How To Dye Verano: Wool, Cotton, and Linen Blend Yarn

I have mused many times on the difficulties of being a warm weather knitter. Some of these musings have been documented in this blog! Naturally, when I heard about Knomad’s newest yarn, Verano DK, my interest was piqued. I absolutely love yarns that blend protein fiber with plant fiber because they give you the best of both worlds: The cool hand of plant fiber combined with the elasticity of something like wool. It can be hard to get blends like this right. I have been disappointed in the past by yarns that are too loosely spun, develop pilling quickly and just don’t hold up well over time. As excited as I was about the yarn sight unseen, I had to see it to believe it. When the yarn arrived and I got a chance to dye it, I was completely, pleasantly surprised with how great it ended up being! Verano picked up the dye beautifully and evenly. Tan strands of linen speckled throughout the yarn lend a rustic touch to Verano. You even get a slight heathery, mottled appearance to the yarn thanks to the considerable cotton content that doesn’t pick up acid dyes. The yarn has a sturdy structure perfect for hardwearing garments you’ll want to take on all your summer adventures. I’ve worked with many yarns in my life, so it takes a lot to impress me. Verano exceeded all my expectations. I think it will surprise and delight you too. Summer should be fun, and this yarn definitely lives up to its namesake (Verano means Summer in Spanish) Come along on my dyeing journey with Verano so you can see exactly what I mean!

Materials

• 4 skeins (100grams) of Knomad Verano DK: 60% fine merino wool, 30% pima cotton, 10% linen
• Dharma trading company acid dye for silk and wool - I used the color Radioactive
• Citric acid

Process

Begin by soaking the yarn in cool water for about 3 hours. This helps the wool to open up and take the color as evenly as possible.

While the yarn is soaking, mix your dye. I used 1 gram of dye for 400 grams of fiber. This corresponds to 0.25% dye to fiber by weight. In a small cup, weigh out the correct amount of dye. (Always wear a respirator when handling powder dyes) Add a small amount of hot water to the cup and stir until all the powder dissolves. 

Drain the yarn and discard the soaking liquid. You may have to squeeze out the yarn, it should be damp but not soaking wet.

In your dye pot, combine enough water to cover the yarn, the pre-mixed dye, and 1 teaspoon of citric acid. Add the pre-soaked yarn. Cover and heat on low until the water comes to a gentle boil, stirring every 5 minutes for even color absorption. (Note: Because Verano is made from superwash merino wool and cotton and linen, two plant fibers, you don’t have to worry about agitating the yarn while dyeing. It will not felt) Allow the pot to simmer gently until all the dye is absorbed from the water. 

In the dye pot, the yarn does in fact look radioactive! Once the yarn has absorbed all the dye, leave the pot to cool with the lid on. When the yarn has cooled completely, rinse the yarn in room temperature water with a small amount of gentle soap. Hang to dry.

Enjoy your beautiful yarn!

I am thinking of using mine to make a tank top or a polo shirt to wear this summer! The yarn knits up very quickly so hopefully you’ll see me wearing it soon.