How to Get Started with Yarn Dying | Podcast Episode #91

Ali:
Yeah, so that’s the gist of what I get out there. I haven’t dyed with a lot of acrylic yarn myself, but yes, a lot of the tutorials out there, especially those geared towards beginners, kind of give you the idea to use what you have and then offer suggestions about certain dyes that would work on that yarn.

Now, in my opinion, I think wool will work a lot better, but just to try it, it’s okay, I think, to use acrylic. But to get a more accurate idea of how the dyes will actually look and behave in the correct fiber, I would recommend going with wool.

Brittany:
Okay. Yeah. And just to sort of let you know what happened in my situation, it did take up some of the dyes. So I was using—I think it was like black cherry Kool-Aid or something like that, because that’s what we had—and I was using an ivory color of Simply Soft because I had some leftover from a project.

I thought, oh, I can sacrifice this if it doesn’t work. And if it does work, then I’ll have this really pretty red hank of yarn. And so when I went through the process of dyeing an animal fiber, it sort of just stained it. It ended up being pink. So rather than the dark, deep red I was hoping for, it was pink.

It kept the color—now I haven’t washed it or anything, so I’m sure it would probably wash out—but it did just sort of stain it. So it wasn’t a total failure, but it definitely wasn’t a success either.

Ali:
Hey, that’s a good first step though.

Brittany:
Yeah, yeah. It definitely made me realize that it was fun—like, it was just something different. I sort of go through these phases where knit and crochet are really my heart and I always go back to that place. But every now and then, I like to stray just a little bit and still dabble with fiber arts and just try new things.

That was one experiment. And then shortly after that, I got into trying to make polymer hooks because I thought, oh, that is so cool. And I’m sort of artsy and that sort of thing. So anyway, that sort of led me down this path of a new respect, really, for dyeing.

We have a respect for our projects—our knit projects, our crochet projects—because a lot of time has gone into them. And I took for granted that the same process goes into dyeing yarns. It’s a work of art, and it’s taken that person some time and effort, and it sort of just takes it full circle for me now.

So bringing it back to beginners—does somebody have to go on some special website and order special animal fiber yarns to be able to just try something? I can imagine that could get expensive. And if you’re just wanting to dabble, what might be a good source, we’ll say, for just trying your first?

Ali:
Yeah, so I think there’s probably more than one website out there that you can do this with, but what I used a lot in the beginning was Knit Picks. I think I mentioned that briefly beforehand. They actually have an entire section of bare yarn, and so they offer all of their bases that they have in beautiful colors in just a bare wool.

You’re able to buy them in single skeins—or, a couple months in, when it got a little more serious but I still wasn’t ready to commit—you can buy it in packs of 20 for a discounted price. And it was just really nice that they offered it in single skeins because it allows you the opportunity to experiment with different yarn bases.

Like I said, before I started really getting into dyeing, I was a knitter. And so, kind of like what you said, I took for granted the fiber in general. I was just so focused on making my hats. I didn’t really… and I really enjoyed that.

Brittany:
Cool. I never even thought to try them, so I’ll definitely have to check that out. I’m thinking—now I haven’t actually tried this personally—but I’ve heard that you could just go and buy, like, say you don’t want to order online or maybe you want a weekend project and you sort of need that instant gratification.

Would it be okay for somebody to just go to their craft store and buy a skein of yarn that you know is some kind of wool or wool blend, but it just has a natural color—like it doesn’t have any dye on it already—and that’ll work?

Ali:
Oh, yeah, definitely. And I’ve seen a lot of other people that were also beginners—they maybe even had yarn that didn’t have to be a bare color. It was maybe a pale yellow, and they wanted to just experiment with over-dyeing it or something like that.

So it doesn’t have to be perfect your first time. And maybe you just have that skein of pale yellow yarn that you don’t like and it’s sitting in your stash. That’s a great way to try it out and also create something beautiful that you wouldn’t have otherwise used.

Brittany:
Yeah, okay, cool. So we’ve got two good resources: an online one that sounds like it has a lot more options—so for somebody who really wants to experiment with some different fibers and nice fibers and that sort of thing, we’ll try that.

But if you’re in a pinch, it sounds like you could just go to the store. I’m trying to think of a couple of bare yarns that are out there right now. I know Lion Brand has one, and I don’t have the name off the top of my head. They have several wool blend yarns.

