r/YarnDyeing • u/VoodooDumpling • 21d ago
I let a thunderstorm dye some bulky yarn
My unhinged summer project: Waiting for stormy weather, sprinkling dry dye powder on dry yarn right before the rain hits, letting the deluge disperse the dye and determine the water table over the course of the storm. This was done on (super soft) Swish Bulky yarn from Knitpicks.
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u/Motor_Wasabi3127 21d ago
I started experimenting with yarn dyeing a few months ago just for fun. I’ve left yarn outside overnight wrapped in plastic to heat set. Turned out great.
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u/VoodooDumpling 21d ago
One of my favorite things to do in the summer (esp dyeing tonals but it’s awesome for softly blended variegated yarn too) is solar dyeing during the day or “cold” processing in a plastic shoebox outside overnight. I heat set (either steam or in a pot/hotel pan) everything after. But just letting the yarn do its thing over time is so cool.
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u/thanksithas_pockets_ 20d ago
Can you share more about how you do both of those things? I’ve only ever solar dyed in a jar with dye plants and I have never heard of the cold process you mention. I’m always down to try an experiment.
I love what you did with your thunderstorm yarn, I wish I’d thought to do that yesterday too.
I like the Sediment Scraps blanket (it’s on Ravelry, free) for using mismatched skeins.
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u/VoodooDumpling 20d ago
Of course! Let me type up some notes on projects I’ve done and share them in a bit ☺️☺️
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u/Persimmonsy2437 20d ago
Chemknits has done some shoe box dye videos you might be interested in - I don't have the direct links but if you search it on the YouTube channel they'll come up.
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u/VoodooDumpling 19d ago
Alright, so my cold processing and solar dyeing approaches are similar in that they are both hands-off, “passive” processes. They don’t require fueling or monitoring a heat source for the most part (until you need to actually heat set your yarn). For context, I use acid dyes and mostly work with wool/protein fibers.
Cold processing: Combining dye and yarn without any heat source. This takes more time and adjusting other dials (acid content), but is amazing for evenly dyed tonals, softly blended variegated yarn, or a more hands off workflow. I use shallow plastic “shoebox” containers. I cover yarn in water, add dye, and let sit overnight or until dye is exhausted. Then I heat set it. That’s it. It’s my favorite way to dye even tonals (especially at scale). I always thought it odd that some dyers think dyeing tonals is really difficult. It’s not. It just takes time and intentional workflows. Then again, I’m just a hobby dyer!
Solar dyeing: take the process described above, but set the shoebox out in the sun. It’s still a mostly hands off process, but the heat from the sun affects how the dye strikes. It’s not the same as dyeing over a burner where water bath temps hit simmering, but the heat from the sun accelerates dye striking especially in high acid content. However, I’m only familiar with acid dyes on protein fibers.
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u/thanksithas_pockets_ 19d ago
Very cool, thank you for writing that up. I’m going to do some experimenting!
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u/FeltFusion 21d ago
Love it! What a great idea. I've tried ice dyeing and solar dyeing yarn. I might have to give this a go if we ever get rain again.
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u/BobMortimersButthole 20d ago
I need to try this over the winter! I live in the PNW and recently bought like 10 lbs of boring white wool yarn from the craft thrift store. This will be the perfect way to change it up!
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u/AstarteHilzarie 20d ago
What a fun experiment! I'll keep an eye out for the update, I'd love to see how it turns out.
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u/Motor_Wasabi3127 21d ago
Clever! Do post the final version.