The Best Tools & Equipment for Dyeing Yarn at Home

What do you need to dye yarn?  Beyond yarn and dye, of course.  There are so many different ways to apply color and heat to your yarn!  In my yarn dyeing videos, I talk a lot about the dyes and yarn that I use for each project.  I usually include links to other supplies in the video descriptions, but I thought it would be helpful to share a list of my favorite equipment and other supplies that come in handy for yarn dyeing adventures.

This post contains affiliate links to KnitPicks, DyerSupplier, and Amazon, which means I may earn a commission on items purchased through these links. I purchased all of the items myself unless otherwise noted. 

Equipment

When you start exploring commercial dyes, you will want to have dedicated dye pans and utensils. I bought my equipment new, but you can usually find large pots at second hand stores.  Ideally look for pots that are stainless steel or enamel.   

• Multi Pot - I use the SALT® 8 qt. Stainless Steel 4-Piece Multi-Cooker from Bed Bath &Beyond with a steamer basket and Pasta Insert as the dedicated dye pot in many of my videos. I use this pot both for immersion and steaming techniques. I own both the 8 qt and 12 qt versions of this pot.  The 8 qt steamer basket can hold ~200 g of yarn easily but you can fit a lot more in the pasta insert.  I have also used canning pots that have a wire rack for steaming yarn on the stovetop.  
• Rectangular Steam Pan - The 4" Deep Full Size Stainless Steel Steam Pan measures 20.75" x 12.75" x 4" and can fit across two burners on my gas stove top.  I use this for low immersion dyeing and speckling but you can also fit enough water in the pan for some deeper immersion techniques.  There is plenty of space to lay out the yarn in these pans and I typically use them to dye 100-300 g of yarn at a time.  I use the exact pan I linked from Amazon, but you can also find these at restaurant supply stores. 
  

Personal Safety Equipment

Safety is super important. When you use commercial dyes, you want to make sure that you are working with only dedicated dye equipment that isn't used for food.  

• Gloves - My favorite gloves to use are the Kimberly Clark Purple Nitrile Exam Gloves.  These are the exact same gloves that I used while I was working on my PhD.  I wear gloves almost at all times to prevent staining my skin.  
• Safety Goggles - Eye protections is important!  You can find these in many places.  I buy a lot of my other safety equipment from Dharma Trading Company. 
• Dust Mask - I started out wearing NIOSH approved N95 dust masks that have a metal bridge on the nose so you can fit it to your face.  You want some kind of barrier when dealing with powdered dyes to avoid inhaling any powders.  I wear some kind of mask when I'm dealing with any type of powders.  
• Respirator - I upgraded my dust mask to a Deluxe Rubber Respirator for more heavy duty protection.  These have replaceable NIOSH P100 Particulate Filters and is easy to fit tightly and securely.  There are vapor cartridge sets that you can include in there, but I don't currently use those.  

My Favorite Tools 

As you dye more yarn, you will develop preferences for how you like to measure and apply dye to your yarn.  The following are some of the tools that I reach for over and over again.  

• Kitchen Scale - I currently use a 500g - 0.01 g mini pocket food scale which overall I have been happy with.  I wish that it were a bit more sensitive for when I'm adding dye volumes smaller than 0.5 g, but overall it is great for weighing everything from dyes to packages that I need to ship out.  (The scale is small, so I place a bowl on it for weighing larger items.) I love to weigh yarn before and after a project so I have accurate information about the yardage in a project.  
• Re-usable Nylon Zip Ties - Not only do these reusable 12" nylon zip ties help prevent tangling through the dyeing process by acting as a separate tie, they are rigid and are a really easy way to pick up and flip the yarn around during the dyeing process.  The nylon will take up some color from acid dyes and food coloring, but I still reuse them for multiple projects.  NOTE: Amazon sometimes changes the listing, so make sure that the zip ties are 12" and reusable before you purchase! 
• Squeeze bottles - I use squeeze bottles both for applying dye in handpainting techniques, or for storing dyestocks.  Dharma Trading company sells 2- 32 oz squeeze bottles that I have been really happy with.  I also will save the bottles from Tulip One Step Tie Dye kits and use those 4 oz bottles in many of my videos.   
• Tongs - a good set of silicone tongs are SO HELPFUL!  I use tongs all the time to remove yarn from the dyepot when it is still too hot for me to touch with my hands. I cannot locate the exact brand that I use, but I went for some that are silicone versus hard plastic or metal so I could avoid snagging the yarn.  
• Miscellaneous spoons/utensils - I like to have various slotted spoons around for helping to push yarn into the dyepot and move things around.  I have a selection of silicone slotted utensils that are dedicated for dye projects only.   I like to buy utensils that are a completely different color than what I use for cooking so there is never any confusion.  
• Dedicated Dye Measuring Cups and Spoons  - I like to find spoons that also indicate the number of mL in each tsp and Tbsp.  I bought a few sets at a local Dollar store.  
• Syringes - Syringes are great for measuring out small volumes of dye or applying dye to fiber.  Like a squirt bottle, you can squirt the dye on top (but in a more measured capacity) or you can even inject the dye into the fiber directly.  I have a collection of 3 mL - 50 mL syringes that are super easy to wash and reuse.  
• Graduated Cylinders - I have a PhD in Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, and I still love bring my science background into dyeing.  I used 10 mL - 100 mL graduated cylinders for accurate volume measurements when mixing colors.  The set I purchased came with a lot of graduated beakers which also come in handy for mixing.  
• Squeeze Bottles - I used a variety of squeeze bottles for applying dye to yarn and storing dye stocks.  Dharma Trading Company carries squeeze bottles in a variety of sizes and I have been very happy with the quality.  
• Shower Curtain Liner - These tend to be larger than a lot of table cloths, and I like to use a cheap one as reusable protection for my kitchen counter top. After dyeing, I will wipe it down and reuse it multiple times.  I currently am using the Innaren Shower Curtain from Ikea. 

