Mixed Up Monday: Periwinkle

The color periwinkle gets its name from the color of blossoms produced by the plant called Periwinkle, or myrtle, Vinca minor.  It is a mix of lavender and pale blue.

What you'll need:

gloves

wool: fiber or yarn

acid: citric or vinegar

acid dyes: turquoise and magenta.  Brown, black, and yellow are optional.  (link for mixing dye                            stocks can be found here)

dye pot: stainless steel or crock pot

measuring spoons

I'll be using 1 oz bundles of mixed breed wool combed top for each dye pot.  

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

Add 1/2 tsp citric acid, or 2 tsp vinegar, to a dye pot filled with a few inches of water.  

Add 1 tsp, 5 ml, of Turquoise dye stock to the pot.

Next, add 1/2 tsp of Magenta dye stock.  Give it a stir.

Add the damp wool making sure it is completely submerged.

Cover and turn heat to low.

Simmer for 20 minutes.  Water should be clear when done.

Let cool.

Prepare water baths, one with a couple drops of textile detergent or Blue Dawn, and one bath of plain tap water.  Soak wool in each one for a few minutes. 

Hang dry.

A pretty shade of periwinkle. :)

1 tsp Turquoise dye stock

1/2 tsp Magenta dye stock

Variations:

Adding 1/4 tsp of Yellow dye stock will tone it down while keeping a pastel shade.

Here I added 1/4 tsp of Brown dye stock to darken and warm it up a bit.

Adding 1/4 tsp of Black dye stock will darken and bring out more cool undertones.

Have fun and keep on dyeing!

xo

Mixed Up Mondays will be back soon!  

Mixed-Up Monday: Khaki

Khaki.  Is it a style of clothing or a color?  It's both! It has been used as a color name since 1848 when it was first introduced as a military uniform, and was called both drab and khaki.  A khaki uniform is often referred to as "khakis".

What you'll need:

gloves

wool: fiber or yarn

acid: citric or vinegar

acid dyes: yellow, brown, black  (optional: magenta and turquoise).  Dye stock mixing tutorial here.

dye pot: stainless steel or crockpot

measuring spoons

I'm using 1 oz bundles of mixed breed wool combed top for each color.

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

Add a few inches of water to the dye pot along with 1/2 tsp citric acid (or 2 tsp of vinegar) for 1 oz of fiber.

Measure 1/2 tsp of Yellow dye stock  and add to pot.

Next, add 1/4 tsp of Brown dye stock.

Then add 1/8 tsp of Black dye stock, it's just about 10 drops.

Add the damp wool making sure it is fully submerged.  Cover pot and turn heat to low.

Simmer for about 20 minutes or until dye has exhausted.  Water will be clear.

Let cool.   

For rinsing, I like to prepare 2 baths.  One with a few drop of textile detergent (or Blue Dawn), the other just plain tap water.  Let wool soak in each one for a few minutes.  Hang dry or flat.

You've got khaki!  Give yourself a salute. :)

Variations:

Add 1/8 tsp of Magenta to main recipe to warm it up.

Here I added an extra 1/8 tsp of black to make it lean toward green.

Adding 1/8 tsp of turquoise dye stock to the main recipe makes it more of an army green.

HOOAH!

xo

Next on Mixed-Up Monday, 8/17: Periwinkle

Vacation Time

Hi gang!
  Things will be pretty quiet for the month of July.  The etsy shop is still open but I'll only be in the studio a couple days per week.  I'm going to be spending lots of time outside and with family from out of state.  Lots of local day trips and just hanging out. :D

Mixed-Up Monday will be back every other week starting in August.

New items will be added to etsy shop every so often but not on a scheduled day.  I'll announce any new items on Instagram and Facebook.  Be sure to follow me!

 The scheduled Fiber Friday Updates on etsy will be back in August.   I still have in-stock fibers in the shop and those will ship out on Mondays and Tuesdays.  Dyed-to-order fibers ordered in July will take about 2 weeks.

I hope you're all enjoying summer!

Mixed-Up Monday: terra-cotta

Terra-cotta means "baked-earth" and is a type of earthenware.  It also refers to a brownish orange color.  The color is warm and natural and especially lovely paired with vibrant blues and turquoise.

What you'll need:

gloves

wool: fiber or yarn

acid: citric or vinegar

acid dyes: yellow, red, brown for basic recipe.  Magenta, blue, black for variations.  (mixing dye stock tutorial here)

dye pot: stainless steel or crock pot

measuring spoons

I'll be working with a 1 oz bundle of mixed breed wool combed top for each dyepot.

Gather your wool and soak in some plain tap water until saturated.

Add a few inches of water to the dye pot (enough to cover the amount of fiber you're using).  

Add acid. I'm adding 1/2 tsp citric (or 2 tsp vinegar) for 1 oz of fiber.

Add 2 tsp (10 ml) of Yellow dye stock.

Then add 1 tsp Red dye stock (5 ml).

The final color is 1 tsp (5 ml) of Brown dye stock.  Stir it all up!

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

Turn heat to low, cover.

Simmer for about 20 minutes.  Water will be clear when done.

Let cool.  

Prepare 2 rinse baths, one with a few drops of textile detergent or Blue Dawn,  the other with plain water.  Soak in each one for a few minutes.

Dry flat or hang dry.

The result is an earthy warm terra-cotta.  :)

Variations:

Adding 1/4 tsp Magenta for a more vibrant color and a bit more orange.  (You could also achieve this by adding more red.)

Here I added 1/2 tsp of Blue dye sock to get a richer and warmer color.

Adding 1/2 tsp of Black dye stock will darken it toward brown.

You can also play around with depth of shade and add less dye.  Not show here, but just a 1/4 of the recipe would yield a beautiful soft apricot color.  If you try it, let me know how it turns out!

Have fun and keep on dyeing!

xo

Mixed-Up Monday will be back in August.  :D

Mixed-Up Monday: Taupe

  Taupe is a fun neutral to work with because it has so many variations.   I sometimes like to add it to bright variegated colorways (like the current club color, Seed Pods)  just to tone down and give more depth and contrast to vibrant colors.

Seed Pods

What you'll need:

gloves

wool: fiber or yarn

acid: citric or vinegar

acid dyes: brown, black, yellow, magenta, turquoise, blue (dye stock tutorial here)

dye pot: stainless steel or crock pot

measuring spoons

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

Gather wool and soak in room temp tap water until fully saturated.  I always keep mine wrapped in nylon net while rinsing and soaking. 

Add a few inches of water (enough that it will cover the amount of wool you're using) to a dye pot.

Add 1/2 tsp of citric acid or 2 tsp vinegar to the water.

First, add 1 tsp (5 ml) of brown dye stock to the pot.

Then add 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) Black dye stock.

I'm now adding 1 oz of damp wool to the pot.  

Turn heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes.  The water will be clear when done.

Let cool.

Prepare some rinse baths ( one with a few drops of textile detergent or Blue Dawn, the other just plain tap water).  

Hang or dry flat.

A nice basic taupe color to work with. :)

Variations:

I added 1/4 tsp of Yellow dye stock to this pot to get a warmer taupe.

Here I added 1/2 tsp Blue dye to warm it up toward brown.

Add just 1/8 tsp of Magenta for a softer feminine taupe color.

Adding 1/8 tsp of Turquoise dye stock will cool it down toward gray.

I can't pick a favorite.  I love them all!

xo

Next on Mixed Up Monday (6/15): apricot   terra-cotta