Why and How I Started Dyeing my Own Yarn

Welcome! If you’re new here, I’m De, the owner and creator behind Knotty Bliss Boutique. I started my shop in 2016, during my second year of college as a way to give myself a little extra spending money every month. I’ve had quite the journey in what I do, but I’ll leave it at that.

I started dyeing my own yarn in late 2020 during the pandemic. It was one of those things I had tried before once or twice before and I enjoyed it. After I bought my house, I decided to try doing more yarn dyeing. I had a bigger space and more room for storage so myself and my husband said why not try. As an artist and art teacher, I adore color. Absolutely love it in every way I feasibly can love color.

The basics of yarn dyeing

So yarn dyeing isn’t as simple as throwing some yarn into a pot or pan and putting dye on it. I wish it was that simple though. For yarn dyeing you need a couple things and it really depends on the type of fiber you’re wanting to dye.

For wool or animal based fibers you’ll want:

• Yarn (of course) I use a lot bare yarns from Knomad yarns, but there’s many suppliers out there with various amounts that have to be purchased.
• Dye- For animal based fibers you need an acid base to get the dye to bond to the yarn. Luckily you have some options. You can use food coloring or drink powder if this is more for fun and an occasional thing. If you want to take this to a business type level you’ll want to look into professional dyes from companies like Dharma or Jacquard.
• Pan/pot- If you’re using food safe ways of adding color (ie food coloring or a drink powder) you can continue to use that pan/pot for food. If you are going the professional route you need separate dedicated pots/pans. I have a dedicated pot I use for dip dyeing and then I have a dedicated (old) crock pot I use for low immersion dyes. It is important to have dedicated pots if you are using professional dyes. They are not safe for consumption and safety comes first.
• An Acid- White vinegar or citric acid. This helps set the dye in the yarn so it stays.

For synthetic or plant based fibers you’ll want:

• Yarn of that nature
• Dye- For these you’ll need fiber reactive dyes. Think of it like what you would use for tie dye.
• Pan/pot- Same as above except I would just keep it separate altogether from food for these dyes.
• Soda Ash (or salt sometimes)- These types of dye and yarn need a basic solution to bind the dyes.

Other items that may be useful:

• Plastic/reusable gloves- Keep your hands from being stained
• Plastic bottles such as condiment bottles- Great for mixing up before hand and using to dye
• Measuring cups/spoons- Again keep a separate set for dyeing. I have measuring spoons
• Something to protect your work surface if you’re worried about stains. I have stained my kitchen counter horribly but right now I’m okay with that as I want to replace it in the future.
• Extra tubs- I have some plastic tubs I use to rinse and soak my yarn in before and after dyeing.
• Thermometer- For animal based fibers you don’t want the water to boil but you need it almost boiling and it helps to monitor it.
• Respirator- You do not want to breath in the powder dyes. It is very dangerous and over time could cause issues with your lungs.

How to dye yarn

I am by no means an expert and I have only really dyed animal based fibers because I love working with super wash merino wool. This is my process and will vary from dyer to dyer.

1. I soak my yarn for 15-30 minutes usually. Typically I soak in just regular old tap water. I add acid at the end most of the time because I want a more even dye job unless I’m doing speckles. I usually add 1 to 2 TBSP of vinegar per skein, sometimes more.
2. While my yarn is soaking I start heating up my dye bath. If I’m doing a dip dye I’ll stick an old candy thermometer in the pot to watch the temp. I’ll add dye after the 175 degree mark usually.
3. When I’m ready to dye I’ll either put the yarn into the pot or the crock pot and do my thing. If I’m specking I use my smallest measuring spoon to get dry powder to sprinkle on top.
4. After I’m happy I’ll add my acid if I haven’t yet and then I’ll let it cook for usually 30-ish minutes.
5. Let it cool down and rinse. If it is bleeding dye pretty bad add acid to the last wash and if you need to pop it back in the pot with more acid and cook longer. Be mindful of your yarn felting if it is not super wash.
6. Let it dry.

Types of yarn winds

I figured I’d define some skein talk for yarn as it can be confusing especially when you’re most used to what you buy from big box stores.

Skein: This style is usually machine produced and what we see at the big box stores. I’ve never seen a small shop sell yarn wound this way.

Hank: A hank is a big loop of yarn. It’s all wound into pretty much an oval. If you’ve tried to work directly from it, it’s become a tangled mess. These always need wound. Often times when you buy hanks of yarn it comes twisted.

Ball: Just a round, solid thing of yarn. It doesn’t collapse at all when working from it, but if you wind too tight it can stretch the yarn unfortunately.

Bullet: This is a shorter version of the regular “skein” we see from big stores. They are great though and I love getting them. Many of my favorite yarns are wound this way.

Cake: It looks like a itty bitty cake. This is a pretty normal way for indie dyers to sell yarn or at least offer the service. It goes onto a winder and it turns out like this cylinder. They can be center pull too which I love.

Why I actually started to dye my own yarn

I have a hard time finding color ways I adore. Yarn dyeing to me is a lot like painting. I love to play with color and see what kinds of values and shades I can get. I love putting colors together that you may not think to do. I’ve had some pretty outcomes and then I’ve had to over dye to make the skein a bit prettier.

Overall though, I now have the ability to create yarn exactly like I want. If I want a super bright rainbow I can create that. I have also done some custom dyed yarns for friends and followers and it’s always a fun time. I love creating a masterpiece on something like yarn. So I started dyeing my own yarn for me and my business and then made it a service that I love to do.

If you’d like to see my dyed yarns please check out my Etsy shop or join my Crochet Facebook group! I’m often sharing those dyed yarns there. Looking for patterns that work well with hand dyed yarn? Check out my Ravelry and look at any of my Aspen Chroma series patterns. My Aspen Chroma Cowl pattern is amazing for a sock weight hand dyed yarn.