How to Speckle Dye Yarn (Step by step guide)

Learn all about dyeing sprinkled or speckled yarn with Kool Aid drink powder

Speckled Yarn, Sprinkled Yarn, Spotted Yarn or Confetti Yarn. Whatever you care to call this fun yarn dyeing technique, it’s all the rage right now!

With good reason. Not only is this unique yarn fun to crochet or knit with, this is also a super cool way to hand dye yarn. I love the random, speckled effect.

I took a little break from all of the wool felting and dyeing last week to play with alcohol inks … oh, what fun!

However, there are still a few more yarn dyeing techniques that I have to tackle and get on the blog. This week, I decided to try my hand at dyeing wool yarn with speckles.

What is Speckled Yarn?

Basically, it is exactly what it sounds like: yarn that has been dyed to have speckles, sprinkles or random spots.

With this technique, each skein will be unique even if the same dye colors are used. There is simply no way to repeat the pattern of specks from skein to skein.

Note: While it is not possible to make multiple skeins with the exact same pattern, you can make them very similar by using the same dye colors. Keep this in mind if you are dyeing a bunch of skeins for one large project such as a knitted sweater.

Are Kool Aid® dyes permanent?

Surprisingly, yes they are pretty colorfast. You can wash your yarn as usual with minimal fading. You will want to wash your finished yarn according to the yarn directions to prevent felting.

According to Knitty.com “Some fading may occur over time, particularly if they are exposed to a lot of sunlight.”

Since I was just experimenting with this new-to-me yarn dyeing technique, I used Kool-Aid® drink powder instead of my usual professional Jacquard Acid Dyes.

Kool-Aid makes a great yarn dye that’s easy to find and comes in a rainbow of bright colors. Plus, it is non-toxic food coloring so a good option for a beginner or for dyeing yarn or wool with kids.

Here is my basic tutorial for Dyeing with Kool-Aid drink powders.

Safety Note:
If you do use professional acid yarn dyes, keep in mind that you need pots, pans and other cookware dedicated to dyeing only.

Seriously, these items will no longer be safe for regular food use. Also, make sure to wear a dust mask and cover all of your work surfaces.

What kind of yarn can I use?

Kool Aid drink powder will not work on synthetic (acrylic, nylon or polyester) or plant fiber (cotton) yarns. It will only work to dye protein (animal) fiber yarn such as sheep wool, alpaca or silk.

This yarn is a great choice for beginners – it is a high quality wool, yet inexpensive practice yarn.

If you’re ready to move on to finer yarns, Knit Picks has a whole line of bare yarns that dye beautifully!

Prepare the Yarn

To begin, fill your baking dish about half way with very warm water. (Also add about a cup of white vinegar if you’re using Acid Dyes. Vinegar is not necessary with Kool Aid).

Next, add the yarn and carefully push it down. Try not to move it around too much as that will cause the yarn to felt. Let the yarn soak for at least 30 minutes.

Apply the Dye

Once the yarn has finished soaking, remove it from the dish and squeeze out most of the excess water. You don’t want the yarn to be dripping wet.

Next, empty the water from the baking dish and place the yarn back in the dish, carefully spreading out the strands.

Now the fun starts! Open a packet of Kool Aid and slowly sprinkle some of the powder on the yarn. Since your yarn should be fairly dry, it may take a minute or so for the color to show up.

Take your time with this. Sprinkle a little Kool Aid and then wait until the color shows up. After all, it’s easy to add more dye but once it’s in there, you can’t take it away.

Repeat sprinkling the other Kool Aid colors. Remember to go slowly and give the dyes a chance to work.

Using a fork, gently move the yarn to expose the undyed underside. Now, add more dye powder again, taking your time.

Continue adding dye until you are happy with the yarn. Keep in mind, you do not have to cover every part of the yarn.

Heat Set the Dyes

Heat setting with your microwave

Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and pop it in the microwave. Heat on high for about 2 minutes, wait 2 minutes and nuke it again.

Note: I don’t have a microwave (weird huh) so this is an educated guess but that should be long enough to set the dye.

In general, you watch for the water to clear but we are dyeing yarn that is only damp (not floating in water) so it’s hard to know for sure).

Heat setting with the oven

Begin by covering the baking dish with aluminum foil and set it in the oven. Turn the temp to 350 degrees and cook it for 45 minutes.

Rinse the yarn

Once the dyes have been thoroughly set, carefully remove the dish from the oven or microwave and leave it to cool completely. Then, carefully rinse the yarn with lukewarm water and hang it up to dry.

Want more yarn dyeing techniques? Check out How to Kettle Dye Yarn, and Dyeing Yarn with a Slow Cooker or Crock Pot

That’s all there’s to it! Your speckle dyed yarn is now ready for you to crochet or knit into something beautiful.

By the way, if your yarn has more bare spots showing than you would like, you can repeat the entire process and simply add more colors.

This is my favorite yarn dyeing book

Have you tried speckle dyeing yarn? How did it turn out? Please leave a photo in the comments below 🙂

Enjoy!
Annette
FiberArtsy

What is Gradient Yarn?

Gradient yarn, also called Ombre or Ombré is yarn that has been dyed so the color gradually transitions from either light to dark or from one color to another.

The colors transition is small increments rather than having a bold line from one to the other.

How to Speckle Dye Yarn (Step by step guide)