How To Tie Dye Cotton Yarn

How to Dye Cotton Yarn with a Tulip Tie Dye Kit

1. Before you begin, make sure you read the instructions that come with your tie dyeing kit. The below instructions are based on the Tulip Tie Dye Kit, so times and other recommendations may vary with different brands.

2. Prepare your yarn for dyeing - In the accompanying video, I will demonstrate dyeing yarn both in ball form and in skein form. Either way works great, but if you want more control over your color repeats, then I would recommend winding the yarn into a skein first. 

3. Presoak your yarn - The kit states that no presoaking is required, but I know from experience that it is easier to apply dye to wet fibers. Submerge your yarn in water and let it soak for ~30 minutes.

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4. Protect your work surface - The Tulip Tie Dye kit comes with almost everything you need to dye your yarn, but you don’t want to end up dying your kitchen as well!  I put a plastic trash bag over my work surface. If I am working on multiple projects in one day, I would also lay plastic wrap on the surface, which comes in handy when I am ready to wrap up my yarn to let the dye set.

5. Wring out your yarn - Gently squeeze out the excess water from your yarn. The more water left in the yarn means the less dye you’ll be able to apply.

6. Prepare your dyes - follow the Tulip Tie Dye kit instructions to add water to the powder dyes. According to the Tulip Instructions, the dye should be used within 45 minutes of mixing.

7. Tie dye multicolored yarn in whatever way you can imagine. HAVE FUN! Tie dyeing isn’t about perfection, it is about expression.  Have fun painting your yarns in a variety of patterns. With the included squeeze bottles, you can create very precise shapes, or you can pour the dye into a container to try dipping. Make sure to wear the provided gloves so you don’t also dye your hands!

8. When you are done applying dye to the yarn, wrap the yarn in plastic wrap and let it sit in a safe place for at least 6-8 hours.  The longer you let the yarn sit the more vibrant colors you can achieve. I recommend putting the yarn inside additional plastic bags in addition to the plastic wrap to catch any leaks.

9. Wash the yarn - Don’t forget to wear the gloves!  Rinse the yarn with warm water (for cotton yarns, for wools use cool water) until the water runs clear, removing any rubber bands you may have used.  Hand wash your yarn with some laundry soap to remove any excess dye.  I do not recommend putting unknit yarns into a washing machine, so follow the Tulip washing instructions at your own risk. 

10. Hang the yarn up to dry.  If you dyed yarn in a ball form, I would wrap it into a skein after it has dried out a little bit and then wash the yarn a second time.  It can be hard to penetrate the ball of yarn to remove excess dye trapped on the interior.

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More Ways to Dye Yarn

1. How to Tie Dye Already Knit Fabric

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2. How to Dye Yarn in a Tonal Kettle

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3. How to Hand Paint Yarn

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4. How to Set Yarn Color

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