AmeriColor - Bold and Squeezable

Folks suggested an AmeriColor page.

Frosting crafters love it.

But it was terra incognita (the great unknown territory) in the world of yarn dyeing.

Our box of Americolor hadn't even bounced the second time on the front step, and the yarn was soaking, the jars were brought up from storage and the microwave was humming!

The sample to the right of the black is a pastel gray version of the black.

The hanks are a single drop of gel paste to 36 inches of Lion brand Fishermen's wool. The color is as dark as it will go on an off-white base yarn.

Americolor comes in single bottles and sets.

The colors are quite bold without being too childish.

Bakers have commented that this brand won't break down when cooked. I hadn't noticed this side-effect when dyeing food color of any brand. Possibly because we are only heating to 180 F and the bakers are making macaroons.

Americolor is a soft gel paste, a bit stiffer in consistency than squeeze bottles of acrylic paint. In most cases, it was easy to get a drop at a time.

However, some bottles required more force and I ended up splurping two drops.

Shaking the bottle upside down helps.

Colors with red3

Colors without red3

Notes and Hints

Super Black - a nice balanced black. Not too red, not too green. Easier to bond as a solid color than Wilton.

Chocolate - slight red cast.

Burgundy - too much acid, and you'll end up with a hard lump of dye. Add a bit of vinegar and let it rest for a few hours. Repeat the cycle using as little vinegar as possible.

Red Red - bonded just fine. This red may have a large amount of red40.

Violet - allow your yarn to soak in the dyebath without adding acid or you will lose most of the red and end up with purple.

Regal Purple - nice dark purple, equally red and blue. A color not currently available in other companies' product lines.

Electric Pink - when the vinegar was added, the pink formed tiny balls.
The dyebath was still usable and the pink bonded fine.

Forest Green - nice pine without being too red.

Would you like to see more brands of food color?

Kool-Aid, everything you need to dye is in the packet (other than the water, pan and yarn).

Wilton icing gel - comes in jars of many colors.

Squeezable bottles with liquid food color, check out McCormick.

How to choose a yarn to dye, with photos of examples.

Go From AmeriColor to Dye Your Yarn home page.