DIY - Tie Dye Infinity Scarf

I've experimented a lot with tie-dye and dyeing clothes in general. Tie-dye generally works very well - it is really satisfying unravelling your work and seeing which patterns you've created.
Sometimes it hasn't always gone to plan - I once dyed my jeans black (they'd turned grey after being washed thousands of times) and I kept finding black dye in the washing machine for weeks afterwards.

This sounds like another one of my silly tips but it is so important to follow the instructions on the packet of dye. Other than that, go wild.

Another tip is do the dyeing either outside or in the garage - basically anywhere you don't mind the odd drip of dye going. An old bit of carpet or an old rug is ideal.


Tie-dye Infinity Scarf

You will need...

• A packet of dye - I used Dylon's intense violet
• An infinity scarf - mine is a white jersey scarf from eBay and was about £5
• Disposable gloves or marigolds
• Measuring jug
• Plenty of washing up bowls/plastic boxes
• Salt 

The dye and scarf....and a sheep (optional)

Firstly I washed my scarf as per the Dylon instructions - I popped it into the washing machine but I'm sure you could hand wash it.

Meanwhile, I stirred the dye with some warm water - the photo below shows me using a saucepan - I didn't actually heat it on the hob, the saucepan was just useful to pour the mix into the water later.

Swirly dye

I then poured warm water into a plastic tub and added the salt (from memory, it was about 6litres of water and 5tbsp of salt)

Salt bath

The dye/water mix is added to the salt/water mix and you are almost ready.

This is the fun bit - add elastic bands, wrap marbles, whatever you want to create your tie-dye pattern. Initially I wrapped the scarf around a piece of wood as I wanted to create a grid pattern - however once wrapped around the wood, it was too big to dip into the plastic tub that contained the dye. 

Nice pattern, shame it won't fit, duh

I decided to tie the scarf randomly with elastic bands instead. Into the dye it goes for approximately an hour.

The scarf submurged in the dye 

According to the instructions, you then need to rinse in cold water and then in warm water. Again, if you want to be on the safe side, fill up another washing bowl/tub with clean water to do the rinsing. I then hung the scarf on the washing line to dry. 

The results are interesting - you never know what it's going to look like. 

Different sides of the scarf

Happy experimenting! X