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Writer's pictureEllen Kardell

Sampling Primary Dyes: Tencel and Cotton

Updated: Feb 27, 2023


Dyes react differently on different fibers. It's essential to test them on every yarn that you use.


These are tiny sample skeins of 8/2 unmercerized cotton and 10/2 tencel. Some of these are my "primary" base dyes, some are mixes. The tencel tends to take the dye in a much more saturated way than the cotton. I'll probably expand this to include mercerized cotton and a few new blends including Seacell/cotton and tencel/cotton.


Preparing Test Skeins

When I have free time, I'll sit down for an hour and wind these little skeins. They are all ten yards long. I pre-scour (wash) and dry them, so that they are ready to use when I'm developing new mixes. I add the tags and tie pairs together. These are boil-proof plastic tags.

Time to Dye

When I'm ready to dye, the skeins will be soaked in the soda ash solution for 20 minutes or so, then painted with the primary dye or mixed color. I wrap them up in plastic wrap and let them sit overnight before rinsing.

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