Mixed-Up Monday: Puce

Puce is a brownish purple color which gained popularity in 18th century France.  It was said to be the favorite color of Marie Antoinette.  Puce is the french word for "flea" and the name "puce" may refer to the color that was left on linens after a flea was smashed, according to Wikipedia.  :)

What you'll need:

gloves

wool: fiber or yarn

acid dye stocks: brown, magenta, black  (how to mix dye stock)

acid: citric or vinegar

dye pot: stainless steel or crock pot

measuring spoons

I'll be using 1 oz bundles of mixed breed wool combed top for each dye pot.

Gather the wool and soak in some room temp tap water until saturated.

Fill the dye pot up with a few inches of water and add 1/2 tsp of citric acid or 1 TB vinegar.

Add 1 TB brown dye stock.

Next, add 1/2 tsp of Magenta dye stock.

Add the damp wool to the pot making sure it is fully submerged.

Cover pot and turn heat to low.  Simmer for about 20 minutes.  Water will be clear when done.

Let cool.

Prepare rinse baths and hang dry.

We've got a pretty shade of puce! 

Variations:

I added only 1/2 of the dye recipe here.

This dye pot is the main recipe with 1/4 tsp of Black dye stock added.

Here I added and 1 extra TB of Brown dye stock to the main recipe.

I doubled the recipe in this batch.  

Have fun and keep on dyeing!

xo

Next on Mixed-Up Monday, 2/22:  Camel

Mixed Up Monday: Olive

Olive is a muddy green color.  The most common place to find the color olive is on an olive!  It was the color of kitchen appliances and crushed velvet in the 70's.  You can still spot the color olive in today's fashion and accessories.

What you'll need:

gloves

wool: fiber or yarn

acid dye stocks: yellow, turquoise, black.  Magenta and brown are optional.  (how to mix dye stock)

acid: citric or vinegar

dye pot: stainless steel or crock pot

measuring spoons

I'll be dyeing up 1 oz  bundles of mixed breed wool combed top.

Gather the wool and soak in some room temp tap water until saturated.

Add the acid to a dye pot filled with a few inches of tap water.  I'm using 1/2 tsp of citric acid (or 1 TB vinegar) for 1 oz of fiber.

Add 2 TB Yellow dye stock to the pot.

Next, add 1/2 tsp Turquoise dye stock.

Then add 1 tsp Black dye stock.  Stir it up!

Add the wool making sure it is completely submerged.  

Cover and heat on low for about 20 minutes.  Water will be clear when done.

Let cool.

Prepare rinse baths:  one with a few drop of textile detergent or Blue Dawn, one with plain water. Let the dyed fiber soak a few minutes in each one.

Hang dry.

A succulent shade of olive green.  :)

Variations:

Adding 1/2 tsp of Magenta dye will tone it down but allows it to remain the same value/ brightness.

Here I added 1 tsp of Brown dye.  It's now a warmer and darker shade of olive.

In this dye pot I added and additional 1 tsp of Black.  

Have fun and keep on dyeing!

xo

Next on Mixed Up Monday, 2/8/16 : Puce

Mixed-Up Monday: Fuchsia

Happy New Year gang!   Mixed Up Mondays are back!  We're kicking things off with fuchsia.  Fuchsia is a vivid purplish red color.   It is named after the flower of the fuchsia plant.

What you'll need:

gloves

wool: fiber or yarn

acid: citric or vinegar

acid dyes: magenta and turquoise.  Black, brown, yellow are optional.  (how to mix dye stock)

dye pot: stainless steel or crock pot

measuring spoons

I'll be dyeing 1 oz bundles of mixed breed wool combed top.

Soak the wool in some room temp tap water.

Add 1/2 tsp citric acid (or 1 TB vinegar) to the dye pot.

Next, add 2 TB Magenta dye stock to the pot.

Then add 1 tsp Turquoise dye stock.

I then add 1 oz of damp wool to the pot making sure it is fully submerged.

Cover and heat on low for about 20 minutes.  Water will be clear when done.

Let cool.

Prepare rinse baths, one with a few drops of textile detergent or Blue Dawn, the other with plain tap water.  Soak a few minutes in each bath.

Hang dry.

A pretty shade of fuchsia.  Not too girly, and a little more subtle than a "hot pink".

Variations:

Here, I added 1/2 tsp of yellow dye stock to the main recipe.  It tones the color down to a cranberry shade.

Adding 1 tsp of Brown dye stock will darken it and warm it up a little.

Adding in extra Turquoise, 1 tsp, will deepen the color toward the purple side.

I added 1/2 tsp of Black dye stock to darken it.  The color is more of a plum shade.

Have fun and keep on dyeing!

xo

Next on Mixed-Up Monday, 1/18:  olive green

Mixed Up Monday: CMY

In this post, I'm using a low immersion kettle dye technique to create a variegated colorway.  We'll start very basic with CMY primaries.  :)  

What you'll need:

gloves

wool: fiber or yarn

acid: citric or vinegar

acid dyes: turquoise, magenta, yellow.  (dye stock tutorial here)

dyepot: stainless steel or crockpot  (I'm using this one)

measuring spoons

I'll be working with 8 oz of polwarth wool combed top.

Add a few inches of water to the dye pot.  I'm adding about 1 TB of citric acid to dye 8 oz of wool.

Add the wool making sure it is full saturated and immersed in the water.

Next, I got 3 cups of plain water, about 12 oz each.  

I added 2 TB of stock solution to each cup.  

Yellow is poured carefully over the top area of the pot.  No poking or stirring the fiber. :)

Next, Magenta is poured over the middle area.  I want the colors to blend where they meet for some interesting color play.

The final color added is Turquoise.  That gets poured around the bottom area.  You can see some of the yellow has made its way down there.  Resist the urge to poke around the fiber.  Let the colors go where they want!

Ready for some heat!  I put the (covered) pan on the stovetop on the lowest heat setting.  Let it simmer for about 45 minutes.  Water will be clear when done.

Let cool.

Prepare your rinse baths, one with a few drops of textile detergent or Blue Dawn, the other with just plain water.  Gently lift the fiber out of the dye pan and into each bath for a few minutes.

Hang dry.

The result!  

Kettle dyeing is my favorite way to dye.  You can create a colorway with a lot of unexpected color mixing and many depths of shade.  Have fun!!

xo

Mixed Up Monday will be back in 2016!