Mixed-Up Monday: Purple

I'm a purple person.  I love every shade of purple, from violet to plum.  Many of the colorways I've created have some sort of purple in it...I have to force myself not to use it in everything.  It's so versatile!

What you'll need:

gloves

wool: fiber or yarn

acid: citric or vinegar

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

dye pot: stainless steel or crockpot

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

Gather up your fiber and soak in some room temperature tap water.

Fill the dye pot with a few inches of water, enough to fully submerge the amount of fiber you'll be adding in.

Add 1/2 tsp of citric acid (for 1 oz) or 2 tsp of vinegar.

Add 3 TB (45 ml) of magenta dye stock.

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

Add the damp wool making sure it is completely covered with dye.  

Put on the lid and set heat to low.

Simmer for about 30 minutes.  Dye water should be almost clear when done.   If there is still a lot of dye floating around you can simmer for a bit longer checking every 5 minutes.

Let cool completely.  Prepare you rinse baths.  I use one with a few drop of textile detergent or Blue Dawn, then finish it off with a plain water bath.  Hang or dry flat.

Pretty purple wool!

You can adjust the ratio of magenta to turquoise to get different shades.  (3 magenta to 1 turquoise is used here).  Add more turquoise for violet, or add more magenta for plum.

Variations:

Add 1 tsp (5 ml) of yellow dye stock to tone it down.

Adding 1 tsp (5 ml) of black dye stock will darken and cool it down.

Add 1 TB of brown dye stock to darken and warm it up to a deep plum.

Also experiment with the amount of dye added.  Here I only used 1/3 of the main recipe.  (1 tsp magenta, 1/4 tsp turquoise)

Have fun finding your perfect purple!

xo

Next on Mixed-Up Monday, 3/2:  Yellows