Miscellaneous Tools & Equipment

I have some tools that are super handy to have, but are not necessary to start out dyeing yarn.  In this list, you can find some more expensive pieces of equipment and some cheaper alternatives.  

• Salad Spinner - Want your yarn to dry a bit faster?  You can use a salad spinner to spin out the excess water before you hang up yarn to dry.  
• Nina Soft Spin Dryer - If you dye a lot of yarn, a spin dryer can make a HUGE difference to your dyeing process.  Laundry Alternative sent me this spin dryer for free to test out and review. The device is about the size of a small trash can, but it permanently lives in my kitchen.  Spinning out the excess water after dyeing yarn speeds up the drying process so much.  This is an item that I wasn't sure that I needed, but now that I have it I wouldn't want to work without it.  It appears that the Nina Soft Dryer is no longer being sold, but there are other similar models out there that I haven't tested.  
• Frost Drying Rack - I absolutely love the FROST drying rack from Ikea.  I keep this rack set up in a bath tub to collect drips (although now with the spin dryer my yarn doesn't drip anymore so I could move it to another location.) I like to lay yarn over two rungs to allow for air flow and you can fit a ton of yarn on this rack.  
• Ball Winder - I am on my second KnitPicks Ball Winder in 10 years.  (My kids managed to break the first one.)  I find it really easy to use, and it is great for getting the perfect yarn cake for some yarn cake dyeing projects.  
• Yarn Swift - I am not sure where my yarn swift is from, but I plan to upgrade mine at some point.  The umbrella swift is similar to this KnitPicks one and is super useful to avoid tangling your skeins when you're ready to start knitting with them.  
• PVC Pipe Niddy Noddy - A niddy noddy is a tool for reskeining yarn.  I use mine mostly for unraveling sock blanks, reskeining gradients, and making miniskeins.  The PVC pipe can get wet, and I can change the size of the skein I create really easily.  I even used mine to create a 12 ft skein for some self striping yarn! 
• Electric Motorized Skein Winder - This is a true luxury item.  If you find yourself doing a lot of resekeining or prefer to create your 100 g hanks from cones, an automated skein winder can become your new assistant.  The one I purchased has a counter so I can easily create miniskeins without having to manually count wraps.  The skein winder is a huge time saver, and my shoulder also really appreciates the break.  This is NOT something that everyone needs, but I get a lot of questions about mine so I wanted to include it on the list.  

Yarn & Dye

Most of the yarn I dye comes from KnitPicks and DyerSupplier.  (I am an affiliate with both companies.  There are a number of reviews of their yarn bases on my YouTube channel.)  I have created a list of multiple bare yarn suppliers so you can check out some of the most popular ones for yourself.  

I use a lot of different types of dye in my videos.  For commercial dyes, my favorites are Jacquard and Dharma Acid Dyes.  My favorite food coloring is the Wilton Color Right Performance Color System.  Maybe at some point I will do a whole post talking about the different dyes I use in my projects.  

Different Dyeing Techniques

There are so many different ways to apply color to yarn.  Check out the ChemKnits Tutorials YouTube Channel for hundreds of dyeing videos using a variety of dye types and yarn bases.  

Have Fun!

As long as you have a heat source, a pot, some dye, and some yarn, you can get started on your own color adventures.  I really hope that this list will help you get started on your own dyeing adventures.  I try to always include links to the materials I use in my videos, but I felt it was time to create a more comprehensive list of everything I use when I'm dyeing yarn.  What are your favorite tools to use when dyeing yarn?

