Steps to dye the Yarn

Buy the yarn:

Purchase the yarn in a hank, not a ball. A hank looks like a long twist or braid. Ensure that the yarn is dyeable cotton.

Wash the yarn:

Place the cotton into a large saucepan, then add some mild soap. Pour in warm water until it just immerses the entire hank of cotton. Place the saucepan on the stovetop, then turn the heat to simmering. Simmer the cotton for about an hour.

Prepare the soda ash.:

soda ash (also known as washing soda or sodium carbonate) into the bucket. Mix the ingredients. Ensure that the soda ash dissolves.

Soak the yarn in the soda ash solution.

Soda ash helps the dye to cling to the yarn fibers. Buy soda ash at a yarn supply or crafts store.

• Place the hank of yarn into the bucket. Allow the yarn to soak for 5 minutes.
• Remove the yarn.
• Twist the yarn with slight pressure to remove moisture.

Choose the better dye:

Different types of dye work differently on each type of yarn. So just because you dyed that wool a beautiful purple with one dye doesn't mean it will dye the same beautiful purple on cotton. Kool-Aid, for example, is great for dyeing animal fibers, but it won't work on cotton or other plant fibers.

Experiment the colours:

Tie dye your yarn.  HAVE FUN!  Tie Dying isn’t about perfection, it is about expression.  Have fun painting your yarns in a variety of patterns.  With the included squeeze bottles, you can create very precise shapes, or you can pour the dye into a container to try dipping.  Make sure to wear the provided gloves so you don’t also dye your hands!

 Wait for the dye to get  dry:

When you are done applying dye to the yarn, wrap the yarn in plastic wrap and let it sit in a safe place for at least 6-8 hours.  The longer you let the yarn sit the more vibrant colors you can achieve. I recommend putting the yarn inside additional plastic bags in addition to the plastic wrap to catch any leaks.

 Wash the yarn:

Rinse the yarn with warm water (for cotton yarns, for wools use cool water) until the water runs clear, removing any rubber bands you may have used.  Hand wash your yarn with some laundry soap to remove any excess dye.  I do not recommend putting unknit yarns into a washing machine. 

Hang the yarn up to dry:

 

If you dyed yarn in a ball form, I would wrap it into a skein after it has dried out a little bit and then wash the yarn a second time.  It can be hard to penetrate the ball of yarn to remove excess dye trapped on the interior.