Starting out?

natalie · Starting out?

How does a new dyer get started?
Equipment?
Kool-Aid? (goodness knows what happens if you drink it!)
Ordinary Dylon?

Suggestions please.
What's the minimum you need to get going? I have been saving shampoo bottles with squirty nozzles....
natalie

spinningsue

I got an acid dye starter kit. It contained red, blue and yellow dyes, a mixing stick, spoon and syringe for measuring. The dye lasted a long time and gave lots of colour combinations. I've used Kool Aid and natural dyes too.

The main thing is to just do it! Don't be afraid of having a go and don't judge either yarn or fibre until you've knitted/spun it because it looks quite different afterwards.

spinningsue

wendy

The ashford dye kits are good kits to start with, here`s a link with instructions on rainbow dyeing...

http://www.knitting-and.com/spinning/rainbow-dyeing.html

natalie

Thanks, wendy and spinningsue. It looks relatively straightforward.
I have seen superwash undyed Opal at my local shop, as well as roving, so I now have to decide which to do first. I like the slightly speckled look of the spun roving.
Do the little jars of dye last for a while?

natalie

cledry yarner

The jars should last for ages as it's usual to do a 1% solution - i.e 1g of powder to 100ml water (to mix and then enough water to cover) and 100g of wool. The little jars are 25g so there ought to be enough in each one to do a couple of kilos of yarn Smile