Dyeing Yarn: A Beginner’s Guide

Learn all about how to dye yarn and wool at home with this complete beginner’s guide

Have you ever noticed that even with 1000’s skeins of dyed yarn, you somehow can’t find just the yarn you want for that certain knitting or crochet pattern?

Either the yarn is the wrong weight or the colors won’t work for what you have in mind or maybe you need it to be machine washable.

That has always been my dilemma so I decided to start making my own hand dyed yarn. Not only that but I actually had a yarn dyeing business for a few years so I have had tons of practice.

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At a Glance:

How do you dye yarn at home? Here is what you need to know:

• Choose your yarn and determine the type of fiber content
  For example: is it made of wool or cotton? Is the fiber plant based, animal based or synthetic?
  
• Match the dye to the fiber content
  If you have a wool or animal based yarn, you need Acid Dyes. For plant based, you will use Fiber Reactive Dye.
  
• Pick the dyeing method that will give you your desired yarn colorway
  For instance, if you want to make a solid colored yarn, you would use the submersion technique.
  
  For multi color, you can either hand paint the yarn or use the kettle dye method.

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Advice for beginners from Cheryl Huseby Wiebe of Treenway Silks: “Learn the basics: Understand your dyes. If you’re precision dyeing, invest in a good set of measuring devices, a scale, and a thermometer; organize your workspace so that it is convenient and efficient; pay attention to safety issues; and beware of repetitive movements that can wear on your body.”

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Yarn dyeing opened up a whole new world of color for me. There is nothing quite so rewarding as taking a plain, white skein, adding some colorful dyes and turning it into something magical!

In this complete beginner’s guide, I am going to share with you the secrets I learned over many years of hand dyeing and working with various types of wool.

Not just wool yarn but also raw wool, roving and a variety of fiber including merino and cormo sheep, silk and alpaca.

What Kind of Yarn Can You Dye?

Ultimately, the type of yarn you choose will depend on what you want to do with it.

For instance, if you have a particular crochet pattern or knitting project in mind, it should tell you the weight and yardage of yarn that you need.

The pattern may also give you recommendations on what fiber yarn is best for that specific.

FYI … this is my Favorite Practice Yarn

Some questions to ask yourself:

What weight of yarn do you need? Lace or DK?
Check your pattern. If you are dyeing this for a particular knitting or crochet purpose, the pattern will help you out.

If you are just dyeing some yarn for fun and not a specific project, the weight is not important.


Does your yarn need to be machine washable?
Stick with Superwash or Cotton Blends. They are usually safe from felting. Make sure and double check the label, though.

Note: I have not tried acrylic or polyester yarn for dyeing so I recommend that you stay away from those for now and begin with a natural fiber yarn.

That said, a small percentage of nylon blended in with wool or alpaca is fine.

Beware, that the nylon won’t dye like the natural fibers which you may not want but it can also produce a nice contrast like the merino wool skein below:

DK or Sport Weight Yarn? Sheep Wool or Cotton Yarn?

The weight of the yarn really doesn’t factor into it. In general, you can dye any kind of natural fiber from chunky yarn to super bulky yarn.

You are really only limited by the space and dye equipment needed.

Instead, the main consideration is the fiber content your yarn has and that will determine the type of dye and what dye method you need to use.

For instance, an Acid Dye that works with protein or animal fiber wool will not work on plant fiber yarn such as cotton. In that case, you need to use what is called Fiber Reactive Dye.

People ask me about ‘Wool Dye‘. Presumably, this means they want to know how to dye wool yarn. Again, in that case you need to use an Acid Dye.

Can You Dye Acrylic Yarn?

Acrylic or Polyester yarn was not really dyeable until fairly recently when RIT came out with a dye specifically for synthetic fibers.

Also, Jacquard has now come out with a dye for Polyester and Nylon blends called iDye Poly.

As I said above, I have not tried either of them, personally, so I am unable to give you any first hand information on that.

But, I will be sure to update this dyeing guide when I get the chance to experiment.

Get a free Supply List for Dyeing Yarn and Wool

Where to Buy Yarn for Dyeing

When you are just learning how to dye wool, I suggest going with a nice quality yarn that is not too expensive. Just some cheap, wool practice yarn.

