Can you dye cashmere? How to dye cashmere | Second Hand Cashmere

A step by step tutorial on how to dye second hand cashmere. Here at Nearly New Cashmere, we are well practised at the art of dyeing jumpers. Dyeing cashmere is not something to be afraid of - follow Ali's instructions in this video to make it a success!
Products used:
RIT dye (make sure it is for natural fibres)
Washing up liquid (to help the dye penetrate the wool)
Vinegar
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how to dye cashmere dyeing wool dye cashmere stain recycle cashmere

[@SuperMsPharmacy]

This is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you for posting a clear tutorial. I thrift 90% of my clothes and often find cashmere jumpers that are stained or not my color. Now I can buy them all. Lol

[@nearlynewcashmere]

How wonderful! We are so glad this video has been helpful.

[@johnrhodes3350]

The final result is a lovely colour and the turquoise Zipper didn't clash but was a rather nice contrast. Well done

[@nearlynewcashmere]

Thank you!

[@gracetorre3195]

Thanks for posting this - I have a new cashmere scarf this year that cannot be returned - I love the cashmere texture and the scarf, but don't like the color - I'm hoping dye will work! This is one of the more complete and clear explanations I could find, thanks!

[@nearlynewcashmere]

We are so glad it has been helpful!

[@wendyschulman9578]

I recently followed your video to dye a striped with ivory background cashmere sweater. I used Midnight Blue All Purpose Rit dye. I was concerned that the dye would change the color of the stripes. But it only changed the ivory to a lovely bluish gray. The stripes which were bold primary colors did not change color and actually look nicer against the blue/gray background. Thank you for this easy to follow video. Can't wait to dye my next cashmere sweater!

[@nearlynewcashmere]

Great to hear you had such success dyeing and we hope you now get lots more wear out of your sweater!

[@sally7299]

Really helpful, thank you. An orangey-beige jumper is now green!

[@nearlynewcashmere]

Brilliant, good to hear!

[@judythsmith9059]

Great video & tips, exactly what i needed! bought a cashmere sweater at a thrift shop & didn't notice the yellow stains & am so happy to have found this! Will go shopping for a new dye color & try this! Thank you so much!

[@nearlynewcashmere]

You’re welcome! Let us know how you get on ☺️

[@dacca2008]

I thrifted a 100% cashmere sweater so many years ago ($9!), but I look horrible in the cream color. I only wear it in the house because of this. Now to decide what color to dye it!

[@nearlynewcashmere]

Wow what a bargain! Hope the dyeing goes well!

[@amandabrewer7597]

So informative thank you. I love your just go for it approach. I will experiment with a dull grey scarf.

[@nearlynewcashmere]

Brilliant! Do let us know how you get on 😊

[@lisatk8092]

You are beautiful, intelligent and fascinatingly interesting! Thank you, will try to save my stained sweater tomorrow (have to get to the store to buy the dye). Thank you a hundred times! Subscribed and looking forward to new videos!

[@nearlynewcashmere]

Thank you! Hope it all goes well ☺️

[@cmarq817]

Is that vinegar white vinegar? May we use wine or cider vinegar? I ask because wine or cider vinegar is the most common where I live . Thank you

[@GeorgeAndSophie]

Thank you so much for this excellent video, going to try this process this afternoon as soon as Amazon deliver my packet of dye.

[@nearlynewcashmere]

Great! Let us know how you get on!

[@alexandrineb7752]

Funny I'm stumbling on this. I bought a brown Cashmere polo neck from you guys a year ago 🤗 and now looking to change the colour to a dark olive green. Hoping to get good results from the process

[@nearlynewcashmere]

Oh wow! Well we hope it goes well, it would be great to hear how you get on 😊

[@catherinebourdon8258]

Rushing & not mixing it well enough can cause little concentrated chunks of dye to remain. They can unevenly deposit little spots of color.

[@nearlynewcashmere]

Absolutely! Those first few moments when the dye clings to the cashmere fibres are crucial, mixing thoroughly is the key!

[@spaceforthesoul6286]

Amazing result!!

[@nearlynewcashmere]

Yes! It is always a bit of a risk 😆

[@janegreen9340]

An excellent and useful film, thanks you

[@nearlynewcashmere]

So glad it was helpful for you!

