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We learned a new skill on Saturday: dying yarn with sugar-free Kool-Aid! This workshop was a highlight of our Wool Days visit to Old Sturbridge Village, and I was so impressed that they let the kids participate! The other workshop participants (all grown women) were also super nice to the kids!
Each kid got a 50 yards of wool yarn laid out on a sheet of plastic wrap. I think the yarn was spun from the wool of the village sheep! Bowls of Kool-Aid dye (eight packets of sugar-free Kool-Aid dissolved in one quart of water) were set out. The kids spooned the dye onto the yarn, and did a great job of not spilling – even Lily!
Once they had colored their wool yarn to their satisfaction, it was rolled up in the plastic wrap it was sitting on, microwaved on high for two minutes to set the dye, and then rinsed in tepid water (you don’t want an extreme temperature change or the wool yarn will start felting together). Then the yarn was wrung dry and put in a little bag for each child to bring home.
We hung the yarn out to dry, and then rolled it into balls. I love that each skein of yarn reflects its owner’s personality – all the colors of the rainbow for Emma, mostly green for Johnny, and mostly purple and red for Lily (I’m sure she would have done pink, had that been an option). We are still deciding what to make with it – what would you do with fifty yards of sport-weight yarn?
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Ohhhh this looks great – now to get some Kool Aid sent over from the states to give this a go (although I have a recipe for some natural wool dyes)
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maryanne Reply:
May 30th, 2012 at 8:05 am
It was really fun! Drop me an email if you need some sent over :)
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Considering my crocheting is beginner level and my knitting is non-existent. It’d become a scarf. That’s about what I can crochet.
Otherwise random crafts and what have you’s.
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Maryanne- those yarn photos are gorgeous!!!! The pics are just gorgeous!!!! I cannot believe that koolaid can do that!
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maryanne Reply:
May 30th, 2012 at 10:42 am
It was SO much fun!!! We plan a repeat this summer!
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How fun is that! Is there a reason to use sugar free Kool Aid versus regular Kool Aid? Just curious.
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maryanne Reply:
May 30th, 2012 at 12:47 pm
I think the sugar in regular Kool-Aid can make the fibers stick to each other.
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What a fun activity! I can’t wait to see what you make with all that yarn :)
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maryanne Reply:
May 30th, 2012 at 3:05 pm
It was a lot of fun!
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I love the idea of the children working alongside the older ladies. Pretty photos too!
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maryanne Reply:
May 30th, 2012 at 4:54 pm
I was afraid they wouldn’t be allowed to participate, since typically only adults even try to do it. But everyone was so nice, and it really is a child-friendly activity!
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Oh, this is SO cool! The wool looks just like the multi-coloured wool that you would buy in a store! I wonder if it would work with acrylic wool?
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maryanne Reply:
May 30th, 2012 at 10:05 pm
Maybe if you added some vinegar to help the dye bind? Acrylic doesn’t usually absorb dye as well as real wool. I want to give it a go with cotton yarn…
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Bev Reply:
June 15th, 2013 at 10:58 am
I don’t think the Koolaid would dye acrylic, at least not very well.
RE: using sugar free Koolaid, it’s probably the unsweetened kind. It’s much cheaper than either sugar sweetened or sugar free.
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i love the way the colors turned out! sort of umbro/tie-dyed… i bet they smell good too, huh?
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This is AMAZING!!!!
I want to take my kids right now! :)
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maryanne Reply:
May 31st, 2012 at 11:14 am
You’ll have to come back to Massachusetts so we can all go together!
But, you could easily do this at home – SO much fun!!!
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Love Sturbridge Village! How about a gods eye with some sticks from the yard?
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maryanne Reply:
May 31st, 2012 at 8:05 pm
Great suggestion – thanks! :)
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Wow… my mom and I knit a lot in the fall and winter, and we are always on the prowl for fun and different colors of yarn that are also inexpensive. I can’t wait to tell her that we can just buy white yarn and color it however we want! Great idea! Your blog always has such cool activities.
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what a fun activity, thanks for sharing
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Beautiful creations, and I too love how they reflect each child’s preferences! Hope you find something cool to do with it!
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Those are beautiful skeins, each one! I haven’t played with kool-aid dyeing, and now it’s moved much higher on the craft list.
50 yards of sport weight yarn? Have you thought of finger knitting?
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maryanne Reply:
June 1st, 2012 at 8:56 pm
I was amazed at how well it turned out! I actually was wondering if you had tried it before when we were doing it, because I know you’ve tried a bunch of different methods.
Finger knitting is a great suggestion! Wonder if Emma can do it…
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Wow, that is amazing! I really want to have a go!
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maryanne Reply:
June 3rd, 2012 at 5:17 pm
It works incredibly well – you’ll love it!
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You should try finger knitting with your kids. Mine have loved it and it gives very quick results.
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maryanne Reply:
June 4th, 2012 at 1:50 pm
How old were your kids when they started? I remember doing it, but when I was closer to 12. My oldest is 6 – do you think she could do it?
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Fascinating! The results are beautiful. I am curious to see what you will do with this yarn.
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Love it! Is there enough to make each child a hat? Or maybe start a hat?
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maryanne Reply:
June 5th, 2012 at 4:03 pm
Love the idea of using it to start a hat! Or maybe even make a doll hat?
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We are a family of knitters, so I got very excited when I saw this post. I’m assuming they used the sugar free Kool-aid to prevent mold or any other sort of “growth” on the fibers, but what is in the sugar-free Kool-aid? How is the yarn holding up? We are going to have to try this out. The yarn your kids made is so vibrant and beautiful!!
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maryanne Reply:
June 7th, 2012 at 2:08 pm
Aspartame is what they are using to sweeten it, and then a bunch of other “food-safe” chemicals that vary based on which flavor you buy. The yarn seems to be fine – the Kool-Aid rinsed out nicely, and it feels just like some undyed wool yarn we brought back with us.
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Didi Reply:
June 7th, 2012 at 2:20 pm
Neat! Thanks for the inspiration MaryAnne. Did the kids decide what to make yet?
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maryanne Reply:
June 7th, 2012 at 2:22 pm
Not yet! I think maybe some cardboard loom weaving, or loom-knit doll hats, if I can find a loom the right size for such small hats :)
Bev Reply:
June 15th, 2013 at 11:04 am
Is it sugar free or sugarless? You don’t need any kind of sweetener to dye wool.
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I am so much like Emma. I love things when there’s a balance of color in them. I love things colorful.
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I really love this activity. So cool. I cannot wait to try it.
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MaryAnne Reply:
May 19th, 2013 at 8:23 pm
It’s a lot of fun!
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50 yards of sport weight is enough to make braided friendship bracelets, hairbands. A cardboard loom and you can weave a small amulet. That’s just a few ideas.
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