Welcome to another exciting week at KNITmuch, where I’m doing something completely different. This week, I’m dyeing yarn with Rit dyes and UNIVERSAL YARN Ready to Dye collection.
Rit All Purpose dyes are formulated for dyeing both protein and cellulose based fibers. Both the powder and liquid versions are available in a multitude of colors. I’ve opted to use Scarlet, Golden Yellow, Teal and Royal Blue in powder form, and Eggplant in the liquid as my colors.
Rit All Purpose Dyes are available in both powder and liquid form in a multitude of colors.
The powder colors I chose are basically the 3 primary colors, which can be mixed to create an endless array of colors. Teal or turquoise can be difficult to achieve so I opted for that color in its pure form. That theory also applies to the eggplant color which is a rich deep shade of purple that can take a fair amount of experimenting with red and blue to achieve the same depth of color.
As mentioned, the Rit all purpose line is formulated for protein, meaning animal fibers such as wool, silk, and alpaca, and cellulose (plant) based fibers such as cotton, linen, and bamboo. Although not formulated for synthetic fibers such as polyester, acrylic, fiberglass, and metallic, Rit does have a line of dyes for these called DyeMore.
I’ve done a fair amount of yarn dyeing with acid dyes, indigo, and nature dyeing to date and I always enjoy the outcome, whether expected or not. I always thought of Rit dyes as being a fabric dye, especially for tie dye, but they can also be used for yarn.
Speaking of yarn, UNIVERSAL YARN has a Ready to Dye collection of which I’m using a Superwash Merino Angora Nylon Sock Weight, a Wool/Nylon Sock Weight, and a Superwash Merino Sock Weight.
UNIVERSAL YARN Superwash Merino Angora Nylon Sock Weight, Wool / Nylon Sock Weight, and Superwash Merino Sock Weight from the Ready to Dye Collection
All 3 skeins are wool based with 25% nylon content in 2 skeins and 20% Angora in one of them. Rit All Purpose Dye will work on all these fibers, however, the amount of nylon content can have an impact on the final color.
The instructions for using Rit dyes discuss the Stove Top Method, Washing Machine Method, and Sink/Bucket Method, however, I’ll be using 3 different methods for dyeing the yarn; Snow Method, Warp Painting, and Kettle Dyeing.
Tomorrow, I’ll address the equipment and tools needed for each of these methods. I hope you join me for the rest of the week as I use the Rit All Purpose Dye to color my Ready to Dye Yarn from UNIVERSAL YARN.