[@LaBonnieBelle]

I love the wine colour on the bottle, but the mauve colour in the end result wouldn’t suit me. What do you recommend to achieve a true wine colour? An extra bottle of dye in the mixture? Or dying it a second time? Very informative video, thanks!

[@nearlynewcashmere]

Yes, it is a bit tricky to get an exact colour, we did use this dye for three jumpers. You could either use two bottles to get a stronger colour, or choose a colour that is actually darker than you would like. Unfortunately it is a bit of a gamble getting the correct colour with dyeing - it's best to have an open mind about how it will turn out!

[@modernanimist2421]

Thank you great tutorial! I also love the painting on the wall behind you. Do you have the name of the artist?

[@E.J.562]

Have you got any tips for when the seams don't take on the dye? I have a cashmere jumper and silk trousers and after i had dyed both of them, the seams (and hems of the trousers ) stayed the same colour, but the main body of the fabric changed and took on the colour of the dye. any tips?x

[@nearlynewcashmere]

Hmm, that's strange. The usual reason a dye wouldn't take to part of a jumper is if it hadn't been stirred properly, or if it had a zip like ours that is made of different material. Is it the general area of the seam or the thread that hasn't taken?

[@E.J.562]

@@nearlynewcashmere Hey, yea you're right it's the actual thread that isn't taking on the colour of the dye, is that normal/ to be expected? Thanks!

[@nearlynewcashmere]

Yes that is to be expected/something to be aware of, the thread will be made of different materials that won't take the dye as well as the cashmere has

[@megleah8297]

Thank you for this clear tutorial! I inherited some cashmere scarfs from my grandma that are not my colour at all so I hope I can change their colour and still have a piece of her with me 🫶

[@nearlynewcashmere]

How lovely, good luck and let us know how you get on!

[@avoiceinsupportoftruth5]

Thank you so much!

[@nearlynewcashmere]

Glad to be of help!

[@carriebates7176]

If any mending has been done on the jumper before you dye it, do you find the mending thread takes the dye differently (making the mend far more noticeable)?

[@nearlynewcashmere]

This is quite possible yes. We mend after dyeing and would advise you to do the same - if possible!

[@misslarissa6046]

Do you have any advice for color remover? I have a dark brown cashmere shawl which I would like to recolor to something which looks a bit less like dirt.

[@nearlynewcashmere]

We would recommend dyeing black in this case as your best bet!

[@mariepeterson7250]

Thanks for this video. I'm always hesitant to do dying because I think I might ruin something in the environment by dye accident. Is your dye tub permanently stained after? I would be inclined to run the dyed item through my washing machine on a wool cycle after initial rinsing. Would this risk staining the door seal?

[@nearlynewcashmere]

No it doesn't stain the tub! Yes it's a good idea after washing the dyed items to run a cycle to clean the machine of any left over dye, possibly adding old towels that you don't care about, or just an empty wash. We have never had it stain the door seal.

[@user-ns9cp6th5k]

Do you know what to use for a cashmere and silk blend sweater - vinegar or salt? Thank you 🙏🏻

[@nearlynewcashmere]

@@user-ns9cp6th5k we’ve never dyed a cashmere blend so couldn’t say, sorry!

[@amandakidwell5747]

I recently bought Navy Rit dye to dye a pale pink cashmere jumper. Unfortunately I turned a dark heather colour instead of navy. Any suggestions to re dye it ? Perhaps a different brand of dye? The dying instructions were really clear and I had a good result except for the colour. Thanks for posting it.

[@nearlynewcashmere]

That will most likely be due to the original colour of the jumper rather than an issue with the dye. We would suggest dyeing again to get it closer to the colour you would like, unfortunately it's not an exact science!

[@Pedaledure]

Hello, I know the video is old but I have an old Hermes stained cashmere and I wanted to dye it following your tutorials but I have a question: will it mess up the label ? Thank you so much 😊

[@nearlynewcashmere]

If the label is made from a natural fibre eg cotton, which you would expect it to be from Hermès, then it most likely will.

[@magpiemagpie5488]

Thank you for the video, your clothes look beautiful in new colour. What color is it? Looks beautiful

[@nearlynewcashmere]

The colour of the dye was called ‘Wine’!

