how to dye self-striping yarn on stovetop

Space

   In order to get striping pattern, you need to start with an extremely long hank. I'll walk you through that below.

Dye

   For the stovetop method here, I suggest food-grade dye. That would include Kool-Aid, cake decorating gel, food coloring or natural dyes like beet juice or squid ink.

Heat Source

   You can use your oven, range, microwave or crock pot. For this tutorials, we are using your stovetop range.

Heat-safe containers

    You can use anything you would use in your normal cooking - saucepans, Pyrex. Don't worry, nothing will get stained, and you can re-use these dishes after a quick run through the dishwasher.

Clean sink

    You'll need a clean way to rinse the yarn after coloring. Don't worry, nothing will get stained.

Kitchen Utensils

    Ideally, tongs and a turkey baster, but you can get creative with substitutes if needed.

Skeining
   When you skein your hank for dyeing, you want it to be as long as possible in order to allow large sections of color that will become the stripes.
To do this, place two chairs about 5 feet apart and begin wrapping the yarn around the chairs (see picture).
Secure the ends and tie the hank in a few places to keep it from tangling.

For other steps to take before dying, see this article

Put a few inches of water in a stock pot that will hold the containers you plan to use for dyes. Put that pot on the range on medium-low heat.

Mix dye
You'll probably want about 5 colors.

Put a small amount of water in some small heat-safe containers (I use mason jars) that will hold a good amount of yarn.
The amount of water doesn't matter; the ratio of dye amount to yarn amount is more important.

Mix your dye into the water and mix it until you are happy with the color. You can use any combination of colors to create your own custom color or you can use just one color straight out of the bottle or packet. You can test the color by dipping a piece of paper towel into the dye mix. It won't be exactly the same as what your yarn will look like, but it is close.

Place the dye containers into the stockpot in the order you want your stripes and allow to warm. Do not let the water get any hotter than this throughout the process or your yarn could felt.

Think about how much yarn you want it each color - do you want even stripes or some longer than the other?

Mentally divide the yarn into segments based on how many colors you have and place those sections into the dye containers, looping the yarn between the containers. (see picture)

Set your kitchen timer for 10 minutes.
Depending on the fiber your yarn is made of and how much dye you are using, the dye process might take a lot shorter or a lot longer.

When the timer goes off, shift the yarn to submerge the parts that were between dye containers.

Set the timer for 10 more minutes.

When the timer goes off, test if the dyepot is exhausted.
Take an eyedropper (or spoon) and get some of the water out of the dyepot. If the water is clear, it has exhausted. If the water still has color, let the yarn steam for a while longer. Checking for exhaustion every 5 minutes or so.

When the dyepot is exhausted or when the yarn is the desired color, use tongs to remove the yarn from the dyepot and put it in a heat-safe container. Remember, the yarn was just sitting in steaming water. It will be hot. Don't try to do this with your bare hands.

Allow the yarn to cool to room temperature.

Rise the yarn with room-temperature water until the water runs clear.
It is totally normal for the rinse water to have some color at first.

Wring the yarn GENTLY until it is not dripping wet.

Hang yarn somewhere where it can dry for about 24 hours.
A shower curtain rod works well for this.

ENJOY!