KOOL AID DYED YARN ....

Perusing Pinterest, as I'm known to do, I came upon a tutorial on using Kool Aid to dye yarn (http://maiyamayhem.blogspot.com/2011/07/kool-aid-popsicle-dyeing.html)
It was far too good an opportunity to miss. Couple of packets of Kool Aid and some liquid food coloring (Kool Aid sadly doesn't come in every color I desire), and a ball of 100% wool yarn, and you're set to go.

 The photo is ugly, but it's a ball of plain white, 100% wool (this is VERY important apparently) yarn.

 Next up, I unwound the ball, around the back of one of my dining room chairs. I made a solution of water and white vinegar, mixed at a ratio of 2:1. I popped the yarn in a 9"x 13" baking dish, poured the solution over the yarn, made sure it was well saturated, and left it soaking for 30 minutes.

 Tick Tock ... Tick Tock .... 30 minutes later, and I'm back. I squeezed out the water gently, and placed the yarn back in the dish (which you've rinsed and dried out).
 Now, to back track, just a little ..... the day before, I'd made some colored ice cubes. I bought those little sachets of Kool Aid, and mixed the entire packet with 3 tablespoons of water ( or enough water to fill 3 ice cube holes). I set it in the freezer to freeze.
The fun part .... place your ice cubes on the yarn randomly, and cover the dish with plastic wrap .... nice and tightly !!! Take the dish outside into the sun, pop it down, and forget about it for the day. It will get all hot and condensation will form on the plastic wrap .... perfect!!!
Just a side note at this point. It was not a hot enough day here, and I started out a little late, so my dish of magic did not get hot enough. How do you know it's hot enough ..... when you lift the dish, you will see the liquid that collects at the bottom of the dish is clear. It will have no color to it (the color has been taken up by the yarn).
Don't panic if it doesn't get hot enough ..... take the covered dish, pop it in the microwave, and nuke it!!! I did mine for 5 minutes in the microwave, and all the color was taken up.

 See, like magic, you have lovely colored yarn. Now you need to rinse and gently wash your yarn. The water used to rinse and wash the yarn, should run clear.
Next up, spread it out on a towel to dry. This part took way longer than I had expected .... a full day, before it was bone dry.

All that's left is to wind it into a ball. This can be a little time consuming, depending on how careful you were (or in my case, weren't) about tangling the yarn. Isn't that just the most perfect ball of color .... I'm not sure what I want to make with it - it's such a ball of happiness !!! Boy Child suggested a monster, aptly named Tye, but I'm not sure. I thought perhaps a tote bag, or I even wondered whether I should dye some more, and turn it into a blanket ..... Hmm, decisions, decisions !!! For now though, I'll just put it where I can admire its loveliness.

The mom in me, did wonder however ..... if this is what Kool Aid does to yarn, then what could it possibly be doing to the insides of all the little people who drink it. Luckily, my kiddos never developed a taste for it.