[@jlbock27]

I have a cotton (95%) and cashmere (5%) blended duvet cover but get a new couch for the room that clashes with the cover. You think since its mostly cotton I should follow those directions for cotton?

[@nearlynewcashmere]

Great question. The dye we used was for natural fibres which is really important, so in theory this should work for cotton as well as cashmere. We would say go carefully and keep in mind that 5% of cashmere. We're not entirely sure how different the dyeing process for cotton is compared to cashmere? But you're definitely safe to use this brand of dye.

[@nicolemoreland6257]

When you dye a garment that is already warm in color and choose a cool toned dye, will the result be muddy? Will the tone change to the cool side? I have a cashmere sweater that is a warm tones camel and I wish to dye it a cool toned violet but I'm so nervous I'm going to ruin it!

[@TerriPD]

I have a beautiful featherweight patterned cashmere scarf with very dark winter colors. I would love to lighten or lift the colors out so I can wear more than one season. I live in the south so the featherweight would be a perfect wrap when it gets a bit chilly. Is there a way to do this without ruining my scarf?

[@nearlynewcashmere]

We've never tried to go lighter using dye before, only to go darker, so sorry we can't help!

[@Erin-je2oh]

What's the best way to dispose of the dye bath? I have porcelain and I would hate to stain it.

[@nearlynewcashmere]

We would suggest tipping it down a drain outside instead!

[@Susan-yb3hh]

Is the fit dye you used called ‘all purpose’? I could not find Rit Dye marked ‘natural’. I am enoying all your videos. I like to sew and repurpose fabrics. Your Chanel is a dream. Thank you so much🎉

[@nearlynewcashmere]

It specifies that it's for natural fibres! Thank you so much, so pleased you've found us!

[@Susan-yb3hh]

@@nearlynewcashmere Can you tell me the color you used for these 3 sweaters??? I found the Rit Dye ‘all purpose’ which states wool, cotton etc as well as synthetics on the front of the bottle. I love the shade you got on this sweater. Thanks again.

[@Susan-yb3hh]

Can you share the color you are using? Thank you.

[@missnobody8194]

Thank you for sharing this. Can you tell me if the water to dye is cool, warm or hot.

[@nearlynewcashmere]

About 30º is ideal. It's a bit of a balancing act as you don't want to shrink your cashmere but the dye will be better if the water is warm. Hope that helps!

[@anetakoczulap2214]

hallo I got 3 diffrent color of cashmere jumper. I dont like the color. if I dye would be impossible get one of color? thank you for replay

[@nearlynewcashmere]

Hello, if you were to dye 3 different coloured jumpers in the same colour dye they probably won't come out the same colour. The jumpers in this video are different and they did vary in colour slightly after dyeing! Hope this helps.

[@anetakoczulap2214]

@@nearlynewcashmere thank you for replay😉

[@EmilyP345]

What is that amazing drying rack you have on the wall?!

[@nearlynewcashmere]

They’re from a fab place called Julu Home, we dry all of our cashmere jumpers on them!

[@EmilyP345]

Thanks for the quick response! ❤

[@ellelewis9641]

Excellent tutorial. Very informative. Could you give the name of the dye you used please? I’ve used dylon in the machine successfully but not their hand dye products. A liquid sounds much better than powder. Thank you for the great info! 💚

[@nearlynewcashmere]

Thank you very much! We used RIT dye and do think it works well on the whole. Glad to be of help!

[@ileanafrazier5909]

Hi! Do the sweaters need to be wet I mean after washing the jumper and just before putting them in the dye? Thank you

[@nearlynewcashmere]

Hello, good question! Ideally they are damp yes, not soaking wet but just after a wash and a fast spin they should come out damp and ready to be dyed.

[@ileanafrazier5909]

@@nearlynewcashmere Thank you so much for taking the time to respond and the help, I'm so enjoying watching your videos, thank you again :)

[@brettgoetz6085]

Any issues with bleeding? Do you need to use any color fixative after dying cashmere?

[@nearlynewcashmere]

None so far! After we had dyed and put the jumpers in the washing machine, we included a towel which caught some of the dye. Once washed we find the cashmere behaves as normal.

[@Tribalking]

How do you discard the water after ?

[@nearlynewcashmere]

Just down the sink and then rinse!

