Grad-dye yarn by hand with batik colour dye and microwave

If you are interested in trying to grad-dye yarn by hand, here is the perfect guide. We provide advice on how to begin with this fun hobby. We also show you what you need and how to grad-dye the yarn so that you can make your own unique hanks with beautiful colours.

You can also check out our other free guides for multicoloured/speckled yarn dyeing and solid yarn dyeing for more exciting inspiration regarding hand-dyeing.

Download PDF here

What you need:

• 1 bowl
• 1 measuring cup
• White vinegar
• 1 microwave + 1 bowl suitable for microwave use
• Microwave cling film – important that it is suitable for microwave use
• 1 hank of yarn– see Sundsvall yarn for hand-dyeing
• Jute thread – See Jute thread
• Batik colour dye – See Batik colour dye/textile colour
• Disposable gloves or cleaning gloves
• 1 needle
• Eucalan wool wash – See Wool wash

Instructions

1) Tie jute thread around the yarn. Tie at least 2 threads to ensure that you can control the hank during the colouring process.

2) Soak the yarn in an acid bath. The proportion is 0,3 cup of white vinegar per 1,2 cups of water for minimum half an hour. Do not pour out the acid bath.

3) Pick the yarn up from the acid bath, wring it slightly and place it on a surface that can be dirty. We have used a baking tray with baking paper.

4) Make your colour mix. We have used 3 tablespoons of red batik colour dye per 0,3 cup of water.

5) Fill the needle with your colour mix. We have filled 3 needles. Don’t forget to wear gloves.

6) “Paint” the hank with the needle until you have covered it all in a snake-like shape. Don’t forget to wear gloves.

7) Now the dyeing process begins. Massage the colour into the yarn back and forth with a sliding movement. This way, you control the graduation of the dyeing. You also decide whether you want there to be undyed places or whether all of the yarn is to be dyed.

8) Place the hank in the bowl suited for microwave use.

9) Cover the bowl with cling film for microwave use – make sure that the film covers the bowl completely.

10) The yarn is now heated up 3 times. Each round lasts 2 minutes at 900 W. Open the microwave between each heating to ventilate. Make sure that the cling film still covers the bowl completely.

11) Take out the bowl– Be careful, it’s hot! Remove the cling film and pour out excess colour.

12) Place the hank in the acid bath again for approximately half an hour.

13) Prepare a bath with lukewarm water and Eucalan wool wash. Wash the hank and then rinse it with cold water. Rinse the yarn until the water is clear.

14) Hang the hank to dry and wait for it to be totally dry.

Other guides for dyeing yarn

If you want to try other forms of yarn-dyeing, you can find more inspiring free guides in our web shop. These include processes such as:

• Hand-dyeing yarn with batik colour dye in the microwave
• Multicoloured/speckled yarn dyeing
• Solid yarn dyeing