Dyeing up odds and ends of yarns is a great way of getting a range of coloured yarns together for a freeform crochet project - or a crochet project using lots of different colours and shades.

There are many types of yarn and fibre dyes available - there are natural dyes which can be great fun to use, but often require a lot of preparation and chemical mordants; and there are chemical dyes such as acid dyes and procion dyes � and there is Kool-Aid!

When dyeing protein fibres such as wool, silk, alpaca, angora, mohair etc, the �normal� dyes which would be used are acid dyes. Acid dyes are a chemical dye and are light and colour fast ie won�t fade in light or through washing, and the yarn is heat fixed by either boiling or steaming. The dye is dissolved in water and vinegar (or lemon juice) which turns the water acid. These acid dyes are available in a wide range of colours � or indeed you could mix your own! Different densities of colours can be achieved giving a range from pastel through to deep hues.

Different fibres and yarns will dye at a different rate, for instance pure wools will take on a different depth of colour than a wool/acrylic mix. Yarns can be 'over dyed', for instance a pastel shade can be dyed again to create a new colour.

At some time (I'm afraid I don�t know when!), someone found that the mix of colour and flavour additives in Kool-Aid provided an ideal way to dye yarn! The Kool-Aid mix is slightly acid when mixed and therefore there is no need for vinegar to �fix� the dye. All that is required is a pan and a heat source (hob).

Some of the benefits of dyeing with Kool-Aid are that it is readily available and is low cost. There are no additional health and safety risks associated with Kool-Aid - after all it is developed for human consumption! However there are a couple of other things to be aware of � firstly Kool-Aid is formulated as a drink and not as a yarn dye so results aren�t guaranteed! The colourfastness of the dye and the end colour might not be the same as if using a proper yarn dye so do bear this in mind before starting.

One sachet of Kool-Aid will dye 1oz (25gms) of yarn, this will give a deep hue, more pastel colours can be obtained by using less Kool-Aid per 1 oz (25gms) or more yarn per sachet of Kool-Aid.

Note: If you are dying a lot of yarn or wanting something for a special crochet project do make some tests first and assure yourself that the finished results are as you require.

Step by step instructions on how to Dye with Kool-Aid can be found here