (I was able to make a live reveal work! Check it out below.)
Going Live for the reveal was so much fun! There were some growing pains (I edited out over 3 minutes from the beginning of the feed when I was trying to figure out why my static link didn't work.) However, I got stars! Many of you got to experience the joy of a successful crafting project along with me. How fun!
My favorite shirts are the ones with the star design only on the front of the shirt. I feel liek the overall design is much more defined.
It is now November and the boys have worn these shirts A LOT. Rowdy might not fit into his much longer, but we'll try to get as much use out of it as we can!
The other two shirts look a lot more like starfish than stars, but that is still super cool. My kids never ended up wearing these shirts, so I guess I'll have to find a sibling pair to share these with someday.
A brand new Tie Dye T-shirt video will come out on Friday morning. In fact, the video is exporting as I finish up writing this post! What do you think I'm going to dye this time?
This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. All of the opinions and product selection were my own. None of the product mentions were solicited.
There are 36 hours left until the end of the Dyepot Weekly Kickstarter Campaign. Thank you all for your tremendous support for this new series of yarn dyeing videos! If you haven't backed the project, there are still many rewards available. These include custom dyed sock blanks, hand spun yarn or mini-skeins, sponsorship credit on videos, or even just the $1 cheer squad where you can give input into the content of the series and see sneak peeks. Don't miss out on your chance to get some yarn that has been featured on the ChemKnits Tutorials YouTube channel!
This also means that there are only 36 hours left until the first episode of Dyepot Weekly comes out! All episodes of Dyepot Weekly will be available for free on the ChemKnits Tutorials YouTube channel. Have you subscribed to the channel yet? I tend to post the videos that come out here on the blog after a bit of a lag, so if you want to stay up to date with my latest dyeing experiments make sure you subscribe!
I've started doing more livestreams recently. I know that many of you enjoy it when I spin yarn live, but I am also trying to find fun ways to dye yarn live. This weekend on I Love Yarn Day, I handpainted some 100% worsted weight wool and some 75% superwash merino/25% wool sock yarn with three different colors of Wilton's Icing Color (Violet, Royal Blue and Black). The only issue with dyeing yarn live (besides real life interruptions) is that you can't see the finished dry yarn at the end of the video. In this live stream, I couldn't even unwrap the yarn because I needed to wait for it to cool.
Therefore, I try to share a recap of the video so you can see the colors that we dyed. What do you thin of this way of sharing dyeing videos? Most Dyepot Weekly episodes will be pre-recorded and edited, but I hope to also include more live content from time to time. Please let me know what you'd like to see!
This post contains Amazon and KnitPicks affiliate links. None of the product selections were solicited and all opinions are my own.
When I approached the end of the first day of the Dyepot Weekly Kickstarter Campaign, I was so excited because I knew that you were going to help make this exciting series of yarn dyeing videos a reality. I ran to the grocery store and shopped in the soda aisle picking up some of the brightest colors I could find.
It is more economical to dye yarn with food coloring itself, or even concentrated drink mixes like Kool-Aid, than it is to use bottles of soda. However, the bright colors were calling me, and I was curious just how much food coloring there is in one of these bottles. Check out the following videos to find out!
Gatorade
Gatorade comes in a wide variety of colors. I've gone through diet Gatorade phases, and my favorite flavors are lemon lime (which my dad used after basketball games while I was a kid) and grape. This time, I shopped the aisles for the brightest colors I could find. I selected "Green Apple" and "Grape" for this dyeing experiment. I dip dyed the yarn into both colors to create a special gradient.
In this experiment, I used KnitPicks Bare Stroll Fingering Weight Yarn, a 75% superwash merino 25% nylon blend. This is one of my favorite yarns to dye with, and you can see in the video just how quickly it absorbed the dye from the Gatorade.
Hawaiian Punch When I opened the bottle of Hawaiian Punch, I felt transported back to my child hood. The smell reminded me of birthday parties and class celebrations. I haven't tasted it in years (and I didn't in this video) but I remembered how this red beverage stained anything it touched. What would it do to yarn?
Fanta
I'm not sure I've ever consumed Fanta, but the commercials were super catchy. I wanted to add something orange to the mix, and I thought it would be fun to test out a carbonated beverage.
