Hanks of Klass with Hints

Next time you are at the store, check the Mexican food section.

Klass is made with food colors (yah, it will dye) and dried fruit juice (smells yummy), and has an authenticity in hues that Kool-Aid can't match.

For a mini-hank of .2 ounces, we used 1 tablespoon of vinegar to a package. The vinegar is needed to bond the food dye to the wool yarn.

We sampled Sandia, Jamaica, Mango, Naranja and Tamarindo.

Below is a photo of Klass on the upper row and Kool-Aid on the bottom row so you can compare colors.

Top row from left: Mango, Naranja, Sandia, Jamaica Klass
Bottom row from left: Orange, Soaring Strawberry, Black Cherry, Tropical Punch Kool-Aid

Mango and Naranja are the color of fresh squeezed orange juice (both are almost the same color).

Sandia is a less cotton candy version of Soaring Strawberry Kool-Aid.

Jamaica is slightly darker and richer than Black Cherry Kool-Aid.

And Tamarindo is exactly the color of a Fortune Cookie (need to knit a Fortune Cookie, anyone?)

My favorite color isn't orange but the Mango and Naranja are very attractive. Unlike Kool-Aid orange, which almost screams "I am orange Kool-Aid" on any wool yarn, Mango is a mysterious shade.

Jamaica is a good (but slightly more expensive) substitute for Black Cherry. Either would be useful to tone or dull other colors used in small amounts.

Four points:

1. Rinse, reeeeeeeallly well. (a bunch, an oooddle, an extra biggie amount). Dehydrated fruit dried on your yarn is tacky (as in slightly sticky) and crunchy. Rinse the yarn extra well.


2. Klass contains Red40. No worries about Red3.
   
   Watermelon - red40, blue1, dried watermelon juice
   
   Jamaica - red40, blue1, dried hibiscus
   
   Mango - yellow5, yellow5lake, yellow6, yellow6lake, dried mango pulp
   
   Naranja - yellow5, yellow5lake, yellow6, yellow6lake, dried orange juice
   
   Tamarindo - yellow5, red40


3. Some flavors will cloud the dye bath. This will not effect bonding or the yarn. White murkiness can also happen with Kool-Aid Lemon-Aid and some of the blue flavors.


4. Klass can get moldy, if you store it too long. My jar of Tamarindo dye stock was lost under the sink for a few weeks and grew a colony.

So use it up.

The powder will dissolve in cold or warm water, and your dyestock will act just like any other food dye.

Just remember, that you will need to add vinegar to make the dye bond to the wool.

How to choose a base yarn.

When do you need vinegar?

Watch our lovely videos.

Go from Klass to Dye Your Yarn Home Page.