Another one that comes to mind is Patons. Patons is like pretty much the convenience yarn—like readily available yarn—for animal fibers. And I know they have some colorways that are just bare wool, like you were saying. So I know my craft stores have those in abundance, so they’re easy to find.

Ali:
Yeah. Yeah. So it’s definitely something that’s attainable, especially if you just want to try it out and aren’t sure if you’re ready to commit yet.

Brittany:
Yeah. Okay, so we’ve got the fiber under control. Now what about the dyes? I feel like I’ve heard of so many different dye options. So where do we even start with that?

Ali:
All right, so like you said—yes—there are definitely so, so, so many kinds of dyes that you can use. I primarily am using acid dyes for my fiber.

So I’ll just go back to what you talked about—your experience. Kool-Aid is great. Again, a great way to just use something in your house if you’re itching to start right away over a weekend. So again, if you’re just experimenting, you can use any substance that contains food coloring as a dye that you can add on a protein fiber.

Examples—like you said—Kool-Aid, Powerade, Easter egg dyes (which are usually available in grocery stores). You can even use spices like turmeric. And I think earlier this year, natural dyeing with avocados was really popular. So those are just some things that are readily available and easy to access on any given day.

But if you want to use acid dyes—I’m not sure if they’re available in local craft stores. I honestly have never looked. I’ve always just gotten them online. The dyes that I really love are the Dharma Trading Company dyes. They have a whole website, and like I was saying before, they have dyes for all different kinds of fibers—cotton, yarn, bamboo, protein fiber, silk—all of that. And they have a huge variety of colors that you can use.

Brittany:
Okay, cool. We’ll have to link to that in the show notes.

Ali:
Yeah. And again, with that company, it’s kind of nice when there’s a whole website dedicated to this. They have all the information that you would need—tutorials about how to use the dye, different methods you can use when you’re trying to dye in different colors, and descriptions on how to get the best results.

Brittany:
Okay. Well, that sounds really helpful too. I know I would have definitely been more successful had I seen a tutorial rather than just a blog post.

Ali:
Yeah, definitely.

Brittany:
I’m curious. Have you ever tried Rit dye before? I know that’s one that’s easy to find.

Ali:
Yeah. So actually I was just reading about that the other day. I have not used that yet, but I am curious to do so.

Brittany:
Yeah. I wonder if it would work for animal fibers or plant fibers—or maybe none or both of those. So yeah, definitely worth experimenting, because I know they sell that at my grocery store here. So super easy for people to have access to. It’s one of those marketplace-style Kroger stores, so they sort of have a—cool, yeah.

Ali:
I’m sure that would work.

Brittany:
Obviously, the food coloring options or the natural dyes are probably the safest, I would say. But what about some of those acid dyes? Are there any concerns with those—like getting them on your skin or breathing them? Are they pretty—

Ali:
I would definitely put safety first when you go into this, even if you’re just experimenting. A few things that I do before I start any dye session: I protect my skin with vinyl gloves. Like you mentioned—even with the Kool-Aid experiment—that dye, if you get it on your fingers, it will stick there for a few days.

And when I first started, I really was a little… I kind of—

Brittany:
Yeah, makes sense. I know. I wasn’t able to film for a few days because of that little incident. So I definitely learned my lesson there.

Ali:
Yeah. Okay. So yeah. So in addition to the gloves, another huge, important—really important—thing is using either a dust mask or respirator. You can get a dust mask at your local hardware store. I think even a big box store like Walmart or something like that would have one. It’s just something to make sure you’re not inhaling dye particles because once you open the container, they can kind of fly around without you really realizing it.

It’s really important, I’d say, especially if you’re experimenting for the first time, to make sure there’s not a draft in the room you’re dyeing in, because those particles can really travel. So it’s helpful to have a somewhat controlled environment—not anything extreme, just something you’re aware of. There are always good instructions and tips on the dye containers when you buy them.

Now, if you get more extensively into dyeing like I have, I use a respirator mask just to be cautious. Depending on the color of the dye, it can vary how dangerous or toxic it is, which I thought was kind of interesting.

Brittany:
Yeah, that is. And I guess I just sort of assumed that most of the dyes would be in liquid form, but it sounds like they’re in powder form?

Ali:
Yeah, sorry, I didn’t even explain that! All the dyes I use—Dharma Trading Company and Jacquard Acid Dyes—they all come in powder form. We can go through the process of dyeing if you want to, but yes, they typically come as powder.

