Adventures in Dyeland pt. 1

One thing that I've been getting more interested in lately is hand-dyed yarn.  So many of the podcasts I watch have connected Etsy shops where they sell yarn, project bags, and other yarn crafting whatnots.  The colors of the yarn and all the different looks are absolutely jaw dropping!  And so, like the good DIY gal I am, I bought some white sock yarn, wound it into a hank on my niddy noddy, and tried my hand at dying it.

::What You Need - Yarn, Vinegar, Food Color, (not pictured) Pot, Stove-top, Water::

This wasn't my first go at hand-dying. I did some back when I lived in Alabama. That yarn actually got crocheted up into a pretty striped tam.  Anyway, I used food coloring and Easter egg dye pellets this time.

::Soaking Yarn::

::Dye Bath - Hot Water, Vinegar, Food Coloring::

I set the yarn to soak in water and white vinegar for a while before going into the dye pot on the stove.  The dye bath I made was a bunch of yellow food coloring.  When it got up to a simmer, I put in the yarn.  I chopped up some Easter egg pellets to sprinkle around for a 'speckled' effect, but I let the water simmer too much and ended up with a more tonal overall color.

::In the Dye Bath::

I turned off the heat and let the yarn marinate in the pot for about an hour to soak up as much dye as possible.  Then it was wash time! I rinsed/ washed the yarn with a bit of dish soap until the water ran clear and set it out in the sun to dry.

::Rinsing Yarn::

::Exhausted Dye Bath::

I will confess the color isn't exactly what I saw in my head.  It came out much more orange because of the pellets.  I have a couple more skeins of white yarn to play with and I'm hoping those will be better.  I also want to try dying yarn with plants.  I think that will be a really cool adventure.

::Finished Yarn::

Have you tried hand-dying anything, yarn or otherwise? I've been known to dye clothing when I get tired of them lol :). Other than my gold color, what other colors should I try?