Mixed-Up Monday: Red

This time of year always has me thinking about the color red.   It's everywhere!  There are so many shades of red so it's hard to pick a favorite.  Today I'll be sharing how to create a saturated berry red with a few variations.

Now, you can go ahead and create a nice basic red with just red dye powder but I find that using the CMY primaries gives red more depth and interest.

What you'll need:

Gloves

Wool: fiber or yarn (animal fibers)

Acid Dye Solutions:  magenta, yellow, turquoise, brown, black

Acid: citric or vinegar

Dyepot: stainless steel or crockpot

I'm using 1 oz bundles of mixed combed top for this recipe.

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

Add a few inches of water to the pot and add 1/2 tsp citric acid or 2 tsp vinegar.

Add 3 TB (45 ml) Magenta dye solution. 

Next, add 1 TB (15 ml) yellow dye stock.

Add wool to the pot making sure it is completely submerged.  

Put the lid on your pot and turn heat to low.  Let this simmer for about 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, check to see if dye has exhausted (water is clear).  If not, you can let it heat longer and then checking every 10 minutes or so.  

You may also want to add more acid if there is a lot of dye still in the water.  

Let cool completely.

Prepare the  water baths, first one with a few drops of textile detergent, and next one with water only.  Both should be room temperature.  Gently gather your wool and submerge in first bath for a few minutes, and then in 2nd bath for a few.

Hang dry.

Now you've got a pretty berry red to play with!  

Variations:

Add 1 extra TB of yellow dye stock to get vermilion.

Add 1/2 tsp turquoise dye stock and get a shade of red with cool undertones.

If you add 2 tsp of brown dye stock the red darkens and warms up.

Adding 1 tsp black dye stock will darken to a gorgeous maroon color.

A pretty gradient of red to admire.   Perfect for all those holiday crafts you're creating!  

XO

Next on Mixed-Up Monday: Emerald Green