Are dye and food coloring the same?
Food coloring is one special type of dye. Although there are thousands of different dyes in the world, only a handful of dyes have been certified as safe for human consumption. No other dye may legally be used as food coloring. Food colorings belong to the class of dye known as acid dyes. Acid dyes can be used to dye animal fibers, such as wool, cashmere, and silk, plus, oddly, the synthetic fiber nylon. They cannot be used to dye cotton or linen, nor any synthetic fiber besides nylon, because they will just wash out of them. To dye wool yarn with food coloring, first soak the wool for half an hour in water mixed with vinegar (1/4 cup per quart of water), plus a drop of dishwashing detergent. Then sprinkle on your choice of food coloring—Kool-aid drink mix, Easter egg dye, or the food coloring that comes in little bottles in the grocery store. You can sprinkle it on to the wool directly, or mix it with water and then pour it on. Heat the wool in the dye water in a cooking pot until it