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This post contains affiliate links to Amazon, KnitPicks, and Dyer Supplier, which means that the links contain a tracking code and I earn a commission on items purchased after clicking on my link.  Dyer Supplier has sent me multiple of their yarn bases to review and share.  Unless otherwise indicated, I have purchased the materials, equipment, and dyes myself.  

Can you dye yarn with Skittles Candy?

You thought I was done with rainbows for a while?  Well Paradise Fibers had other ideas!  In the July 2019 Fiber of the Month Club Box they gave my "Dyeing Yarn with Leftover Halloween Candy" a shout out in the newsletter:

I have dyed a LOT of yarn with candy, but I haven't used skittles since the original video back in November 2017.  Dyeing with candy is very similar to dyeing with food coloring.  However, since it takes a while for the artificial food coloring in the candy to dissolve, you can get some beautiful pockets of color in a very fun and random fashion.  

Here are some  of my tips and recommendations for dyeing yarn with candy:

1. You need a protein based yarn.  Wool, Alpaca, Silk, and Cashmere are all protein based fibers.  Plant based fibers are cellulose based and won't absorb food coloring in the same way.  Blends will work great, as long as there is some protein fiber content in there.  
2. Waxy candy (like Skittles) can leave residue on fiber.  I prefer to use more chalky candys like Sweetarts and Candy Hearts since the washing is significantly easier in the end.
3. Dyeing with candy requires a lot of washing.  I recommend spinning your fiber into yarn before dyeing it with candy.  I will remove the fiber directly from the warm dyebath into a warm rinse bath to help keep any of the dissolved candy from solidifying on the fiber.  
4. With Skittles, remove the colorless insides as soon as the colorful outer shell has dissolved.  There is no food coloring on the inside of Skittles so you can save yourself some washing later on by picking out the candy from your dyebath. 
5. Start small. If you're feeling nervous, start with a miniskein or just a few grams of fiber to see if you like the effect.  You can always scale up and dye more fiber later! 

After the Paradise Fibers shout out, I decided to try dyeing some fiber and yarn with just Skittles in a YouTube livestream since I had never tried this candy on its own before.  I did three different tests 8 g of the 50/50 Cashmere / Rose Fiber from Paradise Fibers, 100 g of KnitPicks Hawthorne High Twist Sock Yarn (80% Superwash Peruvian Highland Wool/ 20% Polyamide), and 100 g of KnitPicks Wool of the Andes Roving (100% Peruvian Highland Wool). 

50/50 Rose /Cashmere Fiber

I was very conservative on the luxury rose/cashmere fiber.  I used the small packet of skittles that came in the kit plus a couple more pieces of candy.  As soon as the outer shell dissolved, I removed the inner portion and transferred the fiber into some warm tap water to help rinse out all of the dissolved candy.  

Hawthorne Yarn (left) WOTA Roving (Right) before and after the candy dissolved.  

With the superwash yarn and the wool roving, I decided to take a greater risk.  I dumped a lot of skittles on top of the fiber and let it dissolve completely.  I washed the fiber thoroughly, but I was much more gentle on the roving than I was on the sock yarn.  The Rose/Cashmere fiber came out really beautiful - I even spun it in the recap!  The yarn turned out really well, too.  The wool roving... it is definitely waxy.  I was hesitant to wash it aggressively because I didn't want to felt the fiber.  I think that after I spin the roving I will try washing it in hot water to see if I can get the wax to melt back off.  The yarn still won't be superwash, but it will be safer than washing the unspun fiber aggressively.  

Can you dye yarn with Skittles?  100% yes!  It is so much fun... and it smells really good, too.  My official recommendation is to do this technique on yarn versus unspun fiber, but I have a feeling that I'm going to play around with my favorite candy hearts on some roving in the coming months. 

Watch the livestream recap to learn more about the whole project:

Dyeing aside, the Rose/Cashmere fiber is a stunning blend.  The yarn was silky and it practically spun itself.  I cannot wait to spin up the rest of the fiber that came in the Fiber of the Month Club box.  Part of me is debating dyeing the rest (with acid or fiber reactive dyes) or leaving it in its natural color.  I truly cannot decide!  

Paradise Fibers put a beautiful box together each month for the Fiber of the Month Club. (Affiliate Link)  In addition to the rainbow dyeing project, this Wizard of Oz themed box has a rainbow of Corriedale fiber, a yellow brick road (Lego) stitch marker, and the "Wizard of Ewez" vinyl sticker.  Each month Paradise Fibers makes me smile with the creativity and care they put into these packages.  I truly look forward to them because I cannot wait to see what they will come up with for next month!

I'm not sure if there are any more July 2019 Fiber of the Month Club boxes left, but it never hurts to reach out to Paradise Fibers to ask! 