Brittany:
Yeah. Okay. I definitely want to get there. I have one other question related to tools. So we have the yarn, we have the dyes, you talked about a dust mask or respirator. Are there any other tools you’d need before you start dyeing?

Ali:
One thing I got as a gift when I started dyeing was a stainless steel pot. Obviously, when you’re dyeing yarn, you want to make sure that pot is no longer used for food. So having a pot dedicated solely to dyeing is really important. If you have an old one you no longer want to use in the kitchen, that would be great for your first time.

In addition to that, I have a bunch of random mason jars and plastic water bottles with little squirt tops, measuring spoons… and again, if you just want to experiment, you can use a plastic water bottle you were going to recycle and mix your dyes in there. Just make sure that once you use something for dyeing, you don’t use it for anything else.

Brittany:
On the topic of the pot—you said it needs to be stainless steel. So we should avoid non-stick pots and pans?

Ali:
Yeah. So another tutorial I initially watched when I was getting started said enamel pots can work well, and I used those for a while. But one thing I started to notice after repeated use was that, even as much as you rinse the pots, sometimes the dye will stick.

After a while, if I was dyeing, say, my Foggy Skies (which is a gray colorway) in one pot versus another, they came out slightly different because of dye that had stuck to the pot. So once I realized I wanted to keep doing this, I switched to stainless steel.

Brittany:
Okay. So we have all the tools now. I feel like we’re in good standing to dive into the process and put the puzzle pieces together.

Ali:
Yeah! I’ll start big picture and then get into the details.

So it kind of depends on the yarn dyer, but one common way we market our products is by doing shop updates every few weeks or so. Every time I have a big update, the next day I order a bunch of yarn from my wholesaler. Once I get all that yarn in the mail, I make a plan for each skein.

I’m not super OCD organized about it, but I do like to have some idea of where I’m going with all that bare yarn. Otherwise, it’s really easy to feel overwhelmed by the possibilities. So knowing what you want to do—or having at least a general direction—is really important.

When I start my day, I make a schedule for which colorways I plan to dye and how many skeins I plan to dye. I’m also a full-time graduate student, so it gets a little crazy trying to do both. I have to be really organized to optimize my time in both areas.

Brittany:
Yeah.

Ali:
Once I have my schedule ready, I keep all my dye recipes in a notebook next to my dye pots. I’ve already mentioned the safety steps—so I put on gloves and a respirator.

One really important step—I should’ve mentioned this earlier in the tool section—is letting your yarn soak in citric acid or vinegar. It’s not straight vinegar, and I’ll explain in a second. But the idea is you need some kind of mordant. It’s a chemical substance that helps the dye bond to the fiber.

If you just throw your yarn in a pot with dye, it won’t take up the color because it hasn’t been pre-soaked in a mordant.

Brittany:
Yeah.

Ali:
I prefer using citric acid mostly because the tutorial I followed used it, and honestly, the thought of using vinegar just sounds smelly to me. I think both have their benefits, and eventually I might use both, but for now, citric acid works well.

Depending on how much yarn I’m dyeing, I usually add a few tablespoons of citric acid to room temperature water and soak my yarn for about 30 minutes before putting it into the dye pot.

Brittany:
Okay, where do you get citric acid? Is it something you can pick up at the grocery store, or do you have to buy it from the dyeing sites?

Ali:
You can usually get it at most grocery stores, or places like Walmart or Kroger. But I’m an Amazon Prime addict, so I usually order all my materials from there—unless I’m in a real bind. You can also get it in bulk. I know Sam’s Club sells big containers of vinegar and citric acid, which is great if you’re getting more serious about it.

Once the yarn is soaked, I fill my dye pots with water and mix my dye in the small water bottles I mentioned earlier. Some dyers may do this differently, but I like mixing my dye in the bottles first so I can make sure it’s fully dissolved. Then I pour that into the dye pot, mix it with a little more citric acid, and we’re ready to go.

Brittany:
Yeah.

Ali:
Yeah, it really isn’t as hard as it sounds. You just take it one step at a time. I add the yarn to the dye pots, then wait for it to come to a slight simmer. You don’t want to shock your yarn with sudden temperature changes, so it goes from room temperature to a gentle simmer.

Once it hits that simmer, your dye should be exhausted from the pot—meaning the water should be clear or nearly clear. That means all the dye has been taken up by the fiber.

Then I turn off the heat and let the yarn cool to room temperature again before doing anything else. A lot of my colorways involve a second step—speckling or layering more dyes on top—so the process doesn’t end there.

