Mixed Up Monday: Olive

Olive is a muddy green color.  The most common place to find the color olive is on an olive!  It was the color of kitchen appliances and crushed velvet in the 70's.  You can still spot the color olive in today's fashion and accessories.

What you'll need:

gloves

wool: fiber or yarn

acid dye stocks: yellow, turquoise, black.  Magenta and brown are optional.  (how to mix dye stock)

acid: citric or vinegar

dye pot: stainless steel or crock pot

measuring spoons

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

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

Add the acid to a dye pot filled with a few inches of tap water.  I'm using 1/2 tsp of citric acid (or 1 TB vinegar) for 1 oz of fiber.

Add 2 TB Yellow dye stock to the pot.

Next, add 1/2 tsp Turquoise dye stock.

Then add 1 tsp Black dye stock.  Stir it up!

Add the wool making sure it is completely submerged.  

Cover and heat on low for about 20 minutes.  Water will be clear when done.

Let cool.

Prepare rinse baths:  one with a few drop of textile detergent or Blue Dawn, one with plain water. Let the dyed fiber soak a few minutes in each one.

Hang dry.

A succulent shade of olive green.  :)

Variations:

Adding 1/2 tsp of Magenta dye will tone it down but allows it to remain the same value/ brightness.

Here I added 1 tsp of Brown dye.  It's now a warmer and darker shade of olive.

In this dye pot I added and additional 1 tsp of Black.  

Have fun and keep on dyeing!

xo

Next on Mixed Up Monday, 2/8/16 : Puce

Mixed-Up Monday: Grass Green

Spring is here and we're going to be seeing lots of grassy greens now.  New greens are popping up on once bare branches and in garden beds.  It's always a welcome sight!

What you'll need:

gloves

wool: fiber or yarn

acid: citric or vinegar

acid dyes: yellow, turquoise, magenta, brown, black (post on mixing solutions)

dye pot: stainless steel or crock pot

measuring spoons

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

Gather up your fiber and soak in some room temp tap water until saturated.  I like to keep mine in some nylon netting for all the soaking and rinsing.

Add a few inches of water to the dye pot, enough to completely cover the fiber.  

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

Add 1 TB (15 ml) of Yellow dye stock.

Next, add 1 tsp (5 ml) Turquoise dye stock

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

Cover pot and turn to low heat.

Simmer for about 20 minutes.

Water should be almost clear.  If not, you can simmer longer checking every 10 minutes.  Or you can add a bit more acid if the dye is being stubborn.  My dye water had just a hint of turquoise when done.

Let cool.

Prepare rinse baths.  One with a few drops of textile detergent, and one with plain water.  Soak fiber for a few minutes in each one.  

Hang dry (or flat)

You've got grassy green fiber!

Variations:

Add 1/4 tsp of Magenta dye stock to tone it down a bit.

Adding 1/2 tsp Brown dye stock will warm it up and darken it.

If you add 1/2 tsp of Black, you'll get a darker and cooler shade of green.

Play around with the basic recipe to get different depths of color. 

Here I only used 1 tsp yellow, and 1/3 tsp turquoise.

The grass is always greener here.  Have fun!

xo

Next on Mixed-Up Monday (4/13): Mauve

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