[@Ari-ge5cp]

Thank you so much for sharing!! I have a coat, not sure the material but it seems to be... not sure put it seems to be like a thread material. I want to dye it black! Change the buttons and remove certain things. Any advice on how should I do it.

[@nearlynewcashmere]

Glad to be of help! It's hard to say without knowing the material, will the inside label say what it's made from? We are only experts in cashmere so wouldn't want to advise in case the same method was not appropriate, but yes make sure to remove the buttons or anything that the dye won't stick to before dying!

[@gracetorre3195]

In my comment, I forgot to ask (since I've never tried this) - once the cashmere is dyed, do you wash normally (by hand or delicate) - is the color affected after washing? Thank you!

[@nearlynewcashmere]

Straight after the cashmere has been in the dye it needs to be washed in the machine on a quick wash as we say in the video, we then suggest to put your machine through an empyu wash to clear out the dye. From there you can wash your cashmere as normal! Hope this helps 😊

[@gracetorre3195]

@@nearlynewcashmere Missed that part, thanks for the follow-up!

[@LauraShin]

@@nearlynewcashmereand when you do the quick wash in the machine, what temperature do you select for the water?

[@babylock890]

Have you try dyeing with jacquard acid dye ? Because this dye use very hot water and I wonder about shrinking

[@nearlynewcashmere]

We haven't, we definitely wouldn't use hot water as it will shrink the cashmere like you say. The instructions on the label did say hot water but we used luke warm (less than 20 degrees) to avoid shrinkage and it still worked!

[@tjitske8055]

Why do you add Dishwashing Liquid? This was not explained as to the reason for this... please let us know! Thanks!

[@nearlynewcashmere]

We add dishwashing liquid as this helps the dye to penetrate the fabric!

[@gracetorre3195]

@@nearlynewcashmere This is a great tip!

[@AleksandraSusnjar]

is it 3 gallons of hot/warm water? And what’s the measurement for vinegar? If you’re dying wool or cashmere?

[@sannisiipilehto400]

What is the water temperature you are using for dyeing cashmere? 30C? Or can it be warmer? I bought a dye for wool and other natural fibers to dye my cashmere jumper and the packaging says 80-90C but I’m now wondering if I dare to follow the instructions on the packaging as it seems too high for cashmere. What do you think?

[@nearlynewcashmere]

No we would never recommend washing cashmere in any instance above 30°! Go as close to 30 as you can as the heat will help the dye but you definitely don’t want to go too hot. As we’re doing it by hand we don’t know the exact temperature and are cautious, better to be a bit cooler!

[@SkyShazad]

Why did you put Viniger In???? I thought your supposed to put in Salt?

[@nearlynewcashmere]

As with the washing liquid, the vinegar helps to get the best dye possible and penetrate the fibres.

[@SkyShazad]

@@nearlynewcashmere Thankyou for reply, this was a great Video, so I should try Vinigar instead of Salt,, As on packet it said use Salt

[@nearlynewcashmere]

@@SkyShazad Thank you! We would say first and foremost follow the instructions on the packet, as far as we can tell salt and the vinegar actually do the same job of penetrating the fibres so I think use one or the other!

[@wendyschulman9578]

Can you achieve vibrant colors on cashmere using All purpose Rit dye?

[@nearlynewcashmere]

It should be possible, a lot of the time it depends on the colour of the original garment. If it's a pale or light colour it will likely turn out more vibrant than a darker jumper. As you can see with the jumpers in this video they all ended up slightly different shades of the dye, and all lighter than the colour in the bottle. If you're brave go for a slightly darker shade than the one you actually want!

[@odettebaker3118]

I've got a merino wool cardigan and it's saying hot water, any tips, to dye it ?

[@nearlynewcashmere]

We wouldn't want to advise how to dye merino wool as we only know cashmere well enough. As a general rule we wouldn't use hot water for cashmere so this would probably be the same rule for wool.

[@janeanderson9737]

Hi sorry if you've already answered this, but you don't use a fixative? Is it unnecessary with cashmere?

[@nearlynewcashmere]

no we don't, we don't find it necessary! The washing up liquid and vinegar help so it's not needed

[@Srifelli]

How to wash the cashmere first without shrinking

[@nearlynewcashmere]

We wash all of our cashmere on a short machine was at 30 degrees, followed by a fast spin. This video goes into detail about how we machine wash cashmere: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eqrGpHZpe6eCfdk

[@jiyafarooqi9085]

Can I use powdered dye?