One final and very important step is soaking your yarn in some kind of wool wash. I’ve even heard dish soap is fine. You want to soak it for a decent amount of time, rinse it to make sure no dye is bleeding, and then hang it to air dry.

Brittany:
So it seems like a pretty simple, straightforward process, but I imagine it takes a decent amount of time. If you had to estimate—from start to finish—how long would it take? Like, could someone do this on a Sunday afternoon?

Ali:
Yeah, I definitely think it’s doable in one day. If you start in the morning, you might not have dry yarn by the end of the day—especially now when it’s cooler outside and yarn takes longer to dry—but yes, it’s totally possible to dye and rinse your yarn in a day, especially if you’re just doing one color.

Brittany:
Makes sense. That drying part probably takes a while too. So it sounds like we need an acid and we need heat—are those the two main components to make this process work, or did I miss something?

Ali:
Oh yeah, that’s exactly right. You let your yarn soak in a mordant, and then bring it to a simmer. That’s really the key. I’m not aware of any other method that works without heat. I’ve heard of microwave or oven dyeing, but I haven’t tried those myself.

Brittany:
Yeah, I’ve heard of that too. I think—my memory is fuzzy—but I think when I did my failed experiment, I put it in the microwave.

Ali:
Yeah, yeah.

Brittany:
But I’m not 100% sure.

Ali:
I think the reason a lot of people try that method is because it’s just easier, especially if you don’t want to give up a pot or go buy a new one. It’s just a fun, low-commitment way to try it. And maybe overall it’s less messy—but I’m not positive.

Brittany:
Okay, so another term I’ve heard a lot is “hand painted.” Does that dyeing process look the same, or is it completely different? I mean, it’s pretty intuitive—you hear it and kind of know what it means—but is it something where you still use a dye pot, or do you lay out the hank and add dye wherever you want?

Ali:
I’ll admit, I’m not an expert on every hand painting method. But when I want to hand paint yarn—where I lay the hank out and pour dye onto it—I still include the heat component, and I still soak the yarn first.

Instead of using a stainless steel pot, I use hotel sheet pans. I bought them from a restaurant supply website. Sometimes you have to get creative about finding materials. I lay the skeins in the pan while they’re still slightly wet, and then paint or pour the dye however I want for that colorway.

I’ve seen people use turkey basters, syringes… I use a baking duster that’s meant for powdered sugar to speckle dye. I really think it just depends on your style. I think hand painting can be finished in the microwave too. I’ve seen people use saran wrap in the past—I’m not totally sure, but there are lots of methods.

Brittany:
I kind of thought that speckling felt like hand painting to me. I could be using the term wrong, but it feels like you’re applying it by hand. How does that part look?

Ali:
Yeah, that’s actually been an evolution for me. I used to use a spoon, tapping it over the skein and letting speckles fall, but sometimes a big clump would fall and ruin the look.

So then I tried the baking duster tool with powdered dye. That helped for a while, but I still didn’t have the control I wanted. Now I just use my hands. I wear vinyl gloves, of course, and I sprinkle the dye across the yarn by hand. That’s given me way more control over the end product, which is really important to me.

Yeah. Okay. So you said that’s a two-step process. So that comes after you’ve put it into the dye pot. So since you’ve added new dye, do you have to go through that heat process again or will it set up because it was already heated?

Ali:
Yeah, so if I end up—some of my skeins I’ll just speckle from the start, so they’ll just be bare with speckles. But if I do the step process like I mentioned before, I’ll let it come back to room temperature and I’ll actually put the yarn back into a citric acid soak for a while so it’s kind of ready to receive more dye.

Then I’ll put it on my hotel sheet pans or catering pans and I’ll put it over on my electric stovetop and sprinkle the dye on. So it’s a little more sensitive, and I think I’ll find in the end a better way to do it because I worry about too much heat on the yarn.

I use much, much lower heat when I do this and I let the yarn sit on the stovetop for just a few minutes and then it sets just on a table for a really long time. So once I go to soak the yarn, it doesn’t all smear everywhere. So that’s one tip: if you want to speckle, let it sit for a really long time at room temp before you let it soak.

Brittany:
Okay, well that honestly—that’s a great segue into sort of the next direction I want to go in. Now that we understand the process, what are some things that you wish you knew before?

Ali:
Oh, I feel like I could talk for an hour about this.

Well, one of the things that I find—like we said, when you’re going into a new craft, it’s really hard to not doubt yourself. One of the things that kind of became my mantra while going through this was to trust myself and move forward with intention. Take it as a learning process.

