For the month of May, Knit Picks staffers are taking the plunge and experimenting with a variety of dyeing techniques.

Kelley and Kerin are both experienced dyers, they’re going to show you some techniques for using Jacquard Acid Dyes. Nina (another dyeing pro!), Marci, Amy, and I are dyeing sock blanks with food coloring and Kool-Aid. Kate and Christina are trying out our Indigo Dye Kit, and Alison and Sarah, one of our photographers, are experimenting with natural dyes like beets!

If you’ve ever thought about dyeing yarn, but you’ve been hesitating, now is a great time to give it a try. We sell a variety of ready-to-dye Bare yarn in different weights and fiber blends and we sell dye. We’ve also added 6 new dyeing tutorials covering everything from dyeing yarn in a crockpot to tea dyeing to help you get started, and we’re hosting a Dye-Along in the Knitting Community where you can ask questions and get advice.

Here in at Knit Picks headquarters, we’re all using sock blanks for the dye-along; we love their innovative design which allows you to dye two strands of Bare fingering weight yarn at a time so you can have matching socks. But sock blanks are great for more than just socks. Stay tuned for the month of June, when you’ll get to see what we all knit up with our hand dyed yarn!

If you’ve ever dyed a sock blank (it doesn’t have to be Knit Pick’s brand) or if you dye one before June 30, 2010, e-mail a picture of your sock blank to contests@knitpicks.com to enter to win a $50 Knit Picks gift card. Prizes will also be awarded for 2nd and 3rd place, and winners will be announced here on the blog in early July. Get more details in our Dye-Along forum where you can also chat with other dye-along participants.

We hope you join in the fun! We’re looking forward to seeing what techniques and color combinations you come up with!!