[@nearlynewcashmere]

You can, however we always use liquid dye. This is because it is less concentrated than powdered dye and requires less mixing - although it still requires a lot! Powdered dye is a lot more likely to cause splotches of dye so we would not recommend!

[@user-pl1mf2wi9i]

really helpful. did you user a dye fixture at the end of the process? Does cashmere need one?

[@nearlynewcashmere]

Glad to hear it! No we don't tend to!

[@lsees5753]

Do you have an unraveling sweater yarn tutorial?

[@nearlynewcashmere]

We don’t no! We don’t do any unravelling and re-knitting ourselves we simply sell jumpers that have been previously owned

[@charlottebyrne2065]

what temp is the water initially? I always thought it needed some heat? I need to dye a wool jumper is it similar?

[@nearlynewcashmere]

we say luke warm, the warmer the water the better the dye however you don't want to risk shrinking the cashmere with hot water! It's a bit of a balancing act. We couldn't comment on dyeing wool as we have never done it!

[@mariamalmosawi1178]

Hi! I've bought a navy blue coat with gold buttons but I really want to dye it black. The coat is 75% cotton, 20% nylon and 5% kashmir. The lining is cotton and acetate. I don't care much about the lining but I really want to have the coat in black. Any tips?

[@nearlynewcashmere]

Hello, I'm afraid we couldn't really advise as we are only experts in cashmere. We wouldn't want to suggest anything in case it went wrong!

[@ninasaville6758]

Can you over dy a navy cashmere burnt orange? I dyed my light grey jumper blue but don’t like the colour.

[@nearlynewcashmere]

It is likely that a lighter coloured dye wouldn't show up on a darker colour. We generally recommend dyeing a lighter jumper a darker colour. I think the only way you could change the navy is to go black!

[@ninasaville6758]

@@nearlynewcashmere There is a patch on the newly dyed navy which is more petrol blue. Can I redye it navy with a double solution. It is the dylon sachet and maybe the cashmere was to heavy for one packet.

[@nearlynewcashmere]

@@ninasaville6758 Yes it sounds like you didn't have enough dye for all the material! You can certainly dye it again to get a more even colour. Also continuous stirring is very important. Good luck!

[@judithrayl1479]

Hello, what size tub do you recommend? Thank you

[@nearlynewcashmere]

Hello, it depends on how much you are dyeing! You need enough room to be able to stir and move the cashmere around to get an even dye. How many jumpers are you dyeing?

[@judithrayl1479]

@@nearlynewcashmere Hello, just 2 lovely jumpers, thank you

[@nearlynewcashmere]

You could get away with one smaller than in this video for just two jumpers, but don't go two small as it will be hard to mix and cause more splashing!

[@pooroldpedro]

how hot it 'tepid' ?

[@nearlynewcashmere]

Definitely no hotter than 20° as you’d risk shrinking the cashmere itself

[@lovingthisagain]

What color dye did you use? Couldn't read the bottle :)

[@nearlynewcashmere]

I think it was a fuschia but couldn't be sure as this was filmed last year!

[@lovingthisagain]

@@nearlynewcashmere thank you. :)

[@CJ-wf8ve]

Hello! I have recently purchased an 80% red wool coat, it has some fading, is it possible to re-dye it to its original color?

[@nearlynewcashmere]

Hello! We couldn't really say whether this would work for wool as we don't have much experience with wool, but in theory it should. It is good to remember that dyeing is always a bit of a risk!

[@CJ-wf8ve]

@@nearlynewcashmere Thank you for the feedback!

[@kathleenmorris9309]

Why dishwashing liquid.?

[@nearlynewcashmere]

It helps the dye penetrate the cashmere fibres!

[@asdfjkl981]

If you plan to get the whole bottle in, why don´t you open the bottle under water so there is no risk of splashing drops on your surroundings?

[@nearlynewcashmere]

We've never thought of that! It may work, or may cause a big splash of water when the lid pops open... we will have to give it a go!

[@janeanderson9737]

Apologies I have just seen the answer to this :)

[@nearlynewcashmere]

No problem, glad we answered your question!