Spinners everywhere have probably dyed with Kool Aid drink mix at some time or another. The recipe is so easy and the ingredients are safe for even children to use. It is also a very attractive and consistent way to dye fibers. For those who haven’t tried it yet, here is the recipe:

2 packages of Kool Aid drink mix (no sugar)
½ cup white vinegar
2 ½ quarts water
1 wet skein of yarn or wet raw wool, 4 – 6 oz

Mix water, Kool Aid and vinegar completely in a large enamel dye pot. (Do not use aluminum, it reacts with the vinegar and will change the color outcome. Never re-use the enamel dye pot for cooking meals, use it only for dyeing.) Heat all together over medium heat on the stove until simmering. Simmer until all color is gone from the water, about 10 minutes. Cool and rinse your finished product.

Of course, changes in color can be made by mixing colors of Kool Aid and pastels are made using only ½ to 1 package per batch. For larger skeins or more than 1 skein, or larger amounts of wool, simply double or triple the recipe.

Now for that designer touch, let’s get creative! For a skein with variegated colors, fit a wooden spoon over the top of the dye pot. Suspend the wet skein over this spoon so that only a portion of the skein is in the dye. The yarn may be left as part natural and part dyed, or cool and rinse the skein and mix a different color in the dye pot. Now suspend the skein so that the undyed portion is in the dye.

Another idea is to dye sheep wool in Kool Aid and blend that with natural colored angora, alpaca or llama. A very pretty combination is pink or purple dyed wool with natural gray fibers. Dark colors with white are very dramatic while pastels with white are subtle.

Tie dyeing works with skeins to variegate the colors as well. Use scraps of cloth, plastic wrap or rubber bands to wrap the skein in before putting in the dye pot. For more dramatic tie dyeing, wrap before wetting the skein. For a two tone effect, pick complimentary colors such as yellow and green. Drop the wrapped skein in the green dye first. After it’s done, cool and rinse the skein. Prepare a yellow dye, remove the wrappings and dye the skein again.

I hope you’ll try some of these ideas and have some fun with dyeing. If you are timid at first, use some old scraps of yarn or leftover ends of skeins until you are confident to tackle a larger project. Happy dyeing!