Acid Dyeing at Home

To try your hand at acid dyeing at home, following what I did in the tutorial you will need:
-50g of fiber, yarn or fabric. If using yarn a hank is the best option for dyeing but balls and skeins work also. The results of dyeing a ball or skein will not be predictable.
-2 packets of Kool-Aid in desired color. The color of the drink in the glass of the Kool-Aid man’s hand is the color that is in the packet.
-1/4c / 62mL of vinegar
-3/4c / 188mL of water (in addition to the soaking water)
-Heat source – hot plate, stove, slow cooker or solar

Following the instructions in the tutorial, prepare the fiber, soaking overnight is best, and the dye.

There are multiple options for setting the dye and I have detailed each of them below.

Hot plate or stove – do the same as I did with the fiber and dye, then heat slowly to 185F / 85C. Turn off the burner, cover the pot and leave it over night.

Microwave – for this method I work in Mason jars or a microwave safe glass dish or pan. You can do the same thing I did in the video in the bowl or pan. Jars are a bit tighter space for the fiber and will change the splotching and intensity. I place jars in a pan just in case they run over the pan will catch the mess.
If you have a regular microwave, heat for 3 minutes, wait 3 minutes. Repeat the heat and wait three times at least, up to five if needed. The goal is clear water in the dye vessel. Some colors, yellow and some pinks will not go clear. Blue might not either. Each color is different.
If you do less than the 50g of fiber in the microwave, I suggest only heating for a minute at a time, otherwise the fiber gets hot and makes a mess. Ask me how I know.
If you have a more powerful microwave, I suggest heat for 2 minutes, wait 3 minutes.
If it is taking more than five heat cycles to get the water to clear, wait a couple of hours for the fiber to cool before doing more.
After you have completed the heat cycles, leave the microwave closed and let the contents cool completely before handling.

Slow cooker – you can soak your fiber in the cooker while it is shut off. Then add your dye and turn the cooker to “low”. Cover and leave it for 3 hours. If you need to leave it longer use the “warm” setting. Do NOT use “high” as that will be too hot and could damage the fiber or cause felting.
When the water has cleared, shut off the heat, unplug the cooker and leave everything to cool.

Solar – this is my favorite and we are almost there weather-wise. You need a day that will be 80F / 27C or more with sun for at least 6 hours. I have used glass, metal and plastic containers and they all work. Any size that will hold the fiber and has a lid will work. Soak your fiber, add your dye and replace the lid. Place in the sun for at least 6 hours. I put a shiny cookie sheet under the container to reflect even more heat into it. I often have things out by 8am and don’t bring them in until after dinner. Often they are too hot to handle before then. I always leave the container to sit and cool over night before rinsing the fiber.

When the dye is set and the fiber is cool enough to handle, this is for your safety and the safety of the fiber, you don’t want it to felt, rinse the fiber in gentle running water that is of similar temperature. Squeeze out excess water and lay out or hang to dry.

Please share your photos with us, we’d all love to see what you dye!

Happy making!