Your technique improved as you sprinkled more dye. Using more Citric Acid sounds like it might give you more control. I like the consistency of the dye crystal size that you were able to achieve with the shakers. Thank you for not mixed the "extra" dye into the sprinkle experiment! :) Lovely, both sets of skeins!!!
I definitely feel like it improved. I think that having the containers more full (so enough for multiple projects - not just one) would help with consistency, too.
😍 I got excited as soon as I saw the colors you were using! I love Berry Crush…it’s one of my favorite Dharma colors! And those both turned out BEAUTIFUL!! I can see a cardigan knitted out of the dusty purple one 🤩 Thanks Rebecca!!
Have you checked out the travel/camping salt shakers? Those are usually plastic with a snap on lid to seal away moisture. Love your videos and I'm glad you didn't add the left over pigment to the speckled yarn. It would have been beautiful, but I do agree that the speckles would probably have been lost under it.
@shanna - i just bought some spice jars that are a bit smaller than the shakers I used in this video. I have some ideas that would let me like this more. They should arrive today!
Beautiful yarn once again. I love both colors. I couldn't get the edges with the shaker either. So, I used the tongs to push the yarn off the edge, and then shake: shake. I think next time I will try 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons of citric acid, vs. 1 tablespoon. My goal with the shakers is to get light speckles, and for some reason, other than what happened to you today, I did get the light speckles.
I recently watched another dyer (for the life of me I can't remember who) but they were using what looked like, maybe, a 1" grout brush, they touched the brush to the powder, then tapped the brush over the yarn... It actually gave a similar appearance to what you did today... Weird....😉 I'm REALLY impressed with the "black plum" yarn. 😊
I find some success with shakers if I add something into the jar with the dye and acid. Depends on the size of the holes in your shaker, but it could be small pasta, rice, beans.
LisaR writing- wondering if you sprinkle from up higher ...if the "pathway" would diffuse ? I can't get the edges no matter what technique I use unless I move the edge in a bit temporarily. The definition you achieved is gorgeous ❣️
If I were to start higher up I would be able to spread things more... but then it might spread beyond the dyeing area. :D I'm lucky that I rarely have dyes go beyond where my stove is.
Hi Rebecca, I like the speckled yarn and I think that juicing the shakers on the countertop to dye your yarn is easier because you have more space to move grtz Renate
Such beautiful yarn in this one! Have you ever been att a Mexican restaurant where they put the salt and pepper in cleaned out beer bottles? Filled so full toy can't get any out? I learned a trick to put the bottles end to end, with one pointed down at me food. The bottoms have bumps and when I rub them together it vibrates the pepper out. I wonder if something similar would work with your shakers? Our maybe tapping with a wooden spoon?
Hmmmm.... I have some ideas that would help me make some holes smaller on spice jars (mainly - designing an insert that we can 3D print. There are perks to having a 3d printer at home!)
Just a suggestion, you could try just putting the citric acid in the sugar dusters and see if it runs out. Then you won’t have to worry about getting dye every where. Hope it works… Love the speckles.
This is perfect! I've been trying to figure out how to recreate lionbrands discontinued hand dye yarn. This looks just like that and I'm so excited to try it
Those might be a bit pricy, but I'll check them out for sure! I realized I should have been thinking about spice containers or sprinkle containers - and I have a lot of a bunch of those around that I should have saved! Maybe I need to make some sugar cookies so I can get the bottles... lol.
@@ChemKnitsTutorials you can find the tupperware ones at thrift store or second hand stores that is were i have been able to find mine. I'm glad I could give you another idea to help you out.
There are bottles for spraying powders on Amazon. Some of them have nozzles that would allow you to see where the powder is going. Not sure about the citric acid crystals, though.
@@ChemKnitsTutorials it's simply beautiful and your techniques are always so interesting and creative. I see nothing silly there, I love your videos and your joy
This is such a good idea. I think I'm going to design something to 3D print for inside the cap to help make the holes smaller. :D Then dye is less likely to stick, plus an excuse to design something, lol.
What if you tried shaking the dye out from higher up/ farther away from the yarn so it has more time to spread before it hits the dye, creating a more diffuse application?
This would work for application... but also would result in spreading the dye out more over my kitchen - which want to avoid. So it is a balancing act for sure!!
This could work well. I definitely want to have a lid that I can close (so I can easily store the dye) but I'm now thinking of solutions that our 3d printer may help solve.
