Dyeing in the kitchen

There was a story in one of the textile magazines when I was first spinning: the lady who was writing the piece said that the postman had come running into the kitchen looking most distressed. The children had answered the front door and when he asked where their Mummy was, they had dutifully replied that she was "dyeing in the kitchen".

Of course, he found the lady busily stirring a batch of colourful dyepots and not lying on the floor gripped by a heart attack! I have no idea if that story is apocryphal or not but it still makes me laugh. I suppose I am easily amused.

Anyway, it set me thinking about further ideas for the summer. In my last Knitting Notes post, I listed some ideas for getting prepared for Summer Knitting, and today I would like to continue the series with a suggestion for a related craft activity that can enhance your knitting no end – and that is to dye your own yarn!

And although you might query my sanity, it really is a project where the kiddies can get involved too. I know, your first reaction is to think of dye splashes all over their best outfits and a mess on the floor that will take weeks to clean off. However, it can be done.

Our two girls always had a great time "helping" me with dyeing. They gladly fetched and carried water, pre‐washed skeins of yarn while standing on a small stool at the kitchen sink, weighed out batches of fleece ready for the dyepot and giggled helplessly every time I ended up splashing dye on the walls or all over myself!
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You need very little equipment to start dyeing and it is immensely satisfying to see something change colour right before your eyes. All you need is a good‐sized stainless steel saucepan with a well‐fitting lid, a couple of slotted spoons, a Pyrex measuring jug, a few small plastic bottles to store your dye stock solutions and a pair of rubber gloves.

Then the only other items you will need are a bottle of white vinegar and some dye. I use Cushings acid dyes which come in small packets ready to prepare your stock solution. Or you can explore the contents of your kitchen cupboards for Easter Egg dyeing kits or Kool‐Aid drink mixes which also do a great job of dyeing wool. The yarn in the photo above was dyed with indigo which is also great fun to work with.
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So here's an easy dye project that will be immensely fun both for you and the kiddies: kettle‐dyeing some yarn ready for a pair of socks. Have a look at this blogpost and video from Rebecca at ChemKnits: "How to make a tonal kettle‐dyed yarn". You will want to get your own dyepot running the minute the video finishes!

Kettle-dyed yarns have a wonderful range of tones and gradients along the skein and give really interesting effects. The photo above shows some socks I worked using the Mentmore Socks pattern, which is one of my favourite sock patterns. It can be worked in a solid-coloured yarn or in self-striping, hand-dyed or tonal-dyed yarns, as above. The ones here used Knit Picks Stroll Tonal yarn, but I think it would be fun to try a home-dyed version too!

The pattern uses a slip stitch called Slip Rib, which is not only very comfortable but is also great for blending colours. Then for this pair of red socks I went one stage further and chose to work with three balls of yarn at the same time to blend the colours and give a lovely matched pair of socks. If you would like to try this method too, then have a look at my earlier Knitting Notes post here. 

Next time, I will be continuing this #SummerKnitting series with some more ideas to make your summer knitting fruitful and productive – no matter where you are.

Until then – Happy Summer Knitting!

Moira

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