tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29284826.post8961739208935792385..comments2024-01-27T11:40:35.680+00:00Comments on Bean Sprouts: Kool-Aid Dyed YarnMelanie Rimmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05871992146568559100noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29284826.post-14469543477314682092008-06-03T17:59:00.000+01:002008-06-03T17:59:00.000+01:00Your yarn turned out beautiful. Is it color fast n...Your yarn turned out beautiful. Is it color fast now? That would be my only concern. The colors sure are pretty!RecycleCindyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10517510415884888117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29284826.post-6415796221325134342008-05-29T04:26:00.000+01:002008-05-29T04:26:00.000+01:00Melanie - check your library for this book: "Wild ...Melanie - check your library for this book: "Wild Color: the complete guide to making and using natural dyes" by Jenny Dean, published in 1999. It is the most comprehensive book on this subject that I have ever seen, yet it is very hard to find (at least here in the States).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29284826.post-85431953672394859352008-05-28T21:37:00.000+01:002008-05-28T21:37:00.000+01:00Thanks, Marjorie. The ingredients seem to be "arti...Thanks, Marjorie. The ingredients seem to be "artificial colour, artificial flavour, artificial smell and artificial preservative". So it's no surprise it syarn, it's the food colouring that does it.<BR/><BR/>Good point about sugar making yarn sticky. There are no such thing as powdered drinks in the UK as far as I know. They all seem to come as concentrated syrup that you dilute, and they all have sugar (or some other sweetnener) added.<BR/><BR/>Ribena is a famous brand of concentrated blackcurrant drink. I make my own at home from blackcurrants I've cooked and strained and frozen into ice cubes. One cube of frozen blackcurrant plus one litre of apple juice plus one litre of water makes 2 litres of home-made apple and blackcurrant drink with no artificial colours, flavours, sweeteners, sugar, or anything else. And even my fussy kids are just as happy to drink it as the stuff you buy in the supermarket.<BR/><BR/>I'd love to experiment with natural dyes. It's on my to-do list. But I don't know if the purple colour of fresh blackcurrants will hold in fibres or will it fade to brown? Blackcurrants have been around for millennia, but I understand that purple cloth was very expensive and rare until chemical dyes were developed last century.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the offer of Kool-Aid, Marjorie. I might take you up on that. We wanted to do blue, but Sam had already drunk the raspberry flavour and we don't have any more blue sachets.Melanie Rimmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05871992146568559100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29284826.post-41650282748354049822008-05-28T16:09:00.000+01:002008-05-28T16:09:00.000+01:00Anytime you need some Kool-aid, just send me an e-...Anytime you need some Kool-aid, just send me an e-mail and I will drop some in the mail for you!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29284826.post-10149299352539885382008-05-28T07:31:00.000+01:002008-05-28T07:31:00.000+01:00Alica, I made a wool bracelet for my dad ages ago,...Alica, I made a wool bracelet for my dad ages ago, dyed with turmeric, onion skins, and beetroot. The turmeric has past the test of time, the onion skin yellow faded first.Yellowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05975849028363084985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29284826.post-59414752574256098122008-05-28T00:24:00.000+01:002008-05-28T00:24:00.000+01:00Alice: I thought that was the effect of the Tang d...Alice: I thought that was the effect of the Tang drink mix!marigoldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14834133837165950700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29284826.post-36405943055446456042008-05-27T22:02:00.000+01:002008-05-27T22:02:00.000+01:00That's amazing - what are the ingredients in Kool-...That's amazing - what are the ingredients in Kool-Aid???<BR/><BR/>Have you ever read "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test?" Their Kool-Aid had an extra ingredient...<BR/><BR/>Blackcurrants would probably make a good dye. Rather than mess about with Ribena, how about growing blackcurrants (they take really well from cuttings) and using a cheap mordent like salt?<BR/><BR/>This page looks quite good<BR/>http://www.textilearts.net/features/<BR/>techniques/naturaldyeing.php<BR/><BR/>Also perhaps yellows from turmeric would go well with blackcurrant colours?<BR/><BR/>Marigold - I bet your kidneys are orange though!Alicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18251410907251192036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29284826.post-20256503454853225522008-05-27T18:38:00.000+01:002008-05-27T18:38:00.000+01:00joanna - keep in mind the color is highly diluted ...joanna - keep in mind the color is highly diluted before it is consumed. (Of course, it's no less artificial!)<BR/><BR/>Mel - Not knowing what Ribena is, I'd guess that any powdered drink mix WITHOUT SUGAR should work. Sugar will make your yarn sticky. We have a couple of brands of this type of drink mix in the US and they all work to varying degree.<BR/><BR/>I understand that Wilton's cake decorating colors, Easter egg dye "pills", and regular liquid food coloring also work. I've only ever used the Kool-Aid, myself.<BR/><BR/>Click on my name to see some projects I've done with Kool-Aid yarn!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29284826.post-31031633813433364172008-05-27T18:14:00.000+01:002008-05-27T18:14:00.000+01:00Wow, these colors are beautiful. Kool-Aid, who kne...Wow, these colors are beautiful. Kool-Aid, who knew?!jen xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17213327135265688914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29284826.post-53517951201281817702008-05-27T16:24:00.000+01:002008-05-27T16:24:00.000+01:00I'm perfectly healthy and I drank it non-stop as a...I'm perfectly healthy and I drank it non-stop as a child. :-)marigoldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14834133837165950700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29284826.post-35449805157547056352008-05-27T15:30:00.000+01:002008-05-27T15:30:00.000+01:00Terrifying to think what those beautiful colours d...Terrifying to think what those beautiful colours do to children's insides!<BR/><BR/>Great post - will you show us the finished knitting?<BR/><BR/>JoannaJoannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06790888857849562408noreply@blogger.com