If you missed the unboxing where I first saw the newsletter, you really want to watch the replay (My reaction to the shoutout is at 13:18):

 
Thank you so much, Paradise Fibers, for the shout out!

This post is not sponsored.  Paradise Fibers sends me their Fiber of the Month Club for free each month to unbox and review.  I am a member of their affiliate program which means that I earn commission on purchased made after clicking on my link.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.  

Dyeing Yarn with Highlighters

I have always enjoyed back to school shopping... or at least opening up brand new school supplies.  Crisp markers, sharp crayons, and brand new highlighters.  When these markers were fresh, before the bright fluorescent colors were dulled by text book ink, they were so bright and crisp that I wanted to doodle with them.  It was less fun to actually use them to highlight text, but I still enjoyed the process of drawing the bright, crisp lines.

I was OVERJOYED when Paradise Fibers sent me their September Fiber of the Month Club BACKPACK filled with a back to school themed fiber package.  (Disclaimer - I am a Paradise Fibers affiliate marketer and they sent me the Fiber of the Month club for free to unbox and share.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.)  Instead of the box that showed up the previous two months, I opened my front door to find a clear poly mailer with a purple draw string backpack inside.  I knew that I need to unbox this right away.  You can watch the replay of the live unboxing below:

If there was ever a subscription box geared towards ChemKnits... this was the one!  The washable nylon backpack was filled with goodies; 4 oz of undyed Cheviot wool top, 4 - 1 oz bags of recycled Sari Silk pulled rovings, and a zippered pouch that had 3 Sharpie highlighters, 1 pair of vinyl gloves, a Sheep Sticker, a chalkboard sheep pin, and some bubble gum.  The best part of this package... it included an unconventional yarn dyeing tutorial: Dyeing Wool with Highlighters!

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Eee! My @paradisefibers September 2017 Fiber of the Month Club BACKPACK 🎒arrived and I just had to unbox it immediately! 😊 The unboxing replay is on the #ChemKnitsTutorials #YouTube channel. The best part of this back to school backpack? A DYEING PROJECT! ✒️🐑 I think I will need to do a dyeing livestream on Wednesday to try this out. 💖🎆 This backpack was filled with goodies are there are so many new techniques to learn. Thank you so much, @paradisefibers, for sending me the club this month! If you want to bring this one home, sign up for the fiber of the month club before September 10. The subscription starts at $34.99/month and is such a great value. 😎 

A post shared by ChemKnits (@chemknits) on Sep 8, 2018 at 12:13pm PDT

There were rumors that this package would include a dyeing tutorial, but I didn't anticipate something so unique and whimsical.

I had been thinking about dying yarn with Sharpie Markers for a while (I recently found a huge packet from my childhood saved in one of my old boxes), but I it has never occurred to me to try to dye yarn with highlighters.  I knew as soon as I opened this package that I wanted to try this out in a livestream.  This way you could experience my true reactions (joys and frustrations) without me needing to edit the process down.

What You Need to Dye Wool with Highlighters

• Wool (Roving or Yarn, Superwash or non-superwash, they all worked great!) 
• Rubbing Alcohol
• Vinegar
• Sharpie Highlighters - I ordered some extras so I could extract some of the dye in advance and also demonstrate this in the livestream
• Plyers - to help remove the end cap of the markers
• 3+ cups to extract the color
• Dedicated Dye Pot - This should be something that can hold some heat.  I heat set the color in a combination of using hot water, low immersion on the stove top in a steam pan, and steaming in a steamer basket.  You want to use non-food items for this dyeing project. 
• Gloves - My favorites are purple nitrile gloves.  
• Syringe (Optional) - I found the best way to extract the color was to inject rubbing alcohol directly into the dye tube, pushing out the dye.  This was significantly faster than cutting up the tubes and letting the dye come out overnight.  
• Black Light (Optional)

The instructions included with the kit were fairly broad and left a lot of room for creativity.  The general concept for this project is to dye the wool like you were using acid dyes.  Presoak your yarn or fiber in a vinegar solution, add the dye, add heat, and then rinse it out once the colors have absorbed.  

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A post shared by ChemKnits (@chemknits) on Sep 11, 2018 at 5:24pm PDT

The dye extraction step can take a few hours, so I picked up a few extra highlighters to do a cooking show type swap during the livestream.  The night before, I opened up three highlighters, cut the tubes into pieces, and left them to soak in a 50/50 mixture of warm water and rubbing alcohol.  By the morning, the tubes were much paler and there was a lot of color in the mixture.  During the livestream, I discovered that if I injected rubbing alcohol slowly into the highlighter dye tube, I could push out the dye fairly quickly.  Maybe I didn't need to do the overnight step, but at least there was plenty of color the play with so we could do multiple dyeing projects with these highlighters.  

