Create Your Own Hand-Dyed Yarns

Hand-painted yarns are everywhere and so fun to use in crochet. Indie dyers are coming up with beautiful and tempting colorways in semisolid hues, speckled brights and impressionist washes of muted tones. With so many options to choose from, why dye your own yarn? Dyeing your own yarn is so much fun and creative—you might just want to add this skill to your crafty repertoire! I have been dyeing my own yarn with Cushing dyes for years and find it an easy and exciting process. And the thrill of crocheting with yarn you have dyed yourself is hard to beat! The process is simple and will take less than an hour, so gather your supplies and jump right in! Supplies needed: Skeins of wool, wool blends, alpaca, mohair are great choices. Acrylics, polyester and other manmade fibers will not take the dyes.* Basin to soak yarn. White vinegar. 3 or 4 packets of Cushing dyes. Note: You will not use the entire package for this project. Spoons, jars, a glass or ceramic pan large enough to hold skeins of yarn. Note: These items should only be used to dye yarn. Microwave.

1. If the yarn is not already in skein form, wind the yarn around the back of a chair. Make sure to loosely tie several short lengths of yarn in a figure eight configuration around the strands to prevent tangling.

2. Soak the yarn in lukewarm water with 1/4 cup white vinegar.

3. In glass jars, make up 3 or 4 solutions of Cushing dyes according to the manufacturer’s directions. You can vary the depth of color by using less or more dye.

4. Squeeze out the excess water from the skeins and place them in a glass or ceramic dish either in a random pattern or laid out in long loops.

5. Using spoons or syringes, paint the skeins with the dye solution.

6. Use just enough dye to soak the yarn. Start with small amounts of dye. You do not want the dye to pool under the skeins in the bottom of the pan.

7. Be creative! Blend the colors or leave some of the yarn undyed. Push the colors into the skeins with the back of a spoon. Add small touches of the powdered dye with a bamboo skewer for a speckled look.

8. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and microwave the yarn for 2 to 3 minutes. Check after each minute to make sure you are not scorching the yarn.

9. Let the yarn cool to room temperature and then rinse the skeins with lukewarm water until the water is clear, being careful not to tangle the skeins. Hang or lay flat on towel to dry.

10. Enjoy using your beautiful hand-dyed yarns and have fun crocheting a special project! *Cushing also has a line of dyes specifically for cotton, linen and rayon. Cushing dyes are available at www.wcushing.com.