Madder and madder

Well I didn't get angry at all... just a little madder :)

Again, like the Indigo session, I took the easy option and used pre-prepared and ground bought madder roots.  I wouldn't get the ground up version again as it's virtually impossible to remove from the fleece afterwards and they were such fine particles.  Another time I'd go for the whole roots.  The temperature with this again is important.  Indigo had to be kept around 50 degrees celsius and the madder under 60 degrees to yield brighter reds... above that and you get more browns I'm told :D

These are the various wools I tested, all together, in the same madder dye bath.

1. Alum mordanted raw fleece (white)
2. Cochineal on Iron - washed with no extra mordant (grey)
3. Indigo - washed with no extra mordant (royal blue)
4. Shallots - washed with no extra mordant (bright golden yellow)
5. Cochineal on Iron - Alum mordanted (pale pink)
6. Brazilwood - washed with no extra mordant (coral)

And the results...

I love the depth of colour but realise it doesn't over dye some colours as I'd hoped.  The experiments have been fabulous and engrossing but I know that I'm ever practical and some of these are just not my colours to wear... I have to do something with them after all as I can't just have a house increasingly filled with coloured fluff!

I took a selection of the dyed stuff and over dyed it again with a new cochineal dye bath... 

Pretty pleased and even more so as it's spinning up lovely... here's the first skein.

Now I need to spin another 13 hanks :D  see you in a while!