How to tie dye your socks

Posted by SOCKSHOP

Follow our method for a brighter sock drawer…
  

Image c/o Burlington
  
1. Get your socks and supplies
Start with a white pair of socks, a good quality pair will retain the dye better. You’ll need elastic bands, a pair of rubber gloves and of course the dye. If you can find some squeezable bottles, they’ll make the process easier too. Try to find a clear surface to work from with easy access to water and a bowl to save you splashing around the home.

2. Wet and fold your socks
Take your socks and dunk them in cold water before wringing out any excess. Now the tricky part, there are plenty of methods for folding your socks, but the simplest way is to roll a pair together in a cylinder shape or multiple pairs together in a flat disc shape to resemble a pie. Use your elastic bands to hold the shape in place. Arranging the bands to create pie ‘slices’ will help with the dying process later on.

3. Prepare your dyes
You’ll probably need to dilute your dyes before using them. Make sure you follow any instructions about how much water you should use, and you can even add a tablespoon of salt to help drive the dye onto the fabric. A rainbow of colours will give the most striking transformation, but you can always try limiting shades to suit your tastes. Once the solutions are mixed add the liquids to the squeezable bottles ready for dying.
  

  
4. Dye and soak
Let the dying commence! Place your sock pie on a clean surface and squeeze one colour at a time from the bottles on to each ‘slice’. Make sure you use the tip of the bottles to get into any nooks and crannies to avoid white blotches. Now leave the socks to sit in the dye for 12 hours. That should be enough time for the fibres to soak up the new colouring.

5. Wash and dry
Don’t worry, washing your freshly dyed socks won’t mean they lose their colour. Once you’re happy the dye is fully soaked, simply run the socks under a garden hose or throw them in the washing machine to remove any excess dye. A cold rinse cycle should do the trick and make sure you leave out any detergent. Remove the socks and dry them as normal and start enjoying your new creation.