Dyepot Weekly #81 - Space Dyeing Yarn in a Slow Cooker with Food Coloring

[@ChemKnitsTutorials]

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[@elizabethcastratarocapua]

The instructions were perfect. I could not be more pleased with the outcome. Thank you for your tutorial.

[@dogsinolga]

Inspiring. I might try this on the stove top using lower heat. Love the finished skein. You inspired me when you first started dyeing. I've worked with 25 kids dyeing yarn with kool-aide. They loved it!. 1st - 3rd graders all knitters! The teacher is into fibers and the Montessori class has the 3rd years teaching the 1st years. Keep those interesting colors coming! I am mostly retired [teacher's aide] so I can play with color full time.

[@ChemKnitsTutorials]

This is amazing! My 5th grade teacher taught me to knit and dye yarn. :D

[@GKDmomma]

This is so much fun to watch! Love the result!

[@ChemKnitsTutorials]

Thanks, Ada!

[@suzannefenton1589]

The colors here truly match Froggy. Very nice!

[@ChemKnitsTutorials]

Thank you!

[@janinerosenke5463]

Love watching your episodes.

[@ChemKnitsTutorials]

Thank you so much, Janine!

[@marieking-stevason1775]

Patriotic slow cooked spaghetti LOL 😂 Now I’ll have a use for my slow cooker (it’s sitting on my counter collecting dust lol) I only use it for chili con carne in the winter. This yarn looks delicious!!! Happy Dying from Canada 🇨🇦 ❤️Marie

[@ChemKnitsTutorials]

Thank you, Marie! This was a fun one to do.

[@catface8471]

I did the slow cooker and it worked well but I've found I love the electric water bath canners for large batches. I do a lot of silk and it's perfect for it. And you can use it anywhere with an outlet, not stove required.

[@ChemKnitsTutorials]

Awesome! I have an electric hot plate that I use more than I do the slow cooker.

[@hazeluzzell]

When you take the lid off the slow cooker it loses heat quite quickly and takes a while to get back up to the original temperature. Maybe you need to leave it longer between ‘pokes’?

[@ChemKnitsTutorials]

That is possible, but I didn't have a good way to see if the bath was hot enough to start dyeing without checking on it. ;) i didn't need it to be boiling, but I wanted it to be hot.

[@SlowCookerIdeas]

a very interesting way to use the slow cooker.

[@thomclemmer2443]

I have only 1 personal dye under my belt and of course many hours of chem knits tutoring ...and just wanted to add that my personal dye was accomplished using my electric fry pan which has a gauged thermostat much like an oven so very easy to increase or set it at 200 and with a lid will hover just below the boiling point but with just a minimal twist and you are up to a bubbling temperature ...I was very excited about my results breaking Wiltons Violet

[@ChemKnitsTutorials]

Oh cool! I've never tried an electric frying pan before.

[@ooohlaa13]

yes I use this about 1/2 of the time and it is so controllable for low immersion ... also they make really large frypans now which gives more options ... u can get frypans really cheap at thrift stores too.

[@cindy5562]

Way cool!! I wish I was a rich girl, I'd sooo be dying all sorts of yarn

[@ChemKnitsTutorials]

Oh man... if I had an unlimited budget..... ;)

[@ManieMartinez]

I am wondering out loud if this might be a nice option for Roving. Slow and very little chance of felting from over boiling and moving the roving to much. What you do you think?

[@ChemKnitsTutorials]

I think that roving in a slow cooker could be a great idea. I would worry about not being able to lower the temperature quickly if needed, but you could always remove the little pot from the slow cooker to cool it off a bit.... :D

[@theresakidd]

Question: do you remember what you used for acid? Or does McCormick food dyes already come with acids?

[@ChemKnitsTutorials]

I use vinegar. I started with 5 cups water + 1 T white vinegar. I don't think McCormick's has acid in it.

[@melhartley2402]

Beautiful outcome!

[@ChemKnitsTutorials]

Thank you, Melinda!

[@saraa3418]

One of the natural dye books I borrowed from the library suggests varying your water to see what happens. The author suggests trying rain water or ocean water to see if it makes a difference. I know salts can inhibit dye absorption and create different effects on fabric so it could be fun to try if you had access to sea water.

[@ChemKnitsTutorials]

Hmmmm.... Maybe I'll have to collect some to bring it home. Certainly salt water can slow color absorption since salt can help as a leveling agent (I think)

[@saraa3418]

@@ChemKnitsTutorials What about a head to head of tap vs rain vs ocean water on a yarn and dye you and your viewers know very well? This way you can see if there really is something to the water. If there's a local creek, you can even throw that in too.

[@wandamuise2636]

Hi Rebecca, I am curious, what is your favorite yarn base to work with and to dye?

[@ChemKnitsTutorials]

Great question, Wanda! I have dyed more stroll fingering than any other yarn base at this point I think. Love so many things about this 75% supwerash merino / 25% nylon yarn. Swish DK (link in video description) is a new favorite. I think superwash wool in general takes up dye in a really exciting way, so I like to play with it. Hawthorne is a new favorite and I've recently started buying that in bulk. I like how the 2 ply really makes colorways POP. Another yarn base I use a LOT is Wool of the Andes Worsted. I think I've knit with this yarn line more than almost any other, and I enjoy dyeing it, too.

[@wandamuise2636]

@@ChemKnitsTutorials thank you so much for the info. I'm trying to get my hubby to help me to start dying some yarn. I won't be able to do it myself; I now have him watching your videos so he can get ideas of what I am asking him to do. So thank you for your great tutorial. Hugs to you and your family especially say hi to Ryder and Lucas!

[@ChemKnitsTutorials]

Hugs right back, Wanda!

[@austintaylor4685]

You should try to dye yarn with other sodas like Mountain Dew sprite cherry coke

[@ChemKnitsTutorials]

I have done a few sodas so far (beyond KoolAid, which I use a LOT.) I've done gatorade kzbin.info/www/bejne/jGXbZWekbZmLZpI, Orange fanta kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6CWgKWgi8ugpKM, Hawaiian Punch kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZ6lZ6ecjtOYia8, and Coke Zero kzbin.info/www/bejne/nmOpYnZ3l7trZ9U

[@mirandavikanderson6958]

Rebecca have u used club house food colouring. Or is club house only in Canada

[@ChemKnitsTutorials]

I have not tried that brand before. I know that there are some different dye molecules approved for use in different countries, so I'm not sure if you guys use the same ones that we have here. I think there is some overlap, though. The names might use an E # instead of "Red 40" on the labels, but there is a wikipedia page that will show the difference.

[@Bobbieliz]

Well Done! Thank you.

[@ChemKnitsTutorials]

You're very welcome!

[@austintaylor4685]

Can mica power dye yarn

[@ChemKnitsTutorials]

I don't believe that mica will stick to yarn. I think the best ways to add sparkle and shimmer to yarn is to spin in it the fibers directly. Any time I've tried a food coloring with glitter or shimmer to it the shimmer & glitter has rinsed right out.