I don’t know why it was so hard for me. When I was learning to knit, I was never this hard on myself. If I was learning a new stitch and didn’t get it right, I always just ripped it out and started over. But when I would mess up or not get the results I wanted for my yarn, I acted differently.

I feel like it’s important to just enjoy the process.

Another thing is, I know it’s becoming quite a saturated market. A lot of people are really excited about hand dyeing, and I think I kind of jumped in right when that was starting to get popular. So something I wish I would have told myself in the beginning was to make something that you love.

If you start off trying to make something that you think other people will like, I really don’t think you’ll succeed as much as you want to. It’s really important to know your passion is drawing from within, and you need to love what you’re creating before anyone else can. That’s something I really wish I would have told myself in the beginning.

Brittany:
Yeah. And I think one of the benefits to dyeing your own yarn—even from my perspective and probably a lot of people listening—they just want to do it for fun or maybe they have a color in mind that they can’t find in their store. So yeah, I mean you’re totally going for just what you want and not trying to please anybody else. I think that’s great advice.

Ali:
Yeah. And so another more literal piece of advice is to stay organized and write everything down that you do.

Even if you’re just having fun or just experimenting, there’s a chance that you’ll really love what you created—and if you didn’t write down the amount of dye you used or what temperature the water got to or something like that, you may never be able to recreate it. Eventually you get a feel for that kind of thing, but writing down your dye recipes is so, so important.

There have been a few colorways I’ve lost throughout these last few months for thinking I would remember it. And of course, a couple days later, I couldn’t recall.

Brittany:
Yeah. Is it pretty sensitive? Like, do you need to be pretty exact? Or is it kind of like cooking, where you can throw in a little dash of this and a dash of that and it all tastes the same?

Ali:
So I guess that depends on how you are as a dyer. A lot of people are super exact about their colorways. Some will go to the extent of weighing the dye out every time they go to dye a certain colorway.

I’m not that organized—or I just don’t think I need to be there at this point. I measure the exact amounts every time and I’ve been using the same measuring spoons since I started. That’s how I control it.

But again, the great thing about hand-dyed yarn is that each skein, even though it’s the same recipe, will be unique. I think it’s just important to embrace that and accept that it’s the nature of this craft.

Brittany:
Yeah. And I think that’s what makes it so cool and so personal too.

Ali:
Yeah, definitely.

Another thing I think is important is gaining awareness of colors. Exploring the color grid and finding what you’re attracted to most—or what you think looks good together—is something I think is important to do ahead of time.

Like I said, there are so many indie yarn dyers out there that it can sometimes be unavoidable to create something that ends up looking similar to another maker’s work, just like in the crochet and knit world. So it’s really important to come up with something unique to make yourself stand out.

Experimenting with color is a great way to do that, and it’s really the way I came up with some of my favorite colorways.

Brittany:
Yeah. And that leads into another… it opens up a whole new world—where you get inspiration from, how you know how to pair the colors together, or how you know what color to use. Do you have any tips on that?

Ali:
One of my other good indie yarn dyer friends, Jake from Is That Ken Yarn, talks a lot about being familiar with color theory.

When I started dyeing, I wasn’t. I generally knew what colors I liked together, but it’s a lot different once you put it onto a skein of yarn. They really do mix. Some things that you think would look good don’t always turn out the best.

One thing about that—I want to throw this back into my advice—there’s always going to be someone out there who thinks your mistake is beautiful. I don’t know if this is true in everything, but I’ve really found that skeins I thought other makers wouldn’t like have become some of my most popular colorways.

So just realize that there are only happy accidents—not any mistakes. It’s a process you’ll get better at over time.

Brittany:
Yeah, I love that.

Ali:
As far as my inspiration, I think it’s pretty obvious with the name of my brand, Explorer Knits and Fibers—I really draw a lot of inspiration from nature and the trips I’ve gone on.

Every year, I think for the last nine years, I’ve gone on a backpacking trip with my fiancé. We’ve been to a lot of beautiful places that I really can’t let go of. Translating those memories or feelings—or actual photos—into a colorway just really makes it super special to me.

Brittany:
So I’m sure you’re taking photos as you go on these trips, but are you using those photos to bring it back to life? Or are you just in the moment and you know exactly what you want to create when you get back?

Ali:
Yeah, I think it’s a little bit of both.