The livestream is long, but we learned so much during this time.  The yellow highlighter is pH sensitive, so when you add acid it looks like it disappears.  (Later in the recap I discovered that this didn't completely disappear, but I'll get to that in a moment.)  The vibrant yellow as no where to be found, leaving behind a faint butter yellow color.  The pink, orange, and blue were super saturated and bound really well to the fiber.

Immediately after I added the dye 

After an hour

In addition to dyeing the roving I got in my Paradise Fibers - Fiber of the Month Club Subscription, I decided to dye 6 miniskeins in different fiber types. I drew the highlighters directly onto some 100% acyrlic, 100% polyester, 100% cotton, 100% superwash merino, 75% superwash merino/25% nylon, and 100% Peruvian Highland wool yarns that had been presoaked in vinegar.  The yellow had a bit of trouble sticking, but the other colors went on easily.  I steamed the yarn and then washed to to see where the colors stuck.  The highlighters dyed the wool based yarns really nicely, with sharper marks on the superwash yarns.  The highlighter almost completely washed out of the synthetics and cotton yarn, which the exception of a faint trace of pink on each of them.

In addition to the roving and the mini-skeins, I also hand painted some yarn with the highlighter color to see how those would turn out.

The livestream recap for this project is a little more involved (i.e. longer) than normal.  I decided to wash all of the highlighter dyed fiber on camera so you could see how color fast, and how much bleeding, there was in each of the projects.

I think the biggest surprise was that the yellow highlighter actually bound to the yarn.  It looked like it completely disappeared in acid, but when you looked at the yarn under the black light you could see it show through. When I was handpainting the orange and pink yarn, I tried to paint on some yellow and once it disappeared, I covered that up with the pink and orange.  Under the black light, you could see where I had added the yellow!  This could be a super fun way to create a hidden message on a sock blank. 

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A post shared by ChemKnits (@chemknits) on Sep 20, 2018 at 6:02am PDT

I was surprised how much fun this project was.  I knew it would be whimsical, but I did not anticipate the level of color saturation you could achieve with highlighters on yarn.  I loved that so many of you decided to join me at home.  This livestream really felt like a dye-a-long - you were able to test things and share your own results in the live chat.  This was unbelievably fun.  I have a feeling that this is something that will end up in a Dyepot Weekly episode in the future. 

Thank you so much, Paradise Fibers, for sending me this project!  It was a true pleasure to play around with this technique.  Clearly I need to revisit this package of Sharpie Markers... It shouldn't matter that they are decades old, I bet I'll be able to extract some color from them!

This post contains affiliate links to Paradise Fibers, Amazon, and KnitPicks.  Paradise Fibers sent me their products to review, and I was so excited that I did multiple extra videos and blog posts.  I selected items from Amazon and KnitPicks myself.  All thoughts and options are my own.  

Now on Etsy! The ChemKnits Creations Shop is now open!

I am excited to announce the launch of my Etsy Store, ChemKnits Creations!  The shop has over 100 skeins of hand dyed yarn that have been featured in past, and upcoming, ChemKnits Tutorials yarn dyeing videos.  

Since the Dyepot Weekly Kickstarter last fall, I have created over a hundred new dyeing videos.  This means that I have created hundreds of skeins of hand dyed yarn.  Even after fullfilling all of my Kickstarter rewards, I was left with a large volume of yarn.  

Almost all of the yarn in the ChemKnits Creations Etsy store was dyed in 2018.  There are a few skeins that are older, but it is amazing to see what I have created in just the last few months.  I want to destash these yarns to help make room for more hand dyed yarns and so I can buy more materials for dyeing videos.  

Some of the yarns listed in the ChemKnits Creations Shop.

In my dyeing videos, I create many different unique yarns on in a variety of fiber types.  This diversity is reflected in the ChemKnits Creations shop.  There are a lot of worsted weight 100% wool and Superwash Merino Nylon blend sock yarn, but there are also silk blends, acrylic blends, and more.  Did you love a yarn from the sock blank special?  Multiple matched 50 g pairs are in the shop!  

Many of you have been asking me if I sell the yarns that I dye, and I am so happy to finally be able to answer, "YES!" I know that I dye more yarn than I could ever knit with, so I am so happy to be able to share the fiber love.  

Check out the ChemKnits Creations Etsy Store today!  

That's a Wrap, but Only for the Kickstarter

Today, Episode 35 of Dyepot Weekly came out!  Where has time gone?  How has it been over 6 months since the launch of this video series?  With the release of Dyepot Weekly #35, I have officially completed my Kickstarter Campaign.  I initially hoped to fund the first 25 episodes of Dyepot Weekly but everyone's support helped SMASH all of the stretch goals I could come up with.

