This weeks installment of Eat, Knit and Dye is a little bit different! A friend of mine has been following along with this blog and was super excited to try out dyeing her own yarn. She graciously invited us over to her house and let us make a mess on her back porch. What I really love about this is how we all used the same colors and the same basic technique, but had such different results.
While I wasn't able to dye any yarn as I was flitting around making sure the dye bottles were filled, I had so much fun seeing what other people did. And they were all awesome about sharing their final products!
For this party, we used Jacquard Acid Dyes in a ratio of 1/8 tsp of dye to 1/2 tsp of citric acid. The water levels varied because we were just eyeballing it. (I say we, but really, I mean me...) The dye was either in a squirt bottle or in a dish with a foam paint brush.
• Jacquard Chartreuse
• Jacquard Brilliant Blue
• Jacquard Violet
• Jacquard Emerald Green
• Jacquard Turquoise
• Jacquard Sun Yellow
• Jacquard Hot Fuchsia
• Jacquard Scarlet
The dye was applied to the yarn and wrapped in some plastic wrap before being wrapped in a cinnamon roll and microwaved for 2 minutes + 2 minutes. For more information on this method, check out my post on Lil’ Sharon Rainbow Fade Hand Dyed Yarn.
So without further ado, here is everyone's creations!
Rachael, our awesome host, used Frida for her base. One of our most popular yarns, Frida is is an ultra fine (16 micron) 100% Merino Wool Superwash.
Holly chose HiKoo Rylie in Color 3 (Natural). She's a rock star and has already cast on a new project.
Tiffany and Alex teamed up and created their own rainbow out of Westlyn, a worsted yarn that is 55% Cotton, 16% Bamboo, 8% Silk, and 21% Elastic Nylon.
Roq also chose to use Frida and says this yarn is destined to be a kids sweater. (I'm jealous of that kid, aren't you?)
Kyle upped the ante and brought is out yarn that he had spun from Makers' Wool in Color 03 - Natural. He said it was a fun fiber to work with!
The love for Frida continues, as Kim used it to create her lovely colorway. It's like a tropical vacation and now I want to go to Hawaii.
Pam's colorway out of none other than Frida really reminds me a a tie-dye shirt, and I love it!
And Dawn used two different yarns. The top color way is is made from Sandy, a solid sock yarn that is 75% SW Wool and 25% Nylon. And the bottom colorway is out of...that's right! You guessed it! Frida!
Everyone made such beautiful yarns, and I can't wait to see them all knitted up!
And speaking of knitted up, I finished my first sweater! It is the Flax by TinCanKnits. The main color is HiKoo Simplinatural in Color 133 - Vibrant Cerulean. The band is one of my very first dye projects. I used Simplinatural in Color 03 - Natural which I dyed with Jacquard Cherry Red, Sun Yellow and Golden Yellow. I'm super pleased how it turn out, and I've already started 2 (!!!) new sweaters. One of which will be using the Frida Rainbow Gradient from my very first post! I plan using the Ola Yoke by Ella Gordon and the rainbow will be the colorwork flowers. I should be finished by New Years. I hope!
Stay tuned for next week where I try a new slow immersion technique!
Ready to make your unique colorway? Hop on over to Makers' Mercantile® and pick up your undyed yarn and supplies. We can’t wait to see what you make, so tag us on social media with #makersmercantile!
About Tara
Tara Warburton is the graphic designer for Makers' Mercantile® and a fine artist. She specializes in watercolor and colored pencil illustrations. She lives with her two cats, who are not helpful when knitting.