Love your podcast! Would definitely like to see you use the other shaker tools to compare and more citric powder to dye powder ratio. I don't know what happened, but towards the end of the video when you were showing the dried skeins the images were a bit out of focus. Thanks again for your what you do!
Using my salt shakers is still a work-in-progress, with the goal of the amount poured equal to you laying the dye with your fingers. Next I will try plugging some of the holes with pieces of toothpicks. I will say the Dollar Store shaker does not emit as much dye per shot as your black shaker did with the big blob. Overall, the Dollar Store shakers work better than a regular strainer. I hope I find the perfect tool. But, we may have to build our own tool that works for us. p.s. At no point did my shakers emit as much dye as your black shaker did. They emitted about 40% of dye, in comparison. I think this can work if we can plug some holes. Please forgive me for my suggestion, as I knew you didn't want that much spread. Hmmm. well I did add a tablespoon of citric acid powder, which was too much, as the overall dye was more of a white blend.
I wonder if this was caused by my ratio of dye to CA powder, too. I got some smaller spice jars that have more holes on the top and should be a bit easier to hold. If those holes end up being too large then I will 3d print an insert to make the holes smaller. :D
@@ChemKnitsTutorials definitely not a particle size issue but I find when I grind seasoning over something the dispersement is more evenly controlled over the area vs the shaker that sorta plops it in the one area it's pointing at. However this is thick coarse dried herbs so fine powder may not go through it the same.
@@ChemKnitsTutorials another idea would be taking the tea sifter and using that liquid plastic stuff to coat the back half so you can then shake up and down. The dye would hit the plastic back so it wouldn't go anywhere and the momentum down through the metal strainer would allow it to go through maybe? Idk I'm an out of box thinker lol
Soooo…. If the goal is to get speckle coverage more quickly, I wonder how it would look if you just mixed the different dye powders together in the one shaker and sprinkled everything at once? I guess you would lose the patches of separate colours. Maybe worth the experiment?
I have a video where I tried two colors in various combinations. A + B layered, A/B mixed in just powder. A/B mixed with CA etc ua-cam.com/video/g1-PXorpChk/v-deo.html
I think it would - without the edges of the pans it would be easier. But I'm going to try out some spice jars. THey'd be lighter and thinner so I think it could work well.
2021 ChemKnits Chanukah Sampler - www.etsy.com/listing/1049539804/2021-chemknits-chanukah-sampler-10g-mini
The ‘OH DEAR’ at 6:55 is me literally every single time I try to speckle 🤣 thank you so much for making this video!
Lol! It is my pleasure! I plan to play with this more.
Definitely please do this again. The Clorox is amazing.
I'm assuming lurex autocorrected to clorox? :D I looooove that yarn base so much.
Your technique improved as you sprinkled more dye. Using more Citric Acid sounds like it might give you more control. I like the consistency of the dye crystal size that you were able to achieve with the shakers. Thank you for not mixed the "extra" dye into the sprinkle experiment! :) Lovely, both sets of skeins!!!
I definitely feel like it improved. I think that having the containers more full (so enough for multiple projects - not just one) would help with consistency, too.
All the yarn turned out very pretty.
I love seeing you dye yarn with different techniques :)
Thank you! 😊
@@ChemKnitsTutorials You're very welcome :)
Love, love, love your tutorials!!!!
Thank you so much!!
😍 I got excited as soon as I saw the colors you were using! I love Berry Crush…it’s one of my favorite Dharma colors! And those both turned out BEAUTIFUL!! I can see a cardigan knitted out of the dusty purple one 🤩 Thanks Rebecca!!
Thank you!
Definitely interested in seeing this again with a lot more citric acid per dye amount in the future. I think that will be a lot easier to apply.
Have you checked out the travel/camping salt shakers? Those are usually plastic with a snap on lid to seal away moisture. Love your videos and I'm glad you didn't add the left over pigment to the speckled yarn. It would have been beautiful, but I do agree that the speckles would probably have been lost under it.
@shanna - i just bought some spice jars that are a bit smaller than the shakers I used in this video. I have some ideas that would let me like this more. They should arrive today!
Ohhhhh Rebecca! Try more shaking! This yarn is stunning. That sparkle yarn too is gorgeous!
I will try!
