HELP! HELP! HELP!!!!! I've ruined them!!

[Perogi]

:cry :eek :cry :eek :cry :eek :mope

AHHHH!!! I koolaid dyed for the first time tonight and it was a disaster!!! I dyed my newly knit Wonderpants (knit in Paton's classic) using 6 packets of grape for 7 oz of wool and I HATE IT!!! First of all, I do NOT like the colour....secondly it came out splotchy despite my best efforts. :cry

Please, please, please tell me that I can save these pants!! They are the first Wonderpants I've done and I was madly in love with them. I have some pretty lilac coloured Dylon dye here - can I somehow re-dye these pants? Or I have pink Koolaid that I could try.

I don't know what to do and I'm totally freaking out!!! :faint

[Perogi]

:nut Okay, I'm like crawling out of my skin here!

I have a tin of Dylon pre-dye, which is supposed to remove colour before dyeing - do you think that it would work? It has instructions in it for wool.

:help

[pamelamama]

I"m sorry, I Don't KNOW!! :crying

[pmcgary]

Do you have a picture? Too light? Too dark?
Crummy directions from the idiot who tried to help you????????

If the dye removing has directions for wool it might be worth a try. I would worry that it would be harsh on the wool.

Hmm, did you get a bad batch of Canadian KA?

[pb_and_j]

You should be able to overdye it. Were you going for purple? Did it turn out too blue/ gray? Try dyeing a sample swatch first the same color then experiment w/ overdyeing.

Sorry :( Don't freak out yet... there is hope!

[radish]

oh crap! i have re-dyed with KA and it adds a weird effect but i prefer the new color. its is just "layered". good luck!

[triciarn]

I think I read that sunlight would remove koolaid dye. I could be totally wrong but I think someone posted on MDC that they left their soaker outside in the sun to dry and it removed the color.

Does anyone remember??

Keep in mind I just worked a 7p-7a shift and have had very little sleep. (Sick Baby)

Tricia :yawn

[Perogi]

Well, the colour came out much darker than I had anticipated and the body of the pants are all a very uniform, dark colour and then the legs are splotchy variations from light to dark.

I was worried about what the pre-dye might do to the wool as well, if it would be too harsh or something, maybe destroy some of the properties of wool that make it effective for a diaper cover.

pmcgary - sooo not bad directions!!! Just a novice attempt is all :hug

[FabriConnection]

You can remove the color with RIT color remover. It stinks like crap and is a bitch to wash out but it's safe on wool and it works.

[pmcgary]

You might have been happier with the results of dying yarn more than the finished pant....my somewhat limited experience has not been as positive with dyeing the final work. (In fact the pants I dyed with US grape KA were probably my least favorite...but even dark purple is better than the mud stains they had before dyeing.)

I wonder if the sun would fade them to a tolerable color....

Um, have you checked to see if the dye is actually set. If I recall the US purple bled quite a bit....Maybe you could fad some out with washing?

[Perogi]

:heart Ahhh, and along comes an expert! :mwah I am sooo relieved!!!

So, the next question, do you figure that Dylon predye/colour remover will accomplish the same thing as RIT? Just because I have the Dylon here....and it does have instructions for wool.....

[FabriConnection]

double post

[FabriConnection]

It's probably the same stuff. If it smells like a perm it is :lol: That stuff is RANK and stinks up the whole house!!! but it works :lol:

[pamelamama]

Once again proving that Jess knows everything.

[littleturtlemama]

Yup, like jesss said the rit should work, just beware that it will probably still be a bit colored when all is said and done.

a tip to make the dyeing more even next time: pour out the water youre going to dye in, add a good amount of salt (regular table salt, but non-iodized) and let the salt dissolve. Say, a 3/4 cup per gallon of water. Add your dye, dissolve that. Set on the stove to heat, stir for a few minutes, add the pants and let it heat up (don't stir anymore, but once the water gets really hot you can gently lift the pants out and change their position a few times.) Turn off heat just before water hits boiling. Let pants set until water comes to room temperature. Then rinse, rinse, rinse! The salt levels the dye so that it won't be splotchy :)

[ravingcutie]

Yay! We need more super dye posts like Jess and Theresa!!

They should be Dye Girls or some such super name.

[Perogi]

Okay, *deep breath*, here goes....I am going to use the Dylon colour remover and see what happens. :fingersx: I just need it to take out enough colour that I can re-dye them using Dylon.

I kind of wondered if dying them after the fact was a bad idea - I will pre-dye my yarn from now on! With the Dylon I think I will have better luck because I can lay them out totally flat in the wash tub instead of having them in a pot on the stove.

Thanks everyone!! :love

[Perogi]

Okay, I gave it a shot and the results are a bit better than satisfactory. The majority of the garment is back to a neutral colour but a few of the really dark splotches just sort of lightened up.

So now I have to ask: do you think I can go ahead and dye them (will the splotches cover?) or should I try to do the colour remover one more time?? Better off to try Dylon dye or Koolaid?