Learn how to dye your own beautiful yarn or wool roving with the easy kettle dye method

A few years ago, I shared a tutorial on how to Kettle Dye Yarn and I decided it was time for an update. The information in that post is all good but the photos are … well …. not so much.

This was a very early FiberArtsy post and I had a lot to learn. So, hence this new and improved kettle dyeing tutorial.

Note: In this post, I’m dyeing wool roving for an upcoming wet felting project. The steps to kettle dye yarn are exactly the same as for wool so feel free to substitute.

The basic steps for Kettle Dyeing Yarn or Wool Roving:

How to Kettle Dye Yarn and Fiber tutorial

Soak yarn or wool in warm water and vinegar
Prepare dyes according to package directions
Carefully pour small amounts of dye onto one section wool
Repeat with other colors
Heat set
Gently rinse and hang to dry

This is my favorite super soft roving for dyeing.

For particular roving, I used Jacquard Acid Dyes, but feel free to experiment with Rit Dye or food colors such as Wilton, especially if you are a beginner.

FYI, this is my favorite source for Dyeable Yarn

In this tutorial:

If you’re new to wool dyeing, you may be interested in Beginner’s Guide to Dyeing Yarn and How to Set Yarn Dye with Heat

Grab the Free Guide

image of ebook cover Yarn Dyeing Cheatsheet Ebook

Grab the Free Cheatsheet!

Includes: Which Dyes to Use, Yarn Dyeing Safety plus a complete Supply List

What is Kettle Dyeing?

When you Kettle Dye wool, you dye and heat set the yarn or roving in one container. It’s a much quicker process than hand painting yarn where you paint the dye onto the yarn and then heat set it.

The downside to kettle dyeing is that you have less control over where the dyes end up. They tend to run together and blend more than with hand painting, which I actually like.

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Useful Supplies:

– Wool Yarn or Roving
– Acid Dyes (I used Turquoise, Vermillion, Aztec Gold and Yellow Sun)
– White Vinegar
– Old Roasting Pan
– Mesh Fabric (s.a. a laundry bag)
– Mason Jars or Cups (one per color) (no longer food safe)
– Plastic spoons and/or chop sticks
– Dust Mask
– Gloves (optional)
– Stove top or Hot Plate

image of 3 tubs of yarn dye and a mason jar with blue dye and plastic spoon

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.

image of a book cover Hand Dyeing Yarn And Fleece

Step by step instructions

Prepare the Wool Dye

To begin, you will mix your dye powders, one per mason jar, according to the manufacturer’s directions on the container. It can be a little confusing when you need to mix a smaller amount. As a general rule of thumb, I use 1 teaspoon of dye powder per pint of water.

Safety Note: Always wear your dust mask when handling dye powder!

Prepare the Yarn or Roving

In order for the wool to thoroughly absorb the dyes, it has to be presoaked in water. To do this, put about one inch of warm water into the roasting pan and then add approximately 1/2 cup of white vinegar. Next, lay the mesh fabric inside the roasting pan.

Now, carefully place the yarn or roving in the pan and push it down repeatedly into the water. Then just let the fiber soak for about 30 minutes or longer to ensure that it is completely wet.

Apply the Dye to the Yarn

Now comes the fun part! Pick your first color and then slowly and carefully pour some dye onto one section of the yarn/roving. Add small amounts of dye … you only want as much as the fiber can absorb and no more.

It’s a little tricky to know how much is enough but keep in mind, you can always add more.

Using a spoon or chop stick, gently move the fiber so that the dye can penetrate the part you wish to dye that color. Be careful not to move your fiber too much, which can cause felting.

image of a hand stirring blue dye into white wool

Once you are happy with the first color, apply the second color near the first but not touching. The dyes will migrate and blend on their own. See the green?

image of white wool with blue and yellow dye

Now you will repeat the above steps with the remaining colors. You can add as many colors as you want, just remember to add them slowly.

image of white wool with blue, yellow and red dye

image of white wool saturated with blue, yellow and red dye

Heat Set the Wool Dyes

To fix the colors to the wool, place the pot on the stove and turn the heat to medium. Gently simmer the fiber for about 40 minutes. Note: You don’t want big, rapid bubbles which can cause felting, just an easy simmer. Turn off the heat and let the wool cool.

At this point, the water should be mostly clear. Very carefully, rinse your yarn/roving with room temperature water until it runs completely clear.

Note: Don’t handle your fiber too much or it may felt. Finally, simply hang it up to dry. Now, your beautiful dyed yarn is ready to use.

I hope this tutorial has been helpful. Have you tried kettle dyeing? How did it turn out?
Enjoy! Annette

This Yarn Dyeing Kit is great for Beginners

The kit includes yarn hanks, roving, the dyes, equipment, gloves, an awesome color tutorial booklet. BEAUTIFUL KIT!!!

image of a box containing a yarn dyeing kit

How Do You Dye Tonal Yarn?

Tonal Yarn (also called Semi Solid Dyed Yarn) is has been dyed with various strengths of the same color. Meaning, that some areas are lighter and some are darker shades with stronger tones but the basic color is the same.

Here is a tutorial which shows you how to dye semi solid or tonal yarn.

Can I use food coloring to dye yarn?

Yes, you can absolutely dye yarn with food colors, as long as it is made of a protein fiber such sheep wool or alpaca. Cellulose fibers like cotton, hemp or bamboo will not take food dyes and neither will synthetic yarns (nylon, acrylic, etc.)

image of a checklist for dyeing safety procedures

Grab the Free Checklist

Free printable checklist of dyeing safety precautions for using chemical dyes at home. Get the checklist and occasional updates.

Yield: 1 # Dyed Wool Yarn or Roving