To add another twist to this experiment, I decided to try some resist dyeing. I tied off the 100% wool bare Wool of the Andes worsted weight yarn tightly with some crochet cotton to leave some white patches. I then dyed the entire skein of yarn in the 2 L soda. Coke Zero
On each of the soda series videos I released, I kept getting requests for more and more beverages. People really wanted to see what would happen if you dyed yarn with Coke (or its equivalent.) Coke contains "caramel color", which is derived from dairy to create that beautiful brown. Will it bind to yarn like red #3 and yellow #5? There is only one way to find out, and that was to put some 100% wool yarn (bare Wool of the Andes worsted weight) in Coke Zero Sugar and turn up the heat.
I am still getting requests for more sodas. I don't have plans to explore more flavors of Gatorade or different colors of soda. Depth of color might vary, but you should expect something like Grape Soda to behave similarly to the orange Fanta. I do, however, plan to play around more with concentrated and powdered beverage mixes. Stay tuned for Mio and other concentrated liquid beverages! (These should come up in an early episode of Dyepot Weekly but I'm saving this for one of the sponsored videos.)
Thank you so much for all of your support. Not only did we reach our goal, but we smashed the goal. I will now produce at least 35 Dyepot Weekly episodes, and they start in one week! Since we hit some bonus episodes, I might even release more than one video a week at first so I can start sharing the sponsored videos sooner. What do you think? If you haven't backed the Dyepot Weekly Kickstarter yet, please check it out. You still have a week to pick out a fun and exciting reward, many of which include amazing hand dyed yarn! I'm so excited to go on this journey with you!
None of the selections in this video were sponsored. All opinions are my own. I recently became a KnitPicks Affiliate because I love their yarns and have been using them for years. All KnitPicks links in this post are affiliate links.
I have a really exciting announcement! I just launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the first 25 episodes of my new yarn dyeing video series, Dyepot Weekly. I want to start sharing new and exciting dyeing videos on a regular schedule and expand my arsenal of tools to include commercial acid dyes, natural dyes, and even more varieties of food coloring. Will you help Kickstart Dyepot Weekly?
With your support, I will purchase new dyes and equipment to use in Dyepot Weekly videos. Don't worry, I won't stop exploring fun and innovative ways to dye yarn with food coloring. I have a list of over 50 dyeing video ideas that just deal with food coloring! I want to expand my experiments to other dyes so I can answer more of your questions. I am frequently asked how commercial acid dyes compare to food coloring. I know that the dyeing techniques themselves are very similar, but I don't know how quickly acid dyes absorb to yarn, if any of the colors break, or just generally what it is like to use them. In addition to dyes and yarn, the funds raised will help me purchase new pots and other equipment so I can safely use non-food grade ingredients to dye yarn.
I'm offering backers of the Dyepot Weekly Kickstarter Project many exciting rewards. For the first time ever, you can get some yarn dyed by ChemKnits! The physical rewards include yarn dyed in past ChemKnits Tutorials videos, hand-dyed & handspun miniskeins, tie dyed T-shirts, yarn dyed in future Dyepot Weekly episodes, and more. You also have the opportunity to select sponsorship credit and potentially creative control over the project in a Dyepot Weekly episode.
I hope you will take the time to check out the Dyepot Weekly Kickstarter campaign. Thank you for following me through all of my crafting adventures. You, my readers, are the ones that have inspired me to design, write, and explore more crafts. I look forward to all of the beautiful projects we create together.
I've been on a dip dyeing kick lately. This technique is one of the best ways to accentuate the way different food coloring mixtures will break apart, i.e. separate into the individual colors. I realized that Wilton changed their formulation of the black icing color in the last few years. It used to have a mixture of Red #3, Blue #1, Yellow #5 and #6 to Blue #1, Blue #2, Red #40 and Yellow #5. We know from experience that Blue #1 and Red #3 break brilliantly (see all of my Wilton's Violet videos). The McCormick's Black* has a formulation similar to the new Wilton's Black food coloring; containing Red #40, blue #1 and Yellow #5.
*My McCormick's black is the same that I used in the past video, so it is many years old. I'm not sure if they've changed their formulation.
I thought it would be fun to redo an old dyeing experiment of mine. I first shared the video Breaking Black: Dyeing Yarn with Wilton's vs McCormick's Black Food Coloring over three years ago. Color breaking from kettle dyeing fiber is beautiful, but the results of the breaking can be more exaggerated when you dip dye your fiber. I decided to take three full skeins of yarn, make three pots of dye, and then dip dye the fiber side by side so you could see the differences.