Note: This is my favorite.

Wool Of The Andes yarn is inexpensive yet takes the wool dye beautifully. This yarn is also a great choice for many knit and crochet patterns.

When you are ready for something nicer and more expensive, head to your local yarn shop or fiber festival. Those are the best places to find a lovely variety of yarn blends and weights to dye.

Knit Picks also has a wonderful selection of bare yarn for dyeing that fits every budget. Wool of the Andes (my favorite) is a lovely, soft yarn at a great price that dyes up beautifully.

Plus, this yarn comes in a rainbow of colors so you can practice overdyeing some already-dyed yarn.

Make sure to check their Clearance Sale Page!

Paradise Fibers also has a very large inventory of undyed yarn in different weights and fibers.

Lion Brand has a huge variety of yarn in natural fibers as well as synthetic.

Amazon always has a huge selection of any kind of yarn imaginable!

Etsy is a great place to buy yarn straight from the farm!

Can you dye colored yarn?

Absolutely! As I said previously, you also don’t have to limit yourself to just white yarn. It is lots of fun to play with overdyeing colored yarn.

For instance, alpaca fiber comes in various natural shades from white and off white to tan, fawn, brown, black and different shades of gray.

My absolute favorite yarns are the silver gray skeins I overdyed with purple, red, blue and green, giving me lovely deep jewel tones.

(Those skeins were always the first to sell at my fiber festivals!)

What Yarn Dyes Should I Use?

As stated previous, the type of dye to use depends on the fiber content of your yarn. Different dyes work with different materials.

For instance, the best dye for wool (protein/animal) fibers is special wool dye or Acid Dye. (Sounds scary, but the ‘acid’ is just the white vinegar that you add to help set the dye.)

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“The water where you live can affect the dye. Soft water is not a problem. If you have hard water, you can soften it with Metaphos or Calgon. You can also use distilled water.

Linda La Belle ~ The Yarn Lover’s Guide To Hand Dyeing

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Match the content of your yarn to the type of dye.

Jacquard Acid Dyes – use with Sheep, Alpaca, Mohair, Silk (Protein/Animal fiber)

Jacquard Fiber Reactive Dye – use with Cotton, Hemp, Linen (Plant Fiber)

NEW! Jacquard iDye Poly – use with Polyester and Nylon fibers

In general, I use Jacquard Dyes for all of my yarn dyeing but there are other, good brands available for wool, such as Cushing’s Dyes.

           

Can You Dye Wool with Rit?

Well, yes you can. However, RIT Dyes are what is known as a Composite Dye, which means it has different dye types mixed together for various fibers.

That is good if you don’t know the fiber content of your yarn but it won’t give you the bright, strong colors you get with fiber specific dyes.

Rit Dye is, however, readily available and inexpensive. It is also a decent choice if you are just learning and don’t want to invest a whole lot of money buying yarn dyeing supplies just yet.

Can I Dye Yarn with Food Coloring?

YES! Kool-Aid, Easter Egg Dyes or plain Food Coloring work great for dyeing yarn!

Food Colors are cheap and easy to come by. Plus, you don’t need to buy any special pots and pans which makes them a good choice for the beginning yarn dyer.

See my tutorial on Dyeing Yarn with Kool-Aid

What Other Dyeing Supplies Do I Need?

As I said, if you are dyeing wool with Kool-Aid or food coloring, you can use whatever pots and pans you already have in the kitchen.

If, however, you will be using professional acid dyes for yarn, any utensils, dishes or pots will no longer be safe to use for food.

Quick tip – check out your local thrift store for cheap roasting pans, stock pots or casserole dishes. Stay away from aluminum, however, as that can affect the end result.

Other Basic Supplies:

-Old pots, roasting pans, glass casserole dishes
-Gloves
-Plastic cups, spoons (for mixing dye powder)
–Dust mask
-Chop sticks (handy for moving yarn around gently)
-White vinegar (for acid dyes)
-Plastic wrap
–Squirt bottles or small cups
–Sponge Brushes
-Stove or hot plate
-Newspaper

This list is only a suggestion and totally customizable to your needs and budget. And, before you go out and buy a bunch of yarn dyeing supplies, please take a look around your house.

