Back to Dyed Silk Noils
Silk Noils – Passion
$4.50 – $20.25
100% Cultivated (mulberry/bombyx) silk.
An excellent rich true red.
PRODUCT of INDIA
Related products
Pulled Sari Silk – Passion
100% Silk fibre
An excellent true bright-red that leans just slightly towards scarlet. Fibre staple length is 1 to 1.5 inches.
Use for blending/carding, spinning, felting, paper-making and other crafting projects.
PRODUCT of INDIA
Fine Merino – Soft Fruit
100% fine 19-micron Merino wool. Beautiful and clean combed top.
A rich burgundy-red, brighter and cheerier than Wine Red. Reminds us of crushed blackberries.
PRODUCT of ITALY, from Dyeing House Gallery.
Merino/Silk – Storm
80% Merino wool (22-micron) / 20% Mulberry silk from Ashford of New Zealand.
Combed top/sliver. One of our streakier blends, this features stripes of beet purple-red, rose, charcoeal, black and silvery white.
PRODUCT of NEW ZEALAND
Cochineal, Whole
Whole dried insects.
A scale insect native to Mexico/Central America that feeds exclusively on prickly-pear cactus. Cochineal is a very common source of red food colour with a long historical use. No mordant is required although they will extend the colour range in interesting ways. Use at 3-10% WOF for medium, 10-20% WOF for strong shades. Cochineal is expensive but very generous and can easily give 8 or more successive dips from the same dyebath. Have plenty of fibre ready and waiting!
TO USE: grind finely in a coffee grinder (Cochineal is non-toxic but may stain your next pot of coffee). Soak overnight in cold water with 5% Cream of Tartar to WOF. Simmer 15 minutes, cool and strain -- we find a sieve lined with moist paper towel does the trick. Return to pot, add more water if necessary then enter the fibre and simmer for 35 to 45 minutes.
Light/washfastness: excellent
