Thursday, April 1, 2010

Tie-Dying Yarn

Yesterday, during little b's nap, Big B and I hand dyed yarn. We are hoping to make yarn eggs during our Easter trip to Georgia, much like these. We loosely followed this tutorial to turn a partial skein of plain ol' white worsted into a lovely custom blend.

First, we unwound our skein and tied it into one foot sections. Then, while we prepared the dye from a tie-dye kit, we soaked the yarn in vinegar and cold water.Big B waited patiently to begin the fun part.......and he was a natural. He squirted colors in a dazzling pattern while I made sure each strand was coated.
We then used plastic wrap to encase the yarn, sausage style.After steaming the yarn for thirty minutes, we soaked it again in warm water and vinegar.
And here it is, basking in the spring sun to dry. The colors aren't as vibrant as I'd hoped, but the pastel hues are perfect for making our own variety of hand-dyed Easter eggs!

2 comments:

Rose said...

The yarn turned out lovely. And I have to say, you are braver than me. I would never hand my boy a bottle of permanent dye, even if the table was covered in newspaper! Can't wait to see what you make with the yarn.

Hippy Goodwife said...

It's beautiful! We dye felt around here, I might have to try my hand at yarn next!

I found your blog through the Great Outdoor Challenge.