Handpainted Yarns

I dye yarns using cake icing dyes and Easter egg dyes. Since the dyes are food grade, I can do it in my kitchen using my pots and pans, and my little child can get involved.

I was thinking about having a tutorial, but my methods are so improvisational, I haven't decided how I would do that! Maybe some day.

This skein is about 16 feet long. I used store-bought superwash merino wool.

This is another huge skein of superwash.

This is a sock gauge superwash merino which my young child dyed. He did a beautiful job.


These next three are corriedale, some of my first handspuns.

The next two yarns are my handspun merino.

Now for a happy jumble of color!

Knitting Handpainted Yarns

 If you have been reading this blog for a while, you might remember the superwash merino wool yarns, some handspun, which my little boy and I hand painted.  It was so much fun, and safe enough for everyone to do, but when I created this yarn, I didn't know what I would knit with it.  There wasn't enough to make a sweater, and it didn't go with anything I had.

My mother gave me a beautiful turquoise ski jacket for my birthday this year, and as soon as I saw it, I realized that I had just the right yarn to use to make a hat to go with it!

 Now I am starting to browse the egg dye collections which they have here in Switzerland.  Spring is a great time to hand paint yarn because this is when the dyes are available, and soon it will be warm enough to work outside!  After Easter the prices on the dye packets will go down.  Stock up!  I would love to tell you how, but it's pretty improvisational!  Here is a link to my original posting about hand painted yarns....
http://acornpies.blogspot.com/search?q=egg+dyes  Or just click on the title of this post.