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!

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

Mixed-Up Monday: Emerald

  The color of the day is emerald.  Emerald is a vibrant green with a slight blue cast.  It is most often associated with its gemstone, of course.  When I think of the color emerald, I think Christmas decorations....and the Wizard of Oz.

What you'll need:

Gloves
Wool: yarn or fiber, animal based
Acid: citric or vinegar
Dye solutions: turquoise, yellow, magenta, brown, black
Dyepot: stainless steel or crockpot

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

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

Add a few inches of water to the pot, enough to cover the wool or yarn you'll be using.

Add 1/2 tsp citric acid or 3 tsp vinegar.  I'm using more acid than I normally do since I'll be working with turquoise dye which is really stubborn.   I'll be showing it who's boss!

Add 2 TB (30 ml) turquoise dye stock to the pot.

Then add 1 TB yellow dye stock.  (15 ml)

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

Cover and heat on low for 30 minutes.  Dye water should be almost clear when done. 

If there is still lot of dye in the water you can heat for a bit longer.  Check every 10 minutes.  

You can also add more acid (up to 1/2 tsp citric) if your turquoise is being extra stubborn.  

Let this cool and then prepare your soak baths.  One with room temp water and a few drops of textile detergent or Blue Dawn.   The last bath should be just plain water.  

Let dry and then bundle it up!

This had to be one of the most difficult colors to photograph.  The photo is close but still not an exact match.   Every photo had a weird halo or was too washed out.   It is a really bright saturated green in real life.  You'll just have to test out the recipe to see the true color!  :)

Variations:

Add 1 tsp of magenta dye stock to tone it down.

Add 1 TB brown dye stock to warm it up to forest green.

Adding 1 tsp of black will darken it and cool the color just a little.

You can also play around with the amount of dye you use.  Here I used the same ratio of 2 to1 but only added 1 tsp turq and 1/2 tsp of yellow to get a mint color.

Have fun stirring up colors!

XO

Next on Mixed-Up Monday:  Gray

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