Mixed-Up Monday: Gray

I love gray.  Gray can be warm or cool,  from the palest silver to dark charcoal.   Today we're just playing with a mid-tone gray but you can experiment with the depth of shade and get lots of beautiful results.  

On a side note:  Gray vs. Grey.   "Gray" is the American spelling of the color while "grey" is the British spelling.   Various attempts have been made in the past to establish different colors for gray and grey.  Grey can mean a more delicate or lighter color than gray.   Others have gone further by defining gray as having a warmer undertone than grey.  

What you'll need:

Gloves

Wool: fiber or yarn

Acid:  citric or vinegar

Dye Solutions: black, brown, yellow, magenta, turquoise, and blue

Dye pot: stainless steel or crockpot

I'm using 1 oz bundles of mixed breed wool combed top here.

Soak the wool in some room temp tap water.

Fill the dye pot with a few inches of water.   Add in 1/2 tsp of citric acid or 2 tsp of vinegar.

Add 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) of black dye stock solution.

Gently squeeze out excess water from soaked wool and then add to the pot.

Turn heat to low and put on lid.  

Let this heat for about 20 minutes and then check to see if all the dye has exhausted.  

I use a white spoon to check if the water is clear.  Looking good!

Let this cool completely.  

Prepare your water baths, one with a few drops of textile detergent (or Blue Dawn), and another bath with just plain water.  

Drop you freshly dyed wool in first bath for a few minutes, then end with the final plain bath.

Squeeze out excess water and hang dry.

A pretty and neutral gray. :)

Variations:

Add 1/4 tsp of turquoise to cool it down with a teal undertone.

Add 1/4 tsp of blue dye stock to bring it closer to slate gray.

Add 1/4 tsp yellow and it turns to mossy green.

Adding 1/4 tsp magenta dye stock will turn it to oyster gray.

Add 1/4 tsp brown dye to get taupe.

Which one is your favorite?

Have fun and keep on dyeing!

XO

Next on Mixed-Up Monday (2/2): Cobalt Blue