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May 09, 2005

kool aid dyed roving

Experiments with Kool Aid tonight. These are little tufts of roving dyed in the microwave. All I did was mix up a packet of kool aid in 2 parts water and 1 part vinegar (one set of instructions said 3:1 and the other said 1:1, so I split the difference). You can see the bizarro white Lemon Ice koolaid that I accidently bought.

koolaid.jpg

I soaked the roving in hot water for about 30 minutes, then gently squeezed out the water and laid it on some saran wrap. I dribbled on enough kool aid to saturate the tuft and wrapped it up in the saran wrap. Then I squished it around a bit just to make sure, and put it in a Pyrex dish. Popped the whole batch in the microwave for about 30 seconds, and, like magic, they suddenly absorbed all the dye leaving the liquid clear or milky. Rinsed in warm water, and here they are set out to dry. They look (and smell) like candy. I can't wait to try something with them. Plus, this was a color test run for some bigger projects (a bag and a scarf).

koodaidroving.jpg

Top row, left to right: grape, cherry, orange, wild watermelon kiwi, raspberry reaction

Bottom row: pink lemonade, lemonade, mango, pina-pineapple, arctic green apple

Posted under Felting at May 9, 2005 12:02 AM


Comments

Thank you so much for this tutorial, I enjoy your blog so much and have been wondering about felting and cannot wait to try it myself! thanks-michelle

Posted by: michelle at May 9, 2005 08:44 AM

those colors are irresistible! looks like cotton candy...i am going to be thinking about what i can dye all day heehee...

Posted by: jess at May 9, 2005 08:44 AM

Mmmmm! Yarn! I love the raspberry reaction! I would love to see it mixed in with some white and hints of pink...think of the late summer day you could create: clouds and all!

Posted by: Miss Fae at May 9, 2005 09:34 AM

Wow! They just look like yummy bits of cotton candy - only in cuter colors! Thanks for the tips, and I can't wait to see what you felt next!

Posted by: kelly at May 9, 2005 10:45 AM

Wow, really pretty colors! You're an inspiration.

Posted by: Neefer at May 9, 2005 12:18 PM

Here's what I did a while back. It'll be so cool to spin it in different colors.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/karins/6670320/

Posted by: Karin at May 9, 2005 01:37 PM

ohhhhh, that's neat, i think i'm gonna try some of that this week! thanks for the mini tutorial.

Posted by: susanne at May 9, 2005 10:41 PM

Hi, I noticed I've gotten some traffic from your kind links to my dying tutorial, and just wanted to let you know that since I wrote it, I've decided that vinegar is unneccessary when using kool-aid.

I have a friend who uses cake/icing dyes, and those definitely need vinegar, but kool-aid itself is quite acidic enough on its own. That might save you some lingering smells!

Posted by: Jessi Miller at August 8, 2005 09:47 AM

ur sexy cuz i sad so

Posted by: Anonymous at February 13, 2008 10:04 PM

ur sexy cuz i sad so

Posted by: Anonymous at February 13, 2008 10:04 PM

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