Dyed My First Yarn Today

I have been waiting and waiting for my order to arrive so I can try dyeing yarn. It finally came on Saturday. Today was he first day that I had a little time to try dyeing. Overall the process was not hard. I did not get my first try exactly the way I wanted but Hubby and the boys could tell what I was going for. I am going to knit my husband a pair of socks with the yarn. He is such a Charger Fan. I looked for yarn in the blue/gold combo and could not find it even on Etsy. Here are some pictures of the process. I used the Jacquad Acid Dyes. My biggest challenge was I did not want the colors to overlap at all and have green. There are a few spots I am not happy with but I think when I knit it up it will be ok.

Soaking the yarn blank with water and vinegar. The blank is a sock yarn from Knit Picks.



Painting the yarn. I used sponge brushes since I was trying to make sure the colors did not mix.



After I was done painting I wrapped the yarn all in plastic wrap and used the microwave to heat set the dye. (I found great tutorials through Ravelry.) Then after I let the yarn cool, I rinsed until the water ran clear. The blue did not bleed at all. The yellow did have some bleeding but a few rinses and the water ran clear. This picture is just after the rinse.



Here is the finished yarn. I am waiting for the yarn to dry.



Now I am ready for the next try. As far as knitting I finished the left side of my hoodie and started the right side. I am moving slowly and still want to finish before Thanksgiving. No sewing at all. My poor neglected Y2K quilt. Maybe this week I will have time to get some things done.