Beautiful yarn once again. I love both colors. I couldn't get the edges with the shaker either. So, I used the tongs to push the yarn off the edge, and then shake: shake. I think next time I will try 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons of citric acid, vs. 1 tablespoon. My goal with the shakers is to get light speckles, and for some reason, other than what happened to you today, I did get the light speckles.
Well since I wanted heavier speckles I did have more dye in here.
I recently watched another dyer (for the life of me I can't remember who) but they were using what looked like, maybe, a 1" grout brush, they touched the brush to the powder, then tapped the brush over the yarn... It actually gave a similar appearance to what you did today...
Weird....😉
I'm REALLY impressed with the "black plum" yarn. 😊
Thank you!!!
I love these colors
Thank you!
Ohhh I really like the heavy speckles. The end results always surprise me!
Glad you like them!
I find some success with shakers if I add something into the jar with the dye and acid. Depends on the size of the holes in your shaker, but it could be small pasta, rice, beans.
Ooooooo! This is a REALLY good idea. Especially if it won't come out the holes, too. Maybe beans? I got some new shakers to try.
LisaR writing- wondering if you sprinkle from up higher ...if the "pathway" would diffuse ? I can't get the edges no matter what technique I use unless I move the edge in a bit temporarily. The definition you achieved is gorgeous ❣️
If I were to start higher up I would be able to spread things more... but then it might spread beyond the dyeing area. :D I'm lucky that I rarely have dyes go beyond where my stove is.
Sincerely , those speckles are the best.
Thank you so much!!
I knew that I had a reason to keep all of the small spice jars!
I'm saving all of mine now, too!
Hi Rebecca, I like the speckled yarn and I think that juicing the shakers on the countertop to dye your yarn is easier because you have more space to move grtz Renate
I think it would be easier on the counter top,t oo. Without the edges of the pans.
Such beautiful yarn in this one!
Have you ever been att a Mexican restaurant where they put the salt and pepper in cleaned out beer bottles? Filled so full toy can't get any out? I learned a trick to put the bottles end to end, with one pointed down at me food. The bottoms have bumps and when I rub them together it vibrates the pepper out.
I wonder if something similar would work with your shakers? Our maybe tapping with a wooden spoon?
Hmmmm.... I have some ideas that would help me make some holes smaller on spice jars (mainly - designing an insert that we can 3D print. There are perks to having a 3d printer at home!)
@@ChemKnitsTutorials nice! I wonder if Saran Wrap with holes poked with a toothpick would work?
Just a suggestion, you could try just putting the citric acid in the sugar dusters and see if it runs out. Then you won’t have to worry about getting dye every where. Hope it works… Love the speckles.
Thanks for the suggestion
This is perfect! I've been trying to figure out how to recreate lionbrands discontinued hand dye yarn. This looks just like that and I'm so excited to try it
Glad I could help!
I have tried a tea strainer without the citric acid, it was a fail! Will definitely try with citric acid again. But, would love to see your ideas.
I think the citric acid helps weigh down the dye a bit. Otherwise the particles are super super fine.
I know tupperware has salt and pepper shakers that have fine holes, andd they are plastic and ligthweight so that might be worth a try.
Those might be a bit pricy, but I'll check them out for sure! I realized I should have been thinking about spice containers or sprinkle containers - and I have a lot of a bunch of those around that I should have saved! Maybe I need to make some sugar cookies so I can get the bottles... lol.
@@ChemKnitsTutorials you can find the tupperware ones at thrift store or second hand stores that is were i have been able to find mine. I'm glad I could give you another idea to help you out.
There are bottles for spraying powders on Amazon. Some of them have nozzles that would allow you to see where the powder is going. Not sure about the citric acid crystals, though.
I'll have to look at those!
you should try a cheap blusher brush dipped into the mix and then tapped over the yarn. super tiny small speckles.
This may work! I worry a bit about mess (thinking of my bathroom counter when I tap make up brushes!!)
The yarn turned out beautiful! Please use the wands.
Thank you!
❤ this so beautiful
Thank you! I love the yarn so much - even with my silly thumbnail face. (That was about the technique, not the pretty yarn!!)
@@ChemKnitsTutorials it's simply beautiful and your techniques are always so interesting and creative. I see nothing silly there, I love your videos and your joy
If the are too many holes on the shaker bottle use a piece of tape to cover them up. Less dye will come out at a time.
This is such a good idea. I think I'm going to design something to 3D print for inside the cap to help make the holes smaller. :D Then dye is less likely to stick, plus an excuse to design something, lol.
