Dyed Stockings

The stockings were a hit! The kids loved dying them and I thought I would post the results here. I was very glad that I tied a bit of yarn to each stocking to be able to tell how each yarn dyed. The Superwash Bare from KnitPicks picked up the color the very best, as you can see in the photos.

Here is a file you can print that gives the instructions I used:

You should be able to click on the instructions and have them show up 'full size' so you can print them.

Here are the photos I took while we were dying the stockings.

All the stockings soaking in a bucket. I put them in to soak the night before so I wouldn't have to remember to do it in the morning.

The kids squished out the excess water, then put the stocking between layers of an old towel. They stepped on the towel to get the excess water out of the stocking.

Two of the girls wanted to help mix the Kool Aid into the water. We used 4 packages of Kool Aid in one condiment bottle. I forgot to remind them to wash their hands when they were done. We found out when we saw colored finger prints on the undyed stockings as they were choosing which one they were going to dye. Moral: Wash your hands well after you mix the dye!

Un-dyed stocking ready to go! The table is covered with plastic garbage bags that have been cut along one side and across the bottom. Those were taped to the table to protect the table top. We used paper towels under the stockings to catch any excess dye.

Then we let the kids get creative! We instructed them to not squeeze the bottle hard or we would end up with dye everywhere. This little guy was wonderful! He was soooo careful!

CutiePie having a great time! She is so creative and 

loves working with textiles!

 

Here is one stocking almost done. Next we put the stocking on a paper plate and microwaved it on high for two minutes.

 

 Here is a closer look at the stocking after it was microwaved.

The last step is to rinse the stocking in cold water to make sure that all the excess dye is gone. With Kool Aid, it has usually all absorbed with the first microwaving. Once in a while we will have to 'nuke' it again. Then let it dry on the paper plate or a paper towel. Don't hang to dry or it will stretch out. If you are dying a hank of yarn, then it is best to hang it, but don't hang projects that are already knitted.

 

You can see that some of the stockings turned out more pastel and others turned out brighter. The same dye (Kool Aid) was used by everyone. The difference is the yarn. The ones that are bright colored are KnitPicks Superwash Merino wool, the pastel colored stockings are knit with Patton's Wool 

(Winter White before it was dyed).

Here are a few links that have sample yarns dyed with Kool Aid.

Little Austinite

KnitPicks Community (short PDF tutorial)

Gaea Creations

Knitty (tutorial and color swatches)