Cochineal Extract Natural Plant Dye for Yarn Protein Cellulose Fiber Dyes Earth Friendly Wool Silk Mordant Red Pink

from $19.99
Priced and sold by 1oz or 2 oz.

This is a fine powdered extract from Cochineal bugs. They are a very strong, natural source of red and pink dye. Cochineal can be dyed on wool without using a mordant, and instead putting a tannin source and a bit of acid in the in the pot as you dye the fibers. A mordant is needed to dye cellulose fibers with cochineal.

Cochineal extract is nice for dyeing a true scarlet red naturally. It is a very potent dye source, and the 2 deeper yarns pictured were dyed with a lot of extract added to the pot, and tin and cream of tartar added later to try to bring the color back to more of a bright red, than deep fuschia. The lighter skein pictured were dyed with the tin and cream tartar added right away to the water, and the pre-mordanted skein was then added, so that the tin and cream of tartar would affect the color on the yarn right away. I used alum pre-mordanted and dried superwash Merino yarns for the skeins in the picture. I really like that cochineal can be dyed without alum, as stated above though.

Cochineal is very pH sensitive. The presence of acid will shift the color towards red, while an alkaline will move the color toward purple.

A true scarlet can be achieved by using tin as a pre-mordant or by adding a small amount of tin (3%) and cream of tartar (6%) to the dye bath.

The color can be shifted toward purple with ammnia or soda ash as a post-dye alkaline pH adjuster, but a more stable purple color results from using a very small amount of iron (less than 1%) as a post-dye bath.

I include a sheet of information about how to immersion dye wool with cochineal.


I ship all my products as quickly as possible.
Quantity:
Priced and sold by 1oz or 2 oz.

This is a fine powdered extract from Cochineal bugs. They are a very strong, natural source of red and pink dye. Cochineal can be dyed on wool without using a mordant, and instead putting a tannin source and a bit of acid in the in the pot as you dye the fibers. A mordant is needed to dye cellulose fibers with cochineal.

Cochineal extract is nice for dyeing a true scarlet red naturally. It is a very potent dye source, and the 2 deeper yarns pictured were dyed with a lot of extract added to the pot, and tin and cream of tartar added later to try to bring the color back to more of a bright red, than deep fuschia. The lighter skein pictured were dyed with the tin and cream tartar added right away to the water, and the pre-mordanted skein was then added, so that the tin and cream of tartar would affect the color on the yarn right away. I used alum pre-mordanted and dried superwash Merino yarns for the skeins in the picture. I really like that cochineal can be dyed without alum, as stated above though.

Cochineal is very pH sensitive. The presence of acid will shift the color towards red, while an alkaline will move the color toward purple.

A true scarlet can be achieved by using tin as a pre-mordant or by adding a small amount of tin (3%) and cream of tartar (6%) to the dye bath.

The color can be shifted toward purple with ammnia or soda ash as a post-dye alkaline pH adjuster, but a more stable purple color results from using a very small amount of iron (less than 1%) as a post-dye bath.

I include a sheet of information about how to immersion dye wool with cochineal.


I ship all my products as quickly as possible.