So, of course, the two Kool-aid dyed ones look great (the two on the left) and I really like that soft yellow there next to the orange. That’s a keeper. But everything else? Not really feeling it. Some other dyepot awaits them.
That orange, though! Let’s look at it closely:
Look at the variations! That yellowish highlight isn’t a trick of the camera. that is something in the yarn. It’s amazing.
But I was so disappointed in most of the other fruit teas (I really thought I’d get at least a variety of browns, not just pink-brown and yellow-brown) that I wanted to have a success so I did a quick breaking of this purple Kool-aid on a whole skein of yarn.
I don’t yet have a good picture of it out of the pot, but you can see that parts of it are straight-up blue and parts of it are purple.
That may be all I can do without mordant. So, next, I need to mordant up some wool. And then I think I’m going to try the day lilies in my yard this weekend.
I’m having such a good time.
And I am slowly finishing the wedding afghan, too. It’s just less fun to take pictures of.
Tiny Cat Pants 
I don’t know if you want dyestuff from outside of your area but I have lots of cacti with lots of cochineal bugs. I’m impressed watching your dyeing- it’s something I keep thinking of doing but haven’t yet. (Except trying to dye something brown with Rit dye. It was just a really dark red and THAT’S NOT BROWN, RIT!!!)
The kool-aid colors are amazing, so bright, i love what your doing.
Have you tried using plant roots?
rheather, this afghan is just going to be things from my house and neighborhood, but, if it turns out cool. I may holler about the cochineal bugs. Thank you! And I will say that dyeing with Kool-aid is super easy and a good way to get started with hand-dyeing. I’ve had great success with it in the past. It’s this plant-dyeing with mordant stuff that’s new to me and which I will get started on this weekend.
Julie, I’m glad, since you’ll have to live with it.
nm, not yet! I’m really stoked to try all kinds of things.
I bet that sassafrass and chickory roots would give you fascinating colors. Also beets. And, branching out into the animal kingdom, crawdad shells.