The dyeing and drying happened yesterday. I started with Rit powder dye, one scarlet and one wine together. The reason for this (vs Koolaid) was that the woman in the store where I bought it recommended Rit for darker richer color and saturation and Koolaid for a watered down heathered effect.
The color of the Rit dyebath was exactly what I wanted but I ended up with a watered down maroon/pink/wine colored skein. NOT what I wanted. So after some urgent googling about dyes, which in retrospect I should have done before starting the whole process, and reading up on Koolaid dyes and checking out pictures of actual results, I rushed out to get Tropical Punch and Black Cherry Koolaid. And I re-dyed the damp pale wine/ dark dull pink colored skein with 2 packets of Tropical Punch and one of Orange (forget the exact name) to get this.....
The pictures show more orange-ish red/brick but really it looked like the dark red that I wanted when it was wet and I had read that it dries out lighter so I was prepared for that. It did dry out to a bright rich red. But I want it a tad bit darker - so today I put the skein in the Black Cherry Koolaid and see what I get. I know the theory behind it, but the process is so much fun - almost like magic....
Stay tuned for final results on this experiment....
This is really interesting. What fiber content did you start out with? Have you ever used natural herb and earth pigment dyes? I am eager to hear how you make out with this...
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