Kool-Aid Dyeing

In my spring cleaning adventures, I discovered some old packets of Kool-Aid that I had bought to use to dye fiber. A good friend and I had done a bit of this in a weaving and spinning class a while back and had since moved on to other dyestuffs.

I dyed two small bumps of wool fiber and a small skein of merino yarn and had lots of fun. I used a Ball jar dyeing technique which is a lot less messy than my usual handpainting approach. I'm looking forward to spinning these up.

Hand-Dyed Cotswold Locks

Hand-Dyed Cotswold Locks, originally uploaded by confections.

A few days ago I rediscovered some luxurious Cotswold locks that I bought from fleecemakers on Etsy and hand-dyed them using a Ball jar dyeing technique. They are so lovely and curly, I will probably corespin them around a thin yarn to showcase all their glory.

Autumn Gourds Colorway Hand-Dyed Superfine Merino Wool Roving (Collage)

Autumn Gourds Colorway Hand-Dyed Superfine Merino Wool Roving (Collage), originally uploaded by confections.

More goodies from the jar-dyeing studio....autumn gourds colorway hand-dyed superfine merino wool roving.

Hand-Dyed Wool Roving

Hand-Dyed Wool Roving, originally uploaded by confections.

I've been experimenting with Ball jar dyeing this week and here are some of the vibrant results. I used a combination of techniques and added my own twist. Fellow Etsian Blonde Chicken has a nifty video featuring Easter egg dyes. I had purchased thorough jar dyeing instructions from Castleman at Etsy as well.

It's relatively simple to do and a lot less messy than my usual handpainting techniques. You'll have fun if you give it a try!