If the glass jar is too heavy, how about spice containers? I know some of them have smaller holes too.
I'm not sure why I didn't think of that while I was filming!!! I found some bundles on amazon
Holding the shaker in one hand and tapping it with a dowel or pencil might be easier to get consistent powdering.
This is a good idea!
What if you tried shaking the dye out from higher up/ farther away from the yarn so it has more time to spread before it hits the dye, creating a more diffuse application?
This would work for application... but also would result in spreading the dye out more over my kitchen - which want to avoid. So it is a balancing act for sure!!
Make your own shakers. Clean a small jar (like from jam or cheap kaviar, or spices), use a nail to punch some holes (from the inside) in the lid.
This could work well. I definitely want to have a lid that I can close (so I can easily store the dye) but I'm now thinking of solutions that our 3d printer may help solve.
Love your podcast! Would definitely like to see you use the other shaker tools to compare and more citric powder to dye powder ratio. I don't know what happened, but towards the end of the video when you were showing the dried skeins the images were a bit out of focus. Thanks again for your what you do!
Thanks for pointing out the focus issue! I likely went too close to the camera at one point. :(
What size were the holes in your shaker? Could you find smaller holes?
I think I have an idea to help make them smaller but still spread out. :D
Nice shirt!!
Thanks! I made it a few years ago!
Where did you find those cool jars?? Tia
Ikea!
Using my salt shakers is still a work-in-progress, with the goal of the amount poured equal to you laying the dye with your fingers. Next I will try plugging some of the holes with pieces of toothpicks. I will say the Dollar Store shaker does not emit as much dye per shot as your black shaker did with the big blob. Overall, the Dollar Store shakers work better than a regular strainer. I hope I find the perfect tool. But, we may have to build our own tool that works for us.
p.s. At no point did my shakers emit as much dye as your black shaker did. They emitted about 40% of dye, in comparison. I think this can work if we can plug some holes. Please forgive me for my suggestion, as I knew you didn't want that much spread. Hmmm. well I did add a tablespoon of citric acid powder, which was too much, as the overall dye was more of a white blend.
I wonder if this was caused by my ratio of dye to CA powder, too. I got some smaller spice jars that have more holes on the top and should be a bit easier to hold. If those holes end up being too large then I will 3d print an insert to make the holes smaller. :D
@@ChemKnitsTutorials Now a 3-D print insert would be awesome! We're going to find a solution.
What about a grinder? I know you'd lose some dye in the end getting stuck and washed out of the grinder part but you have that in the shakers anyway
I'm not sure that the issue is the particle size, though. I don't think this would help distribute the specks further... but it COULD.
@@ChemKnitsTutorials definitely not a particle size issue but I find when I grind seasoning over something the dispersement is more evenly controlled over the area vs the shaker that sorta plops it in the one area it's pointing at. However this is thick coarse dried herbs so fine powder may not go through it the same.
@@ChemKnitsTutorials another idea would be taking the tea sifter and using that liquid plastic stuff to coat the back half so you can then shake up and down. The dye would hit the plastic back so it wouldn't go anywhere and the momentum down through the metal strainer would allow it to go through maybe? Idk I'm an out of box thinker lol
Tupperware has salt and pepper shakers with covers. Those would be lighter and still seal.
I'll check them out!
Happened to me too, so I stuck some strips of tape diagonally over the holes.
This is a great idea!!!
Or I could have Keith 3D print me an insert to help block the holes.....
Soooo…. If the goal is to get speckle coverage more quickly, I wonder how it would look if you just mixed the different dye powders together in the one shaker and sprinkled everything at once? I guess you would lose the patches of separate colours. Maybe worth the experiment?
I have a video where I tried two colors in various combinations. A + B layered, A/B mixed in just powder. A/B mixed with CA etc ua-cam.com/video/g1-PXorpChk/v-deo.html
You might try something used in cake decorating, like Wilton® Dust-N-Store™ Dusting Pouch
I do have a dusting wand, but I should check that out!
What if you close of two of the holes in the shaker.....
I got new bottles that I like a lot better. I think the shape of these bottles was too awkward to use easily.
Maybe that container would work better on countertop?
I think it would - without the edges of the pans it would be easier. But I'm going to try out some spice jars. THey'd be lighter and thinner so I think it could work well.
I agree that the holes are too big for good control.
I'm super excited people have given me the idea to 3D print an insert to make the holes smaller. :D