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Back Story
One day at Mart-Mart I bought several cones of white
cotton yarn. I'm cheap, it'd been marked down. Didn't take me long to get
sick of all that white. Somehow I heard about dyeing with Kool Aid, I did
an Internet search then went to the grocery store for cheap, nontoxic fiber
dye.
Method & Supplies
I made hanks of white cotton yarn the length of my forearm
and tied a couple loops around them to prevent tangles.
I added the hanks to very hot water with sugar free powdered drink mix and/or gelatin. I let them sit/soak/stew/microwave for various amounts of time. I then drained rinsed and dried the hanks.
Draining, rinsing and dripping/drying is messy and may stain light colored surfaces, be prepared.
The Big Ohh, Duh
What I'd read and seen on the Internet were results
for ANIMAL FIBERS, stuff like wool and silk. My results were pastel and pale
in comparison because cotton is a VEGETABLE fiber. Animals and vegetables
are different, which means your hands may end up with a better dye job than
your cotton yarn.
Results and Recommendation For Cottons
- gelatin was superior to powdered drink mixes
- warm shades (red, orange, pink) worked better than cool shades (green, blue, purple-avoid grape its results are a sick grayish tone)
- microwaving the yarn in a bath of gelatin worked best
- generic and store brands performed as well as name brand
- sugar free products dye and rinse better than those with sugar
- per pound dyeing power makes this method comparable to commercial/toxic/procion dyes in cost
-best for artsy weirdos, kids and non toxic people
Links
http://www.thepiper.com/fiberart/koolaid/images/colorchart-high.jpg
http://www.straw.com/cpy/wisdom/koolaid.html
http://www.thepiper.com/fiberart/koolaid/basic-howto.html
http://www.koolaid.com
http://www.jello.com
Body of bag - orange gelatin, and contrasting pink trim - gelatin and red Koolaid.
Hat - lime gelatin and blue Koolaid. Bag - raspberry gelatin and red Koolaid.
