dyed in the wool

Who knew there was so much fun to be had with some tufts of wool and a few packets of Kool-Aid?! I had my first try at dyeing wool roving and making felted beads yesterday and I'm "dyeing" to do it again (har har!). The process is pretty simple, just mix a packet of Kool-Aid with some water, add the wool, zap it in the microwave, and voila!-- technicolored wool. I got my instructions here.

Here's my Kool-Aid/Wool before microwaving.

(Flavors, l to r: lemon lime, watermelon strawberry, mango, lemonade, black cherry)

And here's my Kool-Aid/Wool after microwaving.

The dyed wool. I thought at first that the colors were too saturated, but I decided I like them. Next time I think I want to try mixing flavors and going for some lighter colors.

The felted beads (instructions here) had a bit of a learning curve, but they're really fun to make. These are the ones I made after I got the hang of it. Wouldn't they make a fun bracelet?

These sorry little beads were my first try.

(and yes, that's Lincoln's charming smile in the background)