Something to Dye For

Dyeing with Food Colouring

My little bottles of food colouring

Quite recently I have been given quite a large quantity of woollen, silk and cotton yarns.  Real treasure, and very much appreciated.  Two skeins of this are pure wool, but were, to my eye, a rather unattractive, dull,  salmon pink colour.  I decided to dye them using food colouring.  

This is the method I used:  First I mixed half a pint each of white vinegar and tap water and poured this solution into an oval Pyrex dish.  I then added a skein of wool and left it to soak for around an hour.  Next I squeezed the yarn and poured off the remaining liquid (into a bottle to use another time, of course).  I arranged the yarn loosely in the bottom of the dish and dropped food colouring liquid onto the wool in a random pattern.  I was looking for a varigated effect.  I dabbled the food colouring into the yarn with my rubber-gloved fingertips ensuring that all the wool was thoroughly wetted, but not so much that the colours got mixed up and went muddy.  Next I covered the bowl with clingfilm, pierced a small hole in the middle and microwaved it for 5 minutes.  After the 5 minutes were up, I let it all stand for a further 15 minutes and then microwaved for 5 minutes again.  I again left the bowl to stand for 15 minutes than removed and rinsed the yarn in a couple of bowls of cold water.  Result!  Permanent, random-dyed woollen yarn.

                                  
    The yarn after dyeing was completed

I am really pleased with the results and will be off to the supermarket later to pick up some more yellow food colouring, as I am running a bit low.  This could become very addictive. 

Of course, the colours would have been brighter if I had used a white or cream yarn, but I can now make use of two skeins of wool that I would never have used if they had remained pink, so I am very happy.

    The finished skein wound into a ball