Be Very Afraid

If you stand still in my house, I just might dye you in Kool-Aid.  In fact, Vincent  is hiding from me at the moment. 

Yarn Candy

Left to right: 

1.  The remainder of a skein of Canadian wool that Allison D. of Toronto brought me when she visited last summer.  It's about 75 yards.  I was just experimenting, and I love the result.  It's a plummy rose color made of one packet Raspberry Reaction, one Packet Strawberry. (nifty-thrifty!)

2.  The last skein of the OnLine Superwash Merino Lambswool, dyed with 8 packets Lemonade, 1 packet Orange.  It didn't do much for me after it was over, so I very unscientifically added the remainder of my little bottle of yellow food coloring from my baking cupboard (I have no idea how much, but it was just the right amount, as you can see!) and processed it in the microwave one more time.  Lucky for me, it became a wonderful ochre color.

3.  Cascade 220, ivory, dyed in 1 Lemonade, 5 Orange, and 1 Strawberry.  It became a wonderful orange creamsicle color, perfect for a child's garment or a garment for ME!  It's a creamier color than it appears in the photo.  Creamy, peachy orange. As I had been "broken in" all week on superwash wool, I sort of forgot to be as gentle as I should and this skein started to felt on itself.  (oops) I've pulled the strands apart as much as possible, but it remains to be seen how it will dry. 

4.  I loved the color of the Canadian wool so much that I decided to dye a partial ball of the Rambouillet wool that I love so much.  I used the same dye formula.  It looks pretty close in color, but of course the two yarns are of a different character, so they look quite different.  Also, I will reserve final judgment 'til they dry completely.   I'm thinking that I can "stripe" these two yarns in a hat, alternating the two wools in order to get enough yardage for one garment.  The color is really the same, just the hand and sheen of the two wools are different.  It'll give an interesting textural difference in a hat, I think.

I also did a replica of the Strawberry-Grape one I did the other day.  This could not BE more fun.  Okay, so I'm easily amused.  Hey, listen.  It's cold up here, and I haven't been out much lately.  And it's keeping me from spending money, apart from the 4/$1 packets of Kool-Aid. But it's fun, trust me.  And no, the house does not smell all fruity.  Well, maybe a little, but it's a pleasant fruity.  Most of the fruity smell is washed out in the final wash before hanging the skeins.  There is a little residual fruitiness, but not much.  You have to put your nose right in it and sniff.  Which I'm doing about every 43 seconds.  On the dot.  Sniffffffffffffffffff!  (I wonder what color the tip of my nose is right now....)

Comments

[erin]

Vincent is ADORABLE. But if I were him, I'd be hiding too. The slippery slope of koolaid dyeing. It is too much fun.

[Jessica]

We dyed my friend's cat with kool aide back in high school. She was a very fashionable punk kitty in lime green and pink. Her mom was not amused.

[Mim]

I *love* the residual fruity smell! My sister and I got a bunch of natural wool a while back and just went NUTSO dying it with KoolAid. We were sniffing it too once it was dry.

Your colors look great Norma!

M

[Jackie]

But what does your husband thhink of this??

[claudia]

Run, Vincent run!!!

[margene]

My Kool Aid yarn smelled good for a couple of years. You ARE having fun with your diversionary tachtics for not knitting. Can I send you all my white and cream wool?

[Wendy]

And they haven't banned you from the kool-aid aisle at the grocery store yet?!

[cari]

I love love love those colors. I think I need some kool aid.

[Siow Chin]

Vincent has just the perfect coat for dyeing. I can understand why he's looking at you like that.

[stephanie]

Norma, I'm starting to be a little worried. I know that this all started innocently enough, and that I could be wrong, but it's starting to look to me like this koolaid thing has gotten so out of control that you are now scouring the house for abandoned partial balls of wool.
Did you quit diet coke again?

[Lauren]

You're about to face withdrawl pangs I'm afraid, and I'm afraid you'll reach for the $12/hank alpaca/wool that I know you think you could dye to just that perfect shade of red. If you get to this stage, please let me know and I'll send you my undyed cotton.

[gale]

We're taking up a collection for a T-shirt that says "Stop me before I dye again". (It'll be all the rage for you and illiterate reincarnation-ists.)

[Nathania]

Oh, how fun! Since Laurie started the guest blogging over at the Harlot's, I've been itching to do some dyeing. What do I have in the stash.....

[Sharon]

Hmm. I've been letting the gray grow out in my hair. I'm extremely ambivalent about it. I bet you could work wonders with your dye pot. I'll be right over.

[Jackie]

Hee hee. I love that mug. My father gave me one when I was in school to help me keep things in perspective.

Thanks for the Kool-Aid tutorials, it's nice to know that wool comes out nicer than hair (not that I know anything about dyeing one's hair with Kool-Aid, oh no I never did anything like that in high school...)

Jackie