How do you mix a combination of acid and kool-aid?

Acid dyes however are a lot friendlier, both to you and the environment.

They are, of course, toxic in a long-term carcinogenic kind of way; you

don't want to ingest them. But their bad effects are mostly due to inhaling

them in powder form, just like Kool-Aid. If you mix standard solutions in

water with reasonable precautions (outside, out of the wind, with gloves and

mask on on) you're pretty safe from then on. The solution can keep for weeks or months in the fridge, so you can make enough of it in calm, safe

conditions. Then all you need is to wear rubber gloves, and to use separate

containers for your dyeing - not your cooking pots. No dye will escape in

the air, even in the steam generated by simmering, and if you wipe spills

promptly, it's easy to prevent newly dried powder from getting airborne in

your kitchen. This is one of the things that makes acid dyes so friendly to

apartment dwellers. All you'll be adding to help the dye set is a bit of

ordinary white vinegar, which can even be neutralized with a pinch of baking

soda before disposal if you're concerned about a septic system. If you get

anywhere near the appropriate dye quantity for your fiber, which is

recommended from an economical point of view anyway, all the dye will

'exhaust' or be bound to the fiber, and you'll only be pouring away

practically clear water. Doesn't all that sound much better?

On another level, while acid dyes seem proportionally a bit more expensive than other types by weight, if you consider that they're extremely effective and don't require any extra chemicals, they're actually one of the cheapest ways to go. Likewise, any equipment you're likely to need is just another set of cooking stuff, best acquired at the local thrift shop. A cheap enameled canning/stew pot (standard 3 US gallons) is about right for a sweater's worth of fiber. You might at most want a vegetable steamer to put in there, some measuring spoons, and I use disposable chopsticks recycled from takeout adventures for stirring. The only place where you might want to invest good money is in your dust mask, and in brand-name plastic: Saran Wrap (original) and Ziploc bags will be easier to manipulate and will not melt in the later stages.