Who knew you could use Kool-Aid® for more than a sweet drink? Dying yarn with Kool-Aid® can be a economical way to get your wool to be bright and vibrant without a lot of mess. The process is simple and can be completed in a couple of hours.

This method only works with animal fibres, such as wool, mohair, and alpaca. You’ll want to use a 100% product, rather than one blended with artificial fibres.

You’ll need a glass jar, a skein of wool in a light color (I chose a beige merino wool), a package of Kool-Aid® in the flavour / color of your choice, a spoon for stirring and a pot. Be sure that you only use the unsweetened drink crystals, or the color wont adhere as well.

Begin by adding warm water to the glass jar, and add the drink crystals. The amount of water is irrelevant, you simply want to make sure that your wool is completely submerged. If you want a vibrant color, use the entire package of crystals. If you desire a lighter color, add less Kool-Aid®. Submerge your wool in the mixture (I use half a skein per drink mix package to get the brightest colors), using a spoon to release any air bubbles and to ensure that the wool is completely submerged.

Place the glass jar into a pot filled halfway with water and set on the stove burner at medium temperature.

Leave on the heat until the water becomes clear or cloudy (some colors) and the wool has absorbed the dye.

Remove from heat and let the jar and water cool to room temperature. Rinse with the same temperature water. Extreme temperature differences between the rinsing water and yarn may cause the yarn to felt, so take caution!

The result is a brightly dyed wool yarn that can be used for any project, even felting. The color wont run in the wash, which is a bonus.

Another option is to submerge only half the wool to be dyed, resulting in a striped yarn.

Happy dyeing!!

This will be my son’s first Christmas, and I wanted to make him something special. I’m not really into stuffed animals, so I haven’t bought any for him. But since he’s taken an interest in the ones he already has, I decided to make him one using a fabric that’s inexpensive, washable, and easy to work with: felt.

You can make any animal you choose, I just chose a penguin since I’m really into birds right now, and I wanted his to be cute but also boyish. So first you’ll want to pick an animal, draw it out and then get it blow up using a copy machine, to however big you want it. Cut out the shapes and trace them onto cardboard, then cut those shapes out. When you’re cutting feet, arms, or anything that’s to go on the edge of the animal, you’ll want to add a little extra, maybe a quarter to a half-inch, to the place where you’ll adhere the piece to the edge.

Place your shapes on the pieces of felt you’ve chosen and secure them with a needle or pin. Cut around the shapes. Since you’ll need a front and a back, and you have sharp enough scissors, you may want to double up the felt to cut the pieces so the pieces match up perfectly.

Next you’ll want to stitch your top pieces onto the body of the animal. Place pieces in desire places and secure with a pin or needle. Here I put the belly on first, then the beak. I also added a little polyfil to the belly and beak to give the pieces a little more dimension. I used a blanket stitch for all the pieces but you can use any stitch you’re comfortable with. I then stitched the eyes on using a seed stitch.

Next you’ll want to stitch together the feet, adding a little polyfill to them before closing. Stitch the feet onto the piece that will be the backside of your stuffed animal.

After all your pieces are placed, then you can stitch the front and back side together, stopping when you’re almost done to add the polyfil. Add as much fill as you want. You don’t want to overstuff your animal, but you also don’t want it really flat either. If your animals has tight corners, use the end of a pencil or pen to push the fill into them. Place a pin or needle close to the edge of where you’ll stitch to keep it close together so you’re final stitches will be straight. Finish up the seam and voila! A finished (and adorable) stuffed animal.

From start to finish this project took about 3 hours so it’s something you can do while watching TV or if you have some spare time. And as always, have fun with it. Don’t worry if your animal isn’t perfect or even a little choppy (like mine). I think imperfections add to it’s character and cuteness, and I’m sure who ever you’re making it for won’t mind at all.