Dyeing Soleil 50% Cotton 50% Superwash Merino – which dye is best?
As a New Englander, I am rarely in control of my wardrobe. Up here, we’re...
Ice Dyeing Sunny Cotton Yarn
We are so excited a new cotton yarn is joining the Knomad line up! Here in Los Angeles, we have a hard time finding yarn we can knit with year-round. Our new 100% cotton yarn, Sunny, definitely fits the bill! This lovely 2 ply yarn has a great hand feel to it. It is soft but not too warm. Since cotton is a plant based fiber, dyeing Sunny requires a different chemical process than a typical wool yarn. We thought ice dyeing would be a nice intro to dyeing plant based, also called cellulose fiber, because the technique lends itself to dyeing cotton.
I’m planning to use Sunny to knit a little baby onesie for my new baby. She has sensitive skin and overheats easily in the warm weather here, so I’m grateful to have a great yarn option for her and other babies like her! I’m always looking for good gifts to knit, so I’m elated that this yarn is super suited to gifting. Everyone seems to love cotton! The fact that it is vegan and easy to care for certainly helps, but I think this yarn’s mass appeal lies in its classic softness.
We can’t wait to see what you’ll make with Sunny!
Materials
● 2, 100 gram skeins of Knomad Sunny yarn or another cotton yarn. This dye will not dye wool or other animal fiber, make sure to use a yarn that is primarily cotton.
● Dharma trading co fiber reactive procion dye for cotton – I used the Electric Blue
● Soda ash
● Gloves
● Tongs
● Ice
● A pan with holes, a strainer, or a wire mesh rack big enough to hold your yarn skeins
● Optional: 2 zip ties.
Soak the Yarn
If you’re using zip ties, loop each of the 2 zip ties around a skein of yarn.
Soak the yarn in a bucket of hot water with 1/2 cup soda ash dissolved in it. I soaked the yarn overnight.
Dye the Yarn
With gloved hands, remove the yarn from the soaking liquid and gently wring out the excess moisture. The yarn should be damp to the touch, but not soaking wet.
Lay the skeins of yarn on the strainer, pan or wire mesh rack, spreading out the yarn so as much as possible gets exposed to the dye.
Place ice cubes all over the skeins of yarn.
Use a respirator during the next step and anytime you work with powder dye.
Using a spoon, sprinkle dye lightly over the ice cubes. A little goes a long way here! You can always add more dye but it is impossible to take it away once it has been added to the yarn.
I used about a teaspoon of dye.
Allow the yarn to sit undisturbed for 24 hrs.
Rinse the Yarn
Rinse the yarn in cool water until the water begins to run clear. Rinse once in the hottest water you can stand to use. Soak the yarn in cool water with synthropol for 20 minutes. Rinse until the water is clear and hang to dry.
Shop our 100% Organic Pima Cotton Yarn HERE
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