When we sent out last week’s e-mail, I mentioned that summer is a great time to take advantage of all the canning supplies that are available everywhere from Safeway to Target. Here is a list of what I keep on my dyeing shelves.

Hot Water Canner – This looks like a huge soup pot.
Jar Rack – Designed to hold the jars while the water is boiling. I use it the traditional way if I am dyeing small amounts of fiber or yarn actually in jars of dye solution. If I am steaming, then I turn the rack upside down and place the plastic wrapped fiber or yarn on it above a couple of inches of simmering water.
Wide Mouth Quart Sized Canning Jars – Wide mouth is really the only way to go. Easy to measure in dye stuff, easy to put in and take out the fiber or yarn and easy to stir around or poke as needed.
Wide Mouth Rings and Caps – I store solution in wide mouth jars so I need the rings and caps to put on the top.
Canning Jar Lifter – This is an item you might think you can ignore figuring you can use plain hot mitts. Don’t! It is so much easier and safer to use this tool.

That’s an excellent starting point. I have one more addition that is not canning related. In most of the stores like Target, Walmart or Fred Meyer there are a lot of picnic supplies for sale. Look for clear/slightly opaque ketchup and mustard squirt bottles. I love putting dye solution in them and squirting color on fiber or a skein of yarn, wrapping it up in plastic and steaming. Make up several colors that you like and play with putting colors around your fiber or yarn.

We have several dyeing tutorials that you can view. Or, search under “Dyeing” in our book section.