If you’ve spent any time on Pinterest you’ve probably seen the posts about dyeing t-shirts with sharpies, our Customer Service Supervisor, Theresa, wondered if it could be done with yarn, and it can!

You’ll need yarn, your choice in colors of Sharpie markers, and rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle – it takes A LOT of the rubbing alcohol, we used almost 12 fl. oz for this project. Place skein of yarn on swift and untie the securing threads, if your yarn is not in a hank you can wind it onto a swift to make the dyeing process easier.

Color your yarn being careful not to damage the strands, and make sure you flip the skein over to color the other side! Then spritz with alcohol, on both sides, until the colors begin to bleed. Set your yarn aside to dry. You may want to take this in stages letting the yarn dry completely between colors.

My final yarn color reminds me of my sister’s favorite fun-fetti cake mix! Give it a try and let us know how you do.

Theresa chose Valley Yarns Charlemont in natural and used her dyed yarn as an accent for a Tiny Tea Leaves cardigan and blanket for her new granddaughter.

Many of you have used our Franklin Hand Dyed sock yarn before and even have a favorite Kangaroo Dyer colorway. But did you know that undyed Franklin is also available on cones? These cones are perfect for the hand dyer.

Valley Yarns Franklin Natural is sold by the pound, $18.99/lb.
75% Wool/25% Nylon and machine washable, it’s perfect for socks. But it’s also great for any fingering weight project.

Below you’ll find a collection of inspiring Ravelry projects showcasing some of the interesting things you can create when you experiment with dyeing your own yarn.

OpArt by Melissa Dominguez, pattern available for free from Knitty.com, knit by beakerm
With the way Becky’s hand dyed Franklin looks in the OpArt pattern, “Dr. Who Meets Dr. Seuss” is the perfect name for this baby blanket.

Pogona by Stephen West, available in Westknits Book One pattern book, knit by Blunckie
Andrea dyed Franklin in an ochre yellow creating a beautifully subtle tonal color.

Snowbird Mittens by Elli Stubenrauch, pattern available from Vogueknitting, knit by Marlana
Marlana dyed Franklin to match a coat and combined the green with the undyed yarn to create stunning two-color mittens.

Luiza by MaweLucky/Jane Araujo, available for purchase on Ravelry, knit by Mawelucky
Even though dyeing the yarn didn’t turn out as Jane had planned, I think the darker edge of the shawl is a happy accident, creating a cool “dipped” effect.

Zirkel by Stephanie van der Linden, available for purchase on Ravelry, knit by ikumi
Ikumi creates a lovely plum color using Cushing’s Acid Dye.

Nikolai by Marysia Nodzykowska, pattern available for free, knit by momtofour
Shawna hand dyed the yarn with egg coloring to create a pretty, dappled look.

Koi and Lotus Sweater by AlphaMango
Wanting to commemorate a family trip to China, Jen dyed Franklin with Sapphire Blue, Royal Blue and Black to create a semi-solid blue with depth and character. Don’t miss reading her whole story of this incredible sweater.

Black Tie, Optional by Adrienne Fong, available for free on Ravelry, knit by AlwaysRosie
Carol chooses to use the undyed Franklin for her socks to really let the pattern shine.

Have you ever tried dyeing your own yarn? Share your dyeing tips, triumphs, and mishaps in the comments.

Prior to heading out to TNNA, our Store Manager Karen pulled her staff together for a meeting and team building.   Prior to Gail’s incredible inclusion in Elle Decor Magazine, Karen had already decided to have her team dye silk scarves with Gail!  Here they are working in their dye baths:

Here are their amazing results:

I’m not sure what’s happening in this photo but I think it’s a tribute to Gail, The Kangaroo Dyer herself:

Nicely done ladies!

If you are interested in one of Gail’s scarves, you can find information here.  If you want to dye your own but not sure where to start, pick up a copy of her book Hand Dyeing Yarn and Fleece.

Kathy

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Namaste Monroe Bag (coming very soon to the website!)

Yarns

• Artyarns Cotton Spring
• Frog Tree Picoboo
• S. Charles Sari
• Schoppel Wolle Lace Ball
• Tahki Cotton Classic Lite
• Tahki Mia
• Filatura di Crosa Alpalite Closeout
• Classic Elite Duchess Closeout
• Classic Elite One Fifty Closeout

Guest: Our very own Kangaroo Dyer and store associate extraordinaire, Gail Callahan! Gail’s book, Hand Dyeing Yarn and Fleece is soon to be released, and we can’t wait! Gail chats about how she came into dyeing, her process for creating the book, and a peek at the techniques she details in her fabulous book.

Sunday, February 21st we’ll be having a big party at the store to celebrate Gail’s new book. Please email Customer Service to register to attend, so we know how many people to expect!

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Our Anniversary Sale Continues!

• Cascade 220
• Debbie Bliss Rialto Aran
• Noro Kureyon Sock
• Reynolds Whiskey
• Tahki Palma
• Tahki Sedona
• Valley Yarns Lenox (through 5/17)

Berroco Closeout Colors

• Peruvia Quick
• Pure Merino
• Ultra Alpaca
• Cuzco

Tent Sale Next Weekend! The 16th and 17th. The Fleece Market is only the 16th (Saturday!).

Guest: Barbara Parry of Foxfire Fiber & Designs, and author of Teach Yourself Visually Hand-Dyeing. It is a great book with excellent information and pictures. It’s a great introduction to hand dyeing if it is something you’re interested in learning more about, or trying your hand at dyeing for the first time.
Don’t forget, Barbara will be at the Fleece Market on the 16th, and at Festivals all over the North East.
Check our her blog, sheepgal.com to see the new lambs.

Knitalong with Pixie: Part 2 Shay Cap Sleeve Pullover

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Guest: Carol Sulcoski, author of Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarns
Carol was able to work with some incredible, well-known designers, and also talented designers who have not been featured in books before.
The beginning of the book tells you about how yarns are hand dyed, the different ways they are dyed, and what they look like when knit up. It contains really valuable information to consider when selecting hand dyed yarns.
Check out Black Bunny Fibers, Carol’s own hand dyed yarns.

Knitalong with Pixie: We begin our next knitalong!
Quiviuk Webs Scarf – It is available for $4.50 from Interweave.
Part 1 of the Knitalong

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Yarns

• Debbie Bliss Como
• Mirasol Tupa
• Mirasol Qina
• Mirasol Chirapa
• Mirasol Book Three
• Kid Mohair Silk Natural Hanks
• Debbie Bliss Rialto Classics
• KnittingDailyTV DVDs

Guest: Carol Sulcoski, co-author of Knit So Fine
Carol has another book in the works: Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarns. Carol does hand dye yarns as well, so this is a perfect book for her. Often, people have trouble working with hand painted yarns because of the way the colors appear.
Tip: Understand the way the pooling works. It has to do with the size of the tube you are making. You are knitting the sock in a spiral motion, so sometimes the colors match in one spot creating pooling. Carol’s new book helps to solve this “problem.”
Kathy and Carol also discuss fall yarn trends.

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Kathy & Steve interview Dianne Lutz of Creatively Dyed Yarns. Kathy & Pixie continue the KAL mitten.

Purchase Bird in Hand Mitten Pattern from WEBS, or at http://www.kategilbert.com/
Part 1 – What is Stranded Knitting & Getting Started
Part 2 – How to Strand
Part 3 – Knitting the Mitten
Part 4 – Answers to Listener Questions
Part 5 – Thumb Gusset & Finishing the Mitten

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Kathy & Steve interview the Kangaroo Dyer.