Dyepot Weekly #35 was super special for me, because I took a trip back through memory lane to look back at the first ever colorway I handpainted with KoolAid and food coloring.  It was fitting to close off this Kickstarter by taking a look back and replicating one of my first ever yarns.  Because I always do everything with a twist, I dyed both the Lion Brand Wool Ease yarn I used in the past and KnitPicks Wool of the Andes Worsted weight yarn to show how these two different fibers take up color. (Affiliate Links)

If you've missed some episodes of Dyepot Weekly along the way, don't worry!  I have a playlist on the ChemKnits Tutorials YouTube channel so you can catch up on the whole series:

Don't worry, Dyepot Weekly isn't over.  I just about to schedule episodes #42 and #43 and I'm in various stages of filming through #50!

What's Next for ChemKnits?

Many of you have asked me if I would do another Kickstarter campaign.  The honest answer is maybe.  I think that it could be fun to participate in a Make 100 campaign, or to do another campaign if I needed the capital to launch a special series.  However, I do not have plans to do another Kickstarter at this time.  There are, however, other ways that you can support ChemKnits. 

One way you can support me right now is through Patreon.  To become a ChemKnits Patron, you subscribe to a reward tier and contribute to ChemKnits on a monthly basis.  As a Patron, you have access to some fantastic perks that can include early access to new dyeing videos, behind the scenes sneak peeks, advance notice of yarn destash sales and more.  I think my favorite part is the monthly Patron only poll where they provide input into the next early access video.

Another way you can support ChemKnits is by interacting with my videos and other content.  Subscribe to the ChemKnits Tutorials YouTube channel, share videos via social media, like videos, comment on videos.  All of this helps more people discover my content which in turn gives me the resources to create more videos. 

Speaking of destash sales... one is coming.  I am currently at the beginning stages of opening up an Etsy shop!  My stash of hand dyed yarn is rather large, and I need to make some more space in my closet so I can create more yarn dyeing videos. 

What else is next?  I have a whole backlog of crafting projects that I want to write up here.  The only real thing that is holding me back is the need to edit some of the pictures first, and then I can start sharing more of my fun crafting adventures.

Thank you for being a part of this journey.  I look forward to many more years of creative adventures with you. 

Results from the Sock Blank Special 2!

The finished yarns dyed in the Sock Blank Special 2 #ChemKnitsDyeAlong Livestreams. 

What a fantastic adventure!  Earlier this year, I scheduled a week of sock blank dyeing videos to explore many different techniques for applying dye to these pre-knit, and crochet, pieces of fabric.  During the Sock Blank Special 2 weeks, I released 10 different dyeing videos: 5 edited prefilmed videos and 5 dyeing livestreams.  What I didn't expect was that the SBS2 week would continue over another week with multiple unraveling livestreams so you could see what these yarns looked like with the blanks unraveled.

Phew!  I dyed 21 blanks during the livestreams.  That is a LOT of yarn, and a lot of videos.  I have a playlist that organizes all of the SBS2 videos in roughly chronological order.  This is a little confusing because there were some sneak peek episodes where I unraveled blanks for the edited videos.  I placed these unraveling videos after the relevant edited video in the playlist.  (The livestream unravelings are all at the end.)  I always like to film a recap video after a livestream so you can see the finished dry yarn and hear some concluding thoughts, and there is a recap for each of the livestreams.  For this special week, I also felt the need to film an overall summary so you could see not only the dried blanks but the finished unraveled yarns.  Therefore, I made a summary slideshow so you could see pictures of the dyeing, finished dry blank, and unraveled yarn.  The yarns are arranged according to the livestream where they were dyed, so this should help you find the specific replay in case you want to learn more about the technique.

Want to learn more about all of these yarns?  Check out the Sock Blank Special 2 #ChemKnitsDyeAlong Playlist or watch below.  (I know that there is a LOT of footage to go through.  Some of my followers say that they watch livestream replays on 2x speed to get to the action parts of the dyeing.)

Thank you, everyone, who joined me in this journey.  So many of you joined in on the fun and dyed your own homemade sock blanks.  Thank you for sharing your pictures in the Facebook group for ChemKnits fans, ChemKnits Lab.  I still have a few homemade sock blanks left in my stash, not to mention at least 10 stroll sock blanks from KnitPicks. (Affiliate Link)  

If you want to support ChemKnits on a more personal level and contribute to fun dyeing specials like the Sock Blank Special 2, check out the ChemKnits Patreon.  Patrons can receive exclusive behind the scenes sneak peek videos, early access to new dyeing videos, coupons, and more.  

