Sappanwood and cochineal comparison
I’ve been trying to get juuust the right pink and I wanted to share some of my results. Skein A is 10% sappanwood (eastern Brazilwood), skein B is 5% sappanwood with 1 tsp of chalk (calcium carbonate) added to the dye bath, and skein C is 5% cochineal. Skeins A and B were dyed with the sawdust in the bath and skein C was dyed with extract I made by boiling lightly crushed cochineal beetles with several changes of water.
All were scoured with orvus paste and mordanted with 12% alum. The base is 50% wool, 25% flax, and 25% mulberry silk.
Skein B is my favorite, I think, but how cool is it that color shift with the calcium? I think modifiers are my favorite part of natural dyeing. I’m planning out some studies of pH shifts, calcium, iron baths, and who knows what else.