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Yarn is available in a huge range of colors, but sometimes you buy a skein and wish it had a little more pizzazz. Or maybe you’re making your own yarn and are tired of dying it one color. Maybe you’re looking for something a little more with your yarn.
Have you ever thought about adding sequins and beads to your yarn? Or maybe make a nice dip dye yarn? How about a funky tie-dye?
Keep reading to find out how to add fun embellishments to your yarn.
Contents
Notes on dyeing
The type of dye you choose, whether you go for fun dye or do dip dye, will depend on the type of yarn you are using.
Acrylic yarn cannot be dyed with anything like Rit dye. It’s perfectly fine, but you have to use “disperse dye” or the acrylic won’t hold the color.
Something like iDye Poly Fabric Dye will change the color of the acrylic much better and last much longer. Follow the instructions carefully and you can dye or dye the yarn as described below.
For natural fibers such as cotton or wool, you can dye with traditional or natural products.
You should soak your yarn in water or a mixture of water and vinegar, following the manufacturer’s instructions.
Before dyeing store-bought yarn, you should scour it by soaking it in warm water with a little dish soap for two hours. This removes chemicals and oils that could prevent the dye from setting.
Then you will have to bite the wire in vinegar, salt or alum. Soak for two hours.
For store-bought dyes, you must follow the water to dye ratio instructions. Usually you can find the information on the package, but one teaspoon per cup of water is a good rule of thumb if you’re unsure how much to pour into the water.
For natural dyeing techniques, see our guide. Natural dyes are a particularly good option if you want to dye the yarn by dipping, as it is usually more subtle.
Dye yarn
Tie-dye fabrics and yarns have an eclectic mix of colors in striped patterns that are instantly recognizable. It differs from dip-dye yarn in that it is generally more colorful and has more variations.
To dye the yarn, start by unwrapping the ball and winding it into a loop. Soak it in water for 20 minutes, depending on the dye you are using. Wring it out once it has soaked.
Then you can bind the material with thread or rubber bands. Twist the wire, then wrap a string or rubber bands to hold it in place. Yarn and twist will determine the pattern of your item after the dyeing process is complete.
Think about how many lines and stripes you want when twisting and tying the yarn. Tightly bound and folded areas will not be affected by the dye, so it will be the original color.
Next, soak the yarn in the dye in a large bowl. You can dip one part of the yarn in one color and another in a different color. It’s yours!
The final look of your yarn will depend on the drying process after dyeing the fibers. A tie-dye design often incorporates multiple colors, so there is contrast in the yarn. Therefore, you’ll want to dip your skein of yarn in a few different colors.
For example, you can put the top end in a pink dye and the bottom end in a purple color. Voila, you will have a pretty pink/purple tie-dye yarn.
Alternatively, you can paint the yarn with hand dye or use squeeze bottles. If you go this route, you don’t need to tie the yarn unless you want to.
Once the dye is absorbed, you can remove the binding and unroll it to reveal the design.
You won’t be able to get perfect edges between colors, and that’s part of the fun. You’ll also likely get a more intense color on the outside of the yarn and a pale, pastel effect on the inside strands that haven’t absorbed as much dye.
If you want to make the color lighter, rinse the yarn several times and let it dry for. This choice will depend on your personal taste and the intensity of color you want to achieve.
How to soak dye yarn
Dip Dye yarn is another fun option for adding a pop of color to your yarn and creating an eye-catching effect. Dip dyeing is more uniform than tie dyeing in that you don’t use many colors and involves separating, leaving part of the yarn of one color and dipping another part to absorb the dye.
The trick to soaking yarn is to prevent the dye from leaking to other areas of the yarn. You also want to create a soft gradient between shades, rather than a hard line. If you’ve never dyed fabric before, it may take some time to master the technique.
Unlike tie-dye, which creates a bold statement, this one is more subtle and is perfect if you want to use yarn for garments with slight color changes rather than lots of bright colors. Feel free to experiment by making colors more vibrant or decreasing the amount of color for a subtle effect.