Almost Time for the #ChemKnitsDyeAlong

It is almost time for the Sock Blank Special Dye Along to begin!  I am so pumped to kick off the #ChemKnitsDyeAlong next Sunday night at 7:15 PM EST.  Each day we will have at least one new knit (or crochet) blank dyeing episode PLUS a dyeing livestream.  This weekend, I'll update the Sock Blank Special 2 Schedule with links for the specific livestreams.  If you can't make a stream, don't worry, the replay will be available as soon as YouTube can process it. 

Do you want to learn more about the Sock Blank Special 2 week?  In the following video, I chatted about different types of blanks that I have created for the dye along and what kind of techniques we'll try out over the next week. 

How you can participate?  Over the last few weeks, many of you have been collection your own sock blanks to dye along with me.  These blanks are a combination of homemade blanks, commercial double stranded sock blanks (KnitPicks Affiliate Link), and reclaimed sweaters to dye and unravel.  Share you pictures on social media with the hashtag #ChemKnitsDyeAlong and feel free to tag me as needed.  You can also join the ChemKnits Lab Facebook Group, a group for ChemKnits Fans where labmates are already sharing their own sock blank dyeing projects.  

I am so excited to see what kinds of yarn we all create.  Now I have to be off to make some more of my own sock blanks so I can dye a big variety in the dye along.  

Are you new to dyeing yarn?  Learn more about sock blanks and the tools you need to dye them.

Dye Along Livestream Schedule - The Sock Blank Special 2!

Are you ready to dye along with me in the Sock Blank Special 2?  I have talked about the materials and equipment you will need for the #ChemKnitsDyeAlong, and now it is finally time to talk more about the schedule for the week.  I plan to host livestreams at a variety of times of day so as many of you will have a chance of joining me live as possible.  Don't worry if you can't catch me live, the livestream archives will be available to replay later.

In all of the livestreams, I will dye a combination of KnitPicks Stroll Sock Blanks and DIY blanks made out of various yarn weights, fiber types, and number of strands.  The Stroll Sock Blanks are double stranded, so when we unravel the yarn we will get two identical 50 g skeins of yarn.  The homemade blanks will feature both single stranded and doublestranded blanks.

ChemKnits Dye Along; Sock Blank Special Schedule 

With each episode/livestream in the schedule, I have indicated if you will need any special materials to dye along with me.  Make sure you refer to the General Materials list just after the schedule for things that will be used in most of the episodes. This list might be tweeked as we get closer to the Sock Blank Special.

• LIVESTREAM: Sunday 2/25/18 7:15 PM EST -  #ChemKnitsDyeAlong Kickoff!  A chat to get excited about the week ahead of us.  I might work on making some blanks (via knitting machine or crocheting) or unravel some dyed blanks.   
• Special Materials needed: Sock Blanks!  Finish getting your sock blanks together to dye along with me this week.
• Monday 2/26/18 8:30 AM EST - Dyepot Weekly #28 comes out a day early!  This isn't a livestream, but I am moving up this week's Dyepot Weekly episode 24 hours so it can help kick off our week of fun.  Want a sneak peek?  Check out the livestream where I unraveled this blank.  
• Materials Needed: Squeeze bottles for applying the dye (Jacquard acid dyes) to the homemade double stranded sock blank.  
• LIVESTREAM: Monday 2/26/18 8:00 PM EST - Random Patterns!  Tonight we are going for true random patterns.  We will tie dye, randomly dip, and more.     
• Materials needed: Utensils to apply dye to the fiber (brushes, squeeze bottles, or syringes), a dish basen or dye safe bowl, rubber bands.  
• LIVESTREAM: Tuesday 2/27/18 9:00 AM EST - Stripes, Stripes, and More Stripes! We will dye multiple homemade and commercial sock blanks in a variety of striping patterns. 
• Special Materials needed: foam brushes, Needle nose squeeze bottles or small syringes, 
• Tuesday 2/27/18 PM Late Afternoon TBD - A New Sock Blank Special Episode!  
• Materials Needed: A double stranded crochet sock blank.  (Sneak Peek is coming Monday 2/12!)
• Wednesday 2/28/18 8:30 AM EST - Snow Dyeing Sock Blanks! This episode has been prefilmed.  For a sneak peek, check out the unraveling of the homemade and commercial snow dyed blanks livestream. 
• Materials Needed: KoolAid Packets, Snow (as a substitute, try either crushed ice or ice cubes!)  
• LIVESTREAM: Wednesday 2/28/18 Noon EST - Stamping and Stenciling Sock Blanks 
• Special Materials: Guar Gum (a thickening agent), Wilton Gel Icing Colors (they are already thick to begin with!), foam brushes, squeeze bottles, stencils, stamps, and cookie cutters
• Thursday 3/1/18 Morning TBD - A New Sock Blank Special Episode! 
• Materials Needed: Edible Food Coloring Markers 
• LIVESTREAM: Thursday 3/1/18 8 PM EST - Spray Painting Blanks
• Special Materials: Wilton Color Mist Sprays, Misto Pressurized Spray Bottle, potentially other types of non-pressurized squart/spray bottles.  Maybe stencils or cookie cutters to make some patterns.  
• LIVESTREAM: Friday 3/2/18 10:30 AM EST - Sprinkles, Speckles, and More! 
• Special Materials: Sprinkles (Sugar Sprinkles or nonpareils), KoolAid packets (or similar drink mix)  
• Friday 3/2/18 Afternoon/Evening TBD - Ice Dyeing a Sock Blank
• Materials Needed: ice cubes (multiple trays worth, I filled up a whole dish basen with cubes), KoolAid packet (or powdered citric acid), liquid food coloring.  