Did you know that I usually leave a table of contents in my video description? On YouTube (or here), if you click on the highlighted time, it will jump to the relevant section of the video. Sometimes these videos can be pretty long, so I wanted to make it as easy as possible for you to jump around and find the information you need for your own dyeing projects.
VIDEO CONTENTS:
[0:00] Introduction and description of the formulation in the different black food colorings
[2:22] Mixing the dyes (into 1/2 cup of water)
[5:10] Setting up the Dyebaths - 8 cups water + 3T white vinegar + the dye mixed in the previous clip in separate pots
[7:39] Presoaking the yarn (3 skeins of 100g KnitPicks Bare Worsted Wool of the Andes yarn)
[8:23] Dip dyeing one skein into McCormick's black food coloring
[14:17] Dip Dyeing one skein into the old formulation of Wilton's black food coloring
[18:10] Dip dyeing one skein into the new formulation of wilton's black food coloring
[22:18] Quick comparison of the yarns
[23:25] Washing the dyed skeins
[24:49] Conclusions and comparison to a dip dyed Wilton's violet skein of yarn
I'm starting to pay more attention to the specific ingredients in various shades of food coloring. The Chemistry of Food Coloring is pretty interesting. I also used the term "yarn chromatography" in a YouTube comment today and that is still making me giggle even though it is a perfect term for the color breaking.
What kind of dyeing experiments would you like to see? Most of my favorite videos are inspired by your comments!
Dear Future Rebecca, when you are space dyeing and the colors aren't binding fast enough, ADD MORE VINEGAR! Thanks, Past Rebecca.
Lucky really likes playing "ChemKnits Video". He also really loves to do "projects" with mommy. These projects vary from creative Pinterest activities to kits we buy at the craft store for $1. I thought it would be fun to make a "real" video with Lucky and let him dye his very own yarn. We would then use this yarn to make his hat for next winter. Sounds fun, right?
Lucky requested to use "alley of the colors" on his yarn. We used all 9 tablets from the Deluxe PAAS Easter Egg Dyeing Kit. I wanted to space dye the yarn because Lucky would be able to drop the tablets into the pot with minimal yes but a lot of fun.
I did this video right after my last space dyeing video, inserting Easter egg dye tablets into a pre-wound cake of yarn. If you look at my blog post for the video, I also started that post with a reminder to add more vinegar. I think that in both cases I erred on the side of less vinegar to let the colors spread more, but in this case the colors spread much further than I wanted. The yarn Lucky created is STUNNING, but it isn't the rainbow/all of the colors yarn that he hoped to make. (Not that Lucky is disappointed or knows the difference, I'm the one that is disappointed!) The final colorway seems very sophisticated for a 3 year old, so maybe it will turn into something for his Daddy.
Since I was trying to get the yarn ready to show Lucky ASAP, I was not as careful with this 100% wool NON superwash yarn as I normally am. (The yarn was still hot when I was rinsing it.) The result is that the yarn is a little "sticky" to each other. It is still not felted and easily separates, but it isn't 100% unaltered either. (I can untwist a skein of yarn so the fibers are still ordered, and definitely unfelted and knitable, but it is worth pointing out.)
The whole time I was editing this video, I kept thinking, "I should have added more vinegar!" I didn't want to add too much vinegar because I wanted to allow the colors to spread out, but by not adding enough the colors spread out way too much! Make sure you check out the whole video. There are a lot of fun 3 year old extra bits thrown in, too.
Even with similar amounts of vinegar, look at the difference between the two colorways! These yarns were dyed with the exact same color tablets. The yarn bases are slightly different, but these examples show that you can get a lot of variation out of an Easter Egg Dyeing kit!
We will need to try again to get the rainbow. It looks like these Easter egg tablets "want" more vinegar than other food coloring that I use. There are some choices for the future. Add a lot more vinegar to start with (I'd start with 4T next time versus the 2T I used here), or start with a low amount of vinegar, allow the colors to spread and then pour in a splash of vinegar later on.
The reactions to Lucky's video have been very positive. Some of you prefer non-toddler dyeing videos, and I still plan to do a lot of videos without a 3 year old's help. I think that it is fun to show what a pre-schooler can do to help with dyeing yarn, and how it can be a fun activity. Maybe I should try to teach Lucky to spin next. What do you think? Have you done any fiber crafts with your children? At what age did they start?
I took pictures as the colors spread out. Check out the awesome progression! I think sometime I'll add a big splash of vinegar around the third picture.
This post contains some Amazon Affiliate Links. None of the product selections were solicited. All selections and opinions are my own.
