citric acid and saran wrap
by mikka
above: (yes, that's an old copy from New English File Elementary mopping up the kelly green)
A couple weeks ago, I got it into my head that it would be an awesome idea to start trying to hand-paint my own yarn. I love variegated yarns, mostly because I have a very finite attention span while knitting and the changes in color keep me from getting bored; also, I love any activity that requires one to commandeer the kitchen (sorry, Iain) and make a huge mess. Anyway, it seemed like a good idea, even if the last time I dyed anything was ten years ago and I walked around with purple hands for a few days afterwards.above: the impressively sculptural tower of saran wrap in the middle is so I can neatly wrap up the yarn afterwards.
I've been intrigued by the possibility of making your own natural dyes ever since I watched an old lady in Laos dye a skein of silk red with a handful of crushed nutshells. But it turns out, natural dying is a pretty big (and not as safe as you might think) undertaking to set up in a tiny, temporary kitchen, so, after a quick foray around the internet, I decided to go with acid dyes instead, as they seem relatively low-impact and not terrible for your health, provided you don't snort the dye powder, which is why I am wearing this incredibly fetching dust mask below:
Above: ...and now it's on the internet to be preserved forever and ever!
So last week I dyed two small skeins to get a feel for the whole process. Sexy mask aside, the painting (pictured above) is definitely fun, creative, and well worth the prep-time. I did go a little overboard on the variegation the first time around, but at least I learned what not to do next time.
Above: hooray for the 100 yen shop for selling me cheap dyeing utensils.
After painting, I steamed the yarn in the saran wrap for 30 minutes before rinsing it out. The green skein, above, was a bit too neon for my taste, so I put it back in the dye pot with some dark green dye in hopes of muting the color a bit.
Afterwards, the green washed out quite a bit - I'm not sure if it's because the green skein is silk (whereas the red was wool) or because of that last-minute decision to over-dye the whole thing darker, or what. But at least it won't stop traffic now and there's a chance someone might want to wear it.
The red skein came out much more vividly - a bit too vivid and with too many changes in color for my personal tastes. Still, it was a lot of fun - I can't wait to do it again!
You say vivid, I say wow! Gardening and yarn dying. I'm relinquishing all rights of the domestic goddess how-to book to you. The last daring kitchen project I tried was cheese making. Wasted two whole gallons of very expensive milk.
ReplyDeleteI know I totally owe you email but being back on a grownup schedule is hard.
Thank you ! and aggh, I owe you e-mail too!! I've been meaning to ever since Raina was totally robbed (though is it just me or did everyone kind of suck by the end? not like it's easy to rock sheep, for crying out loud).
ReplyDeleteAnd I want to hear about cheese making attempts!