You might be surprised by what you already have that can be repurposed such as old ketchup or mustard squeeze bottles or craft brushes.

SAFETY NOTE!

NEVER use pots, pans, measuring cups etc. that are used for food prep.
ALWAYS wear a face mask when handling dry dye powder.

Helpful Tip from Hand Dyeing Yarn and Fleece by Gail Callahan: Cover your work surface with newspaper and spritz them with water. This will attract dry dye particles that may escape.

How to Dye Yarn (Various methods for wool and other protein fibers)

There are many different methods for creating hand dyed yarn such as hand painting, kettle dyeing, speckle and submersion dyeing, etc.

How to dye wool yarn tutorial

This article shows you the basic steps of dyeing wool yarn or specifically yarn made of protein or animal fibers.

The difference is that this type of fiber needs acid dyes and heat to set properly.

Here is the full step by step tutorial

Hand Painting Yarn

With Hand Painting, you apply the dye onto the yarn directly by hand. It gives you control over the exact placement of the dyes and therefore the final look of your yarn.

With this method, the dye will bleed somewhat, but not as much as with other dyeing methods.

Hand Painting can be done with squirt bottles, cups or paint brushes. After applying the dye, the yarn is then heated to set the dyes.

See the step by step tutorial How to Hand Paint Yarn

Dye Wool with Kool Aid Powder

If you’re a beginner yarn dyer and don’t want to invest in expensive dyes or equipment, you can actually make beautiful yarns right in your kitchen with Kool Aid drink powder.

Kool Aid comes in a rainbow of different colors, is easy to find at any grocery store, does not need a special mordant and is completely safe to use.

No special pots or pans are needed. You can dye with Kool Aid in your regular cook pots. This is also a great, safe way to teach your kids about dyeing!

See the step by step tutorial Dye Yarn with Kool-Aid

Dyeing Self Striping Yarn

Self Striping Yarn is yarn that is dyed to repeat the same color or pattern over several rounds of knitting. This type of colorway is often used with knitting socks.

See the step by step tutorial How to Dye Self Striping Yarn without Special Tools

Dye with a Slow Cooker or Crock Pot

A Crock Pot can be used to heat set the hand dyed yarn or you can dye the yarn in the Crock Pot itself using the Kettle Dyeing Technique.

The advantages are that this method is less messy. You just have to make sure your slow cooker is no longer used for cooking food.

See the step by step tutorial Dye Yarn with a Slow Cooker or Crock Pot

How to dye Semi Solid Yarn

By winding my skein of yarn into ball or cake, I figured out a simple way to dye semi solid (almost gradated) yarn.

See the step by step tutorial Easy Way to Dye Semi Solid Yarn

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There you have it! Now you have all the tools and information you need to dye your own beautiful yarn and wool right at home in your own kitchen or garage.

What do you think? Ready to try making your own hand dyed yarn? Let me know how it turns out and if you have any questions, feel free to ask!

This is my favorite book so far for anybody interested in how to dye yarn from beginner to advanced. I highly recommend it! Hand Dyeing Yarn and Fleece

How do you wash hand dyed yarn?

Washing dyed yarn can be tricky. If your yarn is made of protein fibers (sheep wool, alpaca, goat, etc.), then it is very susceptible to felting and should be very carefully hand washed.

See my article on How to Wash Wool for step by step instructions.

If, however, the yarn is labeled ‘Superwash’, that means it has been treated to make it machine washable. You would just need to make sure it doesn’t get all tangled up.

Plant fibers, for the most part, can be washed in a machine. Check the label to make sure.

Plus, here is an interesting article on the chemistry of dyes and dyeing.

Is it cheaper to dye your own yarn?

As with everything else in life, the answer to that is ‘it depends’. It certainly can be cheaper to dye your own especially if you need a lot of skeins in the same colorway, for instance.

If, however, you want or need a bunch of different multi colored, high end yarns, then you would have to purchase all of the various dye colors, the yarn and the equipment, which can get expensive.

Plus, since you have to purchase certain basic tools and equipment anyway (dye pots, steamers, etc.) it becomes more cost effective, the more yarn you dye.

Dyeing Yarn: A Beginner’s Guide