Mixed-Up Monday: Cobalt Blue

  We're seeing the color cobalt here at my house quite often.  I have my favorite cobalt blue glass pieces on display in the widow sill and curio.  I'm also constantly picking up cobalt blue plastic toys thanks to my son's obsession with Sonic the Hedgehog.   He has about every action figure made...and I've probably stepped on every one.  Those spikes can hurt!

What you'll need:

gloves

wool: fiber or yarn

acid: citric or vinegar

dye solutions: blue, turquoise, magenta, yellow, brown, and black

dye pot: stainless steel or crockpot

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

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

Fill the dye pot with a few inches of water (enough to cover your wool/yarn)

Add 1/2 tsp citric acid or 2 tsp vinegar.

Add 1 TB (15 ml) of Turquoise dye solution.

Next, add 2 TB (30 ml) of Blue dye solution.

Then add 1 tsp (5 ml) of Magenta dye solution.

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

Cover and turn heat to low.

Let this simmer for about 30 minutes.  Water will be almost clear when done.

Let cool completely.

Prepare at least 2 water baths.  One with a touch of textile detergent or Blue Dawn.  The other with plain water.  Gently soak dyed wool in baths ending with the plain water.

Hang dry.

A saturated and vibrant cobalt blue!

Variations:

Add some extra Magenta (1 TB) to get a deeper cobalt color.

Adding 1 tsp of Black dye stock darkens the color.

Here I added 1 TB of brown.  It darkens and warms it up.

Adding 1 tsp of Yellow stock will bring it closer to teal.

Have fun with blue!  

My son approves and now cobalt is officially called "Sonic Blue" here. :)

xo

Next on Mixed-Up Monday (2/16):  reader request!