In addition to the above scheduled events, I might add some additional unraveling streams as our dyed blanks finish drying.

General Materials Needed for the Dye Along

I covered this in the where to buy and how to make sock blanks post, but I wanted to recap the other materials you should have on hand.  Please refer to the materials list in the "Where to Buy Sock Blanks" post for other items you should consider having on hand. If you plan to use acid dyes, make sure you use dedicated non-food equiptment and utensils for dyeing.

1. Yarn: In all of the videos, I will dye yarn that is in either a knit or crochet blank (read more about).  All of the yarns will be predominantly protein based fibers (wool, alpaca, silk, etc.) I will use a mixture of homemade blanks (see how I make them in the videos at the end of this post) and commercial blanks (KnitPicks Stroll Sock Blanks)   
2. Dye: This dye along will feature either food safe (i.e. food coloring) or commercial acid dyes. The overall techniques will work for either type of dye. If you plan to use commercial acid dyes, make sure you are using dedicated dyeing equipment and utensils. 
3. Acid: Either white vinegar or citric acid
4. Heat: I will either use a microwave (with food coloring dyed yarns) or a pot on the stove.  My dyepot has a steamer basket which I use for yarns handpainted with commercial acid dyes.  
5. Miscallenous: plastic wrap, gloves, measuring cups and spoons, tongs, heat safe dishes, container for presoaking the blanks, cups for mixing dyes

Other Resources

I have two playlists on the ChemKnits Tutorials YouTube channel that features the dyeing of preknit blanks.  There is the original Sock Blank Special playlist from videos and livestreams that took place in December 2017.  All of these videos feature KnitPicks Stroll Sock Blanks.  These blanks dye and unravel SO BEAUTIFULLY and they are a dream to use.  I just orderd a bulk 20 pack of these blanks, which means that I plan to do some sock blank dyeing videos even after the dye along is over!  (Maybe Sock Blank Special 3?)

I know that purchasing sock blanks can be expensive, so I am also going to use homemade sock blanks.  I have another playlist that features videos of making and dyeing homemade knit blanks.  I use a Singer hand crank knitting machine for all of my homemade knit blanks.  I find that this machine works well for worsted (and thinner) single stranded blanks and fingering weight double stranded blanks.  The machine struggles to make double stranded worsted and DK blanks, but I was able to complete them.  I worried that I might strip the gears, so proceed with caution that you could damage your machine.

Finally, check out the "Where to Purchase Undyed Sock Blanks for the Sock Blank Special Dye Along!" blog post to learn more about what are sock blanks, different companies that offer sock blanks for puchase, and the general materials you will need to dye along with me in the #ChemKnitsDyeAlong.


Timeline Disclaimer

I have two young children and I work out of my home.  The livestream schedule depends on my kids being healthy and able to attend school. If one of them is home from school sick, then I will need to shift the schedule above and potentially delay some of the livestreams.  Thankfully, I am pre-filming many different techniques so you can still dye along even if I have to push back some of the livestreams.


Share Your Own Projects!

Tag your pictures with #ChemKnitsDyeAlong on Instagram and Twitter.  I will have a post on the ChemKnits Facebook Page where you can share your finished dyed sock blanks, the unraveled yarn, and items that you made our of your dyed sock blanks.  I can't wait to see what you create!  You are also welcome to come and join the ChemKnits Lab Group to chat more about ideas and all types of dyeing projects.  The group is filled with hundreds of ChemKnits fans and we are having a lot of fun.

Watch How to Make and Dye Homemade Sock Blanks!

I cannot wait to dye along with you during this Sock Blank Special.  I have tried to take many of the requests from the last Sock Blank Special and incorporate them into the events for this special week.  Are you ready to dye along with me?

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This post contains some affiliate links to Amazon and KnitPicks.  All thoughts, opinions, and product selections are my own and I was not approached to promote any of the products.