CraftyFibres

Announcement    I have been spinning wool into yarn for over seven years, and dyeing wool to spin for nearly as long. I blog at: http://www.hazelpurls.co.uk

My favourite way to dye wool is with artificial food colours. Artificial food colours use the same type of chemicals as Acid Dyes, which are used to dye protein fibres like wool. Artificial food colours can therefore be used in the same way as acid dyes to dye wool. However, artificial food colours are safe to use in your kitchen and with your usual kitchen equipment, whereas acid dyes are not safe to use with the same pots, pans and utensils that are used for cooking food. So, artificial food colours make a great way to explore dyeing without the commitment of additional equipment.

Artificial food colours are easy to use, produce good strong colours, and are a very spontaneous way of dyeing. I can dye the wool in my kitchen without any dedicated equipment and without needing to undertake any special preparation (such as using a mask to prevent me breathing in dust or clearing up all traces of the dyeing prior to preparing food). The dyes are food safe, and therefore, other than usual hygiene when preparing food, there’s no need for special considerations when using food colours to dye wool.

I've selected three lovely colours for the kits and written a 16 page booklet detailing how to dye using the food colours. The booklet includes written step-by-step instructions with photographs for three methods of dyeing with food colour in your kitchen (slow cooker, oven and microwave).