Podcast Episode 321: DIY Yarn – Dye It Yourself!

We’re recording these episodes from our homes scattered across Portland, Oregon. We may be apart but our enthusiasm for all things yarn and crafting bring us together! Today, we’re taking a small departure from knitting or crochet to talk about dyeing yarns. No matter what craft you’re passionate about, being able to make your unique, custom colorway is an exciting and fun project that you can do at home with things you probably already have around the house!

First up, Regan and Hannah chat about natural dyes. You can get stunning washes of color from tree bark, spices, and common vegetables with just a little bit of time and effort. Regan shares his experiments with our Earthues dye kit and Hannah touches on some of her experience dyeing with flowers and other plants grown in the garden. 

Next, Stacey and Lee chat about other dye techniques. From speckles to using kool aid to dye yarns, you’ll learn about what fun effects we’re seeing in yarns these days!

Listen on Apple Podcasts

As always, if you have a question or want to talk about something you’re working on you can call in! Drop us a line at 360-334-4847and record your message, we’ll be checking our voicemail often and might be using your messages in future podcast episodes. We really love hearing from you. You can also record a Voice Memo on your phone and send that audio file to podcast@knitpicks.com
In the meantime, as always… happy knitting.

Mentioned in this episode:

Botanical Yarn Dyeing Journey
Earthues Botanical Dye Kit
Bare Yarns
Indigo Cotton Dye Kit
Indie Dyer Showcase
The Handbook of Natural Plant Dyes
Knit Companion App
Jacquard Dye Kit
Jacquard Acid Yarn Dyes – 27 Colors
Greener Shades Acid Dye Kit
Dye Bare Yarn with Kool-Aid! blog post
Dyeing Yarn in a Crock Pot
Dyeing Self-Striping Yarn
From Another Place Crop Top
Lee’s tutorial 
Cotton Dye Kit

Timestamps:

0:00 Hannah’s Introduction
1:38 Hannah and Regan talk natural dyes
13:48 Listener Voicemail and follow up
15:44 Lee and Stacy talk acid-based dyes
37:11 Credits


5 comments

  1. Tammy Rade / June 2, 2020

    I took inspiration from your podcast and dyed some yarn for the first time. I used some big box store cotton yarn this time and am waiting for my knit picks bare yarns to arrive to try them out. I never thought I would try dyeing but you all made it approachable so thank you!

  2. Billie / May 9, 2020

    Is your yarn wool? I’m extremely allergic to wool so if you have wool can you please tell me some alternative yarns to use?

    • Stacey / May 13, 2020

      Hi Billie, most of the projects we are discussing is dyeing animal fibers, but we also dye cotton such as our bare line cottons. You will need to get dyes that will work with non animal products such as Indigo Dye and Jacquard Procion MX Dye. Hope that helps!

  3. Cathi Dreher / May 2, 2020

    Would dishie yarn be suitable for a baby blanket?

    • Stacey / May 13, 2020

      Yes Dishie has been used for baby blankets, the only downside is that depending on the size, it could be heavy as 100% cotton is heavier than a cotton blend or acrylic yarn. It is also not as soft as something like Comfy or Shine. Hope that helps!