Fiber Friday!

Sounds good right? Fiber Friday. I figure I can alternate it with Finance Friday. 'Cause I still like the sound of that one too.  Fiber Friday will be a regular post about some of the things I've been doing with my knitting and such. This first post is a pretty exciting one. (At least I think it is...)

Okay, This week is the GRAND REVEAL of the results of the Yarn Dyeing Workshop I participated in... a while ago, sponsored by the wonderful Yarn Haven. We learned how to dye with Kool Aid. (And not have to boil a pot of water.)

We used squeeze bottles and the microwave. It was great fun to be with all the ladies and see how differently every one dyed their fiber.

I went with a striped pattern, using Blue Raspberry, Lemon-Lime, and a red that I don't remember the flavor of.... cherry? Strawberry? All I remember is that the flavors all produced a different shade of red.

Here is the yarn drying on the drying rack. I put it in front of the heater in hopes it would dry faster.

The yarn is getting ready to be wound into a ball!

After winding. I was still very curious to see how it would knit up...

AND Finally, the Kool Aid Socks.

So, there you have to progress post-dyeing. I also made a pair of yoga socks that turned out looking even cooler than the regular socks because of the way the colors lined up. I'll get you pictures soon. (FYI: I've been posting pictures of projects as I finish them on the "Yarny Things" page, and sewing stuff on the "All Things Fabric" page.)

I have worn these socks, and they weren't the most comfortable. I blame them not being washed yet. Washing seems to help the yarn soften up and be nice. I will wash them this weekend, and, as requested by some do a follow up on how well the colors stay.

Happy Friday all!

An Adventure With Wool and Kool Aid

I'd been hearing rumors for awhile that you can dye yarn with Kool-Aid. So, when I found Kool-Aid on Mangers Special at the Kroger, I stocked up.

Black Cherry, Grape, Fruit Punch, and Strawberry

 A few weeks later an opportunity came up in one of my swap groups on Ravelry. It's an open-round-robin style swap where someone posts and item and the first person to claim it, gets it. Then if you claim, you are the next person to post something. Well, a fellow Raveler posted this lovely Cascade 220 Sport yarn in beige.

It was perfect for my experimentation. A neutral color, free, and wool. Which I'm told is essential for Kool-Aid dyeing to work.

So, armed with my Kool-Aid and yarn, I braved the world of Google and landed on knitty.com's tutorial on Kool-Aid dyeing. And while doubtful, I followed the instructions. I spent Friday night with a pizza in the oven and this on my stovetop:

Since I was nervous about how it would turn out, I chose the Strawberry Kool-Aid. (Don't ask why that is my line of thinking, it just was. Probably because I like to actually drink the Fruit Punch.)

I let it boil, then cool. I then drained it using my handy dandy colander, which also let me have a first glimpse of what the final color might be:

But, I also know that color changes as it dries, so I diligently hung it in the bathroom, then my bedroom for TWO WHOLE DAYS. Curse the humidity here, in Utah it would have been a couple of hours....
Then this morning I took this:

And wound them into these:

(Don't mind the financial books under the yarn. We all know where my passions and hobbies lie.)

Not too bad for my first ever try. There are a few light spots in both skeins. They are more obvious in the skein on the left though.

Now, to decide what this yarn is to become. I'm thinking another Honey Cowl perhaps? (I've already made three this year, one is in the Etsy Shop!) 

I feel like I'm ready and rarin' to go for my yarn dyeing workshop later this month with the ladies at the Yarn Haven. We're going to be doing sock yarn, which I cannot wait to try out!!!