Here are the main ways you can soak dye yarn:
- Shade: when the color gradually changes from a lighter shade to a darker one.
- Half half
- Two different colors merging in the center
These methods will produce slightly different dip-dye yarn results, but you can experiment with each technique until you find the right match for your yarn.
Dip dyeing steps
To dye yarn, unroll the skein and wind it into a loose spool. Then put 4-6 inches into the dye and let it sit. Let the yarn soak for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the desired color.
While it sits, make sure the undyed part of the yarn is above the dye liquid level. If you let it sit outside the container under the liquid, it will act as a wick and draw the dye into the parts of the yarn where you don’t want it.
Once it has been seated, move a few more inches of yarn into the dye. Leave to soak for another 10-15 minutes. If you want an ombre effect, keep pushing more yarn gradually into the dye and let it sit a bit until the entire skein is submerged. You only want to leave the last part in the dye for about 5 minutes.
If you want a half and half effect for your dip-dye yarn, stop after you have created a gradual transition and half of the skein has been dyed.
To make two colors, simply turn the yarn over after dyeing one half and place the other half in the new dye. Leave the yarn for 20-30 minutes to make sure all the individual strands are coated.
Yarn drying
Once the yarn is ready to dry, you can take it out of the container and squeeze out the excess liquid by squeezing the fibers. If you want to dry the yarn quickly, you can place it in front of a fan or use a hair dryer on a cool setting.
Avoid overheating the wire. If the yarn is exposed to too much heat, it can ruin the texture, especially with synthetic fibers.
Be aware that when you dry the yarn, the dye can run and damage your furniture, rugs or anything else nearby. Let the yarn dry outside or over a bucket or other container.
If you’ve chosen to dip dye the yarn, you may want to let it dry before hanging it, so the dye doesn’t drip onto the strands and mix.
Do not place the drying yarn in direct sunlight as this may affect the color of some dyes.
Let the yarn hang in your dryer or outside in a protected place. Fresh air is great for drying fibers, so if the weather is nice, you can even leave them outside.
Don’t forget to secure the wire with clips or hooks, so the wind doesn’t blow them away!
Bejewel your yarn with sequins and beads
Color isn’t the only option to amp up your yarn. You can also add sequins and beads! Imagine a dip-dye yarn strung with elegant sequins.
It’s possible to buy sequin yarn online or at a local yarn store, but adding the embellishments yourself is a lot more fun. This way you can choose exactly which sequins go on the design and how many sparkles.
One way to do this is to place the individual beads or sequins on your yarn while using a spinning machine. You can do this by placing the decorative elements on the yarn as you spin the fibers. This video explains the process.
Alternatively, you can also sew beads directly into your projects using crochet hooks or knitting needles.
This process is great if you don’t have a spinning wheel and aren’t spinning your own yarn, but it does mean you’re adding the beads or sequins to the project rather than adding them to the yarn itself.
To use this method, start your knitting or crochet project. When you reach the point where you want to add a bead, place your hook or needle through the bead to thread it onto the thread. Then continue your stitch on the other side.
You may need to use a smaller needle or hook for beading, as beads don’t always have large holes.
Spruce up your yarn for a fun new take
When making tie dye or dip dye yarn, you can customize your fiber for your projects. You will have a unique look that no one else can recreate.
Plus, you’ll learn new dyeing processes that could open up entirely new worlds for you. You might find yourself inventing new techniques to make your yarn even more special.
Yarn embellishments make your handmade garments stand out from the crowd. It’s also a great new skill to learn that you can share with your friends and family members.
Once you learn how to create the perfect tie-dye design, you can teach your kids or friends how to do it too! Or you can show your children how to make bead scarves or hats.
You’ll have a blast trying out these methods to jazz up your designs, so give them a try and see what you create at home!
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