One of my most recent colorways, called Uncompahgre Engagement, which is where I got engaged, was based off of a photo. But a lot of them are more based on a feeling or a memory I had.

Sometimes when I have something in mind and it comes out differently, it reminds me of another memory from my travels. I like to go into it with a collective idea in mind, but there are so many things that can influence a colorway that it really is variable. It’s funny where your mind takes you and how well color can bring back such distinct memories.

Brittany:
That takes the process really full circle. I feel like we can all relate to that. It doesn’t matter if we’re doing this like you—where it’s your side hustle—or just for fun. It’s so cool.

Ali:
Yeah, and that’s why I think it’s just been really amazing to see how the maker community has taken to hand-dyed yarn—and how special it really is to people.

Some people save it for certain projects. Maybe a colorway doesn’t remind them of what I named it after, but it helps them picture something else that connects them to my inspiration. That’s been something really great about this venture—seeing other super talented designers and makers create something with yarn I’ve dyed. I don’t think there’s anything more special.

Brittany:
Yeah, I bet. I think I can relate to that in a little way—like with creating a pattern. You pour your heart and soul into it, put it out into the world, and then see it grow. You see people use it in different ways—maybe even make changes that make it better. It really is a proud moment, I think, for designers and for people like you who dye the yarn and watch it turn into something beautiful.

Ali:
Yeah, it really is great. This community is wonderful, isn’t it?

Brittany:
It really is. I don’t know where I would be without them. It’s incredible the way people come together and support one another. Gosh, I feel like we could use that in all areas of life. I think we all sort of gravitate toward this community because it gives us so much joy.

Ali:
Oh, I completely agree.

Brittany:
Well, this has been such an insightful conversation. I’m so excited to try dyeing for the first time, and now—thankfully, because of you—I have the know-how to do it and maybe avoid some of the hiccups I had the first time around.

I’m so grateful for you sharing this with me and all the listeners today. I know they’re going to try it and hopefully share it with you—because now you are the one who taught them how to do it! So how can they get in touch with you online? How can they say thank you or show you what they’ve dyed as a result of hearing this?

Ali:
Yeah, I would just love to see anyone that tries dyeing as a result of this!

I’m on Instagram as Explorer Knits. I’m also on Facebook as Explorer Knits and Fibers. I’ve just recently created my own website: explorerknitsandfibers.com. You can contact me there, or shoot me an email at explorerknits@gmail.com. I’d love to hear from you—whether it’s questions or tips or just to say hi.

Brittany:
Well, thank you for that. I know you’re a busy person, so being able to connect with the listeners here—I’m really grateful for that. I’m definitely not the expert in this area, but I know plenty of people want to give it a try.

So thank you again so much. I’ll have all your information linked in the show notes so people don’t have to memorize anything—they can just head over to the show notes and find it there.

Allie, thank you again. It’s been so wonderful to connect with you.

Ali:
Well, thank you so much. I really, really enjoyed having this conversation with you.

Brittany:
All right. That was Ali from Explorer Knits. Thank you so much for sharing the step-by-step process so I can completely avoid those red-stained hands—and so I can have a yarn I feel confident using for knitting or crocheting.

You can connect with Ali and thank her personally on Instagram @explorerknits or on her website. I’ll have all of that linked in the show notes page. You can get to that by typing bhookedcrochet.com/session091 into your browser.

While you’re on that page, let me know what you’re going to dye—what type of yarn and maybe what color you’re planning. There’s a comment section so we can interact with each other, and I’d love to know what you’re dyeing up.

One takeaway from Allie’s discussion is that dyeing a wool or wool blend yarn is best for beginners. I mentioned it earlier, and I want to say it again: my sponsor, Red Heart, has a 100% merino wool. If you’re new to wool, just know that merino is like the Cadillac of wools—usually the softest available.

For me, that’s a big deal. I love natural fibers, but sometimes my skin doesn’t. So a scarf has to be either acrylic or a really soft wool. I’d recommend this yarn to you even if they weren’t a sponsor. I love a soft yarn, and I love something easy to find in stores.

Chic Sheep is that for me. I’m going to try my dyeing experiment with the leftover Linen or Lace—I actually have both colorways—and see how it takes the dye. It’s all an experiment, right?

Okay, that’ll do it for today. Thank you so much for spending time with me. I can’t wait for us to dye some yarn together. Thank you, Allie, for sharing all your wisdom with us today.

I’ll see you next week, my friend—same time, same place. Bye-bye.