Dyeing Pale Neutrals: Inital Notes

My computer is still at the computer hospital. I therefore cannot access my weaving software. So, except for some vague in-my-head thinking, I cannot really do any work towards getting the threading design worked out for the crackle jacket. Until I do that, I cannot wind the warp. So I am stuck.

Yes, I have the acrylic afghan sampling yet to finish. But it seems there will be only 3 more samples. So, even though I have to retye the treadles for them, this is not very much to do. Of course there will be removing the samples, cleaning up the loom, washing, ironing, pulling together the notes. Time enough for that.

So, I am stuck. But I am not stuck. Writing about the book I bought on color got me going. I took a look at the book I bought. I put markers in the pages that I liked. Then I got out my silk dye samples and my color wheels, and began working out possibilities. I dismissed the book I had purchased. Was buying it a thus a waste of money? No, it got me thinking and moving. And I will turn to it another time.

I came up with a color scheme I like. It is based on yellow-green, orange and red-violet, with blue as the spark. I think that’s a pretty good color scheme. The tough part is going to be the neutralizing and the paling of those colors. Well, maybe not so tough. I know how to do it. I think the tough part is going to be the decision making after I have done the sampling.

Here are my initial plans:

BASIC COLOR SCHEME:
Yellow-Green, Orange, and Red-Violet with Blue as the “spark.”

FORMULAS FOR THE BASIC COLORS
YG = 95% SAB Sun Yellow + 5% SAB Royal Blue
O = 40% SAB Sun Yellow + 42% SAB Mustard Yellow + 13 % WF Acid Magenta
RV = 52% SAB Violet + 14% SAB Scarlet + 34% WF Acid Magenta
B = 80% SAB Royal Blue + 20% SAB Sun Yellow

FORMULAS FOR TWO MORE NECESSARY MIXING COLORS (Green and Violet)
G = 70% SAB Sun Yellow + 30% SAB Turquoise
V = 95% SAB Violet + 5% SAB Scarlet

MIX THE FOLLOWING AT VARYING DEPTH-OF-SHADES TO OBTAIN NEUTRALS
YG + RV
YG + V
B + O
RV + G

Now I need to decide on formulas for the depth of shades I will be experimenting with. Or, it other words, I will need to figure out how much dye I will use to achieve various degrees of paleness. This I will express in percentages, just as I expressed the color formulas above in terms of percentages.

Once I have done this, I will start working with actual figures. First, though, I will get back to the sampling that is on the loom.

Perhaps, however, my computer will be ready today? Then I can return to the cotton crackle jacket. But these dyeing notes will be carefully filed