Gina Rockenwagner

Posted on: Acid dyes Alpaca yarn AsperitasApril 21, 2022

Pro Tips for Dyeing Spring Yarns

Once folks start shedding their coats and flowers start popping up through long dormant earth, it’s time to start Spring knitting and dyeing!

To get you on the bloom lined path to perfect Spring dyeing, we’ve compiled some of our favorite seasonally appropriate dyeing tips. Grab your favorite Knomad yarn and Spring into dyeing fun!

Best Yarns for Spring

Bristle – With its sizable hemp content, Bristle is a favorite for warm weather knitting! Because hemp doesn’t take the dye as readily as wool, you can easily create a heather effect with Bristle. Bristle is also organic, making it a great sustainable choice!

Egret – Egret is an elegantly spun single ply of organic merino wool. It blooms and fills in beautifully once it is blocked, making knit and crochet items that resemble a baby bird’s delicate down feathers. Tip: make sure to knit Egret not too tight! The yarn sings at a slightly more open gauge.

Sand Dune – This silk blend yarn has a delicate tweed effect reminiscent of a speckled robin’s egg. The high silk content gives it an unparalleled drape perfect for Spring tops. Sand dune takes dye like a dream, bringing out the beautiful speckles. Check out this tutorial for dyeing with Sand Dune 

Asperitas – Blended from recycled wool and Tencel, Asperitas has a nice, dry hand making it a splendid choice for Spring wearables. Asperitas has a nice structure to it. It would be fabulous knit up into a tailored top or a jacket. 

Spring Color Ideas

Spring Greens – in this post from the archives we sample 3 different green colors of dye, making it easy for you to choose the perfect shade for your project! Check out each verdant shade here! 

Bright Orange – Not just for Halloween, bright orange is super popular this Spring! In fact, this is the exact color of nasturtium flowers popping up all over my garden. The bright, slightly pink orange looks beautiful contrasting with the greenery. View the tutorial here. 

Robin’s egg blue – For a fresh shade of Robin’s egg blue, use a light concentration, around 3%, of Dharma Trading Co’s Bright Aqua silk and wool dye. 

Wildflower Speckle – Here is a great tutorial for a beautiful Spring colorway! We originally dyed this on Bristle, but it would look beautiful on a number of different Knomad yarns. Try it on Marshmallow DK for an even crisper speckle. This tutorial is blooming up here. 

Perfect Pink – Check out 3 different shades of pink in this post. Play with the concentration to get a more pastel or brighter shade, depending on your mood! Learn to dye them all here. 

Speckles for days – Here’s a great speckle dyeing technique that doesn’t use dye in its powder form to make the speckles. https://www.knomadyarn.com/blog/egret-yarn-more-than-meets-the-eye/

Even more speckles! – This technique creates speckles with powder dye, so make sure to have your powder dye safe respirator mask handy! https://www.knomadyarn.com/blog/how-to-dye-speckles-on-stratus/

Knit or crochet a springy cardigan – Step 1: grab a sweater quantity of your favorite Knomad yarn. Step two: get inspired and dye it up! Not sure what to dye? Check out our blog for lots of ideas for dyers of all levels! Step three: pick a pattern and knit/crochet your masterpiece. Step four: share your gorgeous finished objects and make sure to tag them #knomadyarn @knomad_yarn