TO ACHIEVE A VARIEGATED LOOK:
First, choose your cooking method. Will you be using a stove top or the microwave? The instructions are essentially the same for both methods. I’ll add special notes for microwave users as needed.
Things you’ll need:
A pair of tongs, a spoon, or some other utensil to lift hot yarn out of the dye bath.
A bowl to soak your yarn in.
If you’re using the microwave, you’ll need a microwave safe dish. If you’re using the stove-top, you’ll need a pot.
Finally, it’s always a good idea to have an old towel to protect your work surface, and an old rag to wipe up any dye. THE DYE WILL STAIN MOST SURFACES!
NOTE: Please read the instructions all the way through before starting!
1. Open your Kit. Inside it you’ll find a skein of yarn, and 2 paper dye packets that look similar to those you find in a jello box. These packets contain a mixture of dye powder and citric acid, along with a desiccant pack that you will remove before dyeing your yarn.
2. Fill your bowl with nice warm water. The variegated effect will vary depending on how tight your skein is twisted. I recommend untwisting your skein, and re-twisting it so it’s nice and loose. For a more dramatic effect, with plenty of white, you can skein the yarn more tightly, so that the dye doesn’t penetrate into the center. Once the skein is the way you want it, drop it in the warm water and let it soak. Allow the yarn to sit in the water for at least 20 minutes. 30 is better. Pour yourself a nice beverage… put on some music… take your time and enjoy the process!
NOTE: Did you read the instructions all the way through? You rebel! I never read them either, but now that the yarn’s soaking you really should read the directions!
3. Once your yarn is soaked and you’re nice and happy and mellow, pour water into your cooking pot or microwave safe dish. Next, rip open the first dye packet, remove the desiccant pack, and pour the contents of the dye packet into the water.
4. Heat the dye bath and stir to dissolve the dye and citric acid from the first packet. If you’re using a microwave, start with a few seconds at a time. The worst thing that can happen when using a microwave is that you give it too much time and it boils over, trashing the inside of your microwave!
5. Once the dye bath is well dissolved and nice and warm, turn your attention to the soaking skein. Pull it out of the water without untwisting, and squeeze out the excess water. Then, lower it into the dye bath. You’ll want to give it a stir, then flip and poke a bit so the skein is fully covered in dye.
6. Heat the dye bath (and the skein) and simmer until the water is mostly clear. You may still see a tiny bit of color in the water and that’s okay. Wish it was more saturated? Pull the skein out, add the second packet to the dye bath, dissolve and repeat. If you don’t want bright white spots, go ahead and untwist your skein before all the dye is absorbed, and push it around the dye bath until the water is mostly clear.
7. Rinse your skein (I usually pull it out of the dye bath and put it back in the soak water to rinse). Squeeze out excess water, then untwist and admire your work! Hang to dry!
