I've had "Speckled Yarn" on my "videos to make" list for a LONG TIME now. I've thought through many different techniques to add small specks of color to my yarn, I just needed to find the time to get it done. Well after multiple requests for help from all of you, I decided to finally give it a go!
In the following video, I apply dye to yarn, presoaked in a water/vinegar mixture, with an eye dropper. I heat the yarn in a steamer on my stove top to set the color. I've never heated yarn this way before, but I wanted to share something different in this experiment. You can always wrap up the yarn and heat it in the microwave like I usually do with hand painted yarns.
Dyeing Conditions:
- KnitPicks Stroll Glimmer (Bare) yarn - 70% superwash merino, 25% nylon, 5% stellina
- Yarn presoaked overnight (although 30 min would be sufficient) in 16 cups of water + 3 T white vinegar
- Dyes - 6 drops of food coloring in 1/4 cup of water. (For darker colors increase the food coloring drops or decrease the volume of water. I had a lot left over.)
- I squeezed out most of the water before applying the dye.
- I steamed the finished yarn in a steamer for 30 minutes over a boiling mixture of water with a big dash of salt.
- After cooling, I washed the yarn with some liquid dish soap and luke warm water.
I created a speckled yarn! I have some other techniques that I want to try out but I'm happy that I finally finished a project I'd been hoping to do for so long.
Do you want sneak peeks of what I'm working on? Follow ChemKnits on Instagram. I share many pictures in real time of what is currently on my needles or in the dye pot. Plus there are sometimes super cute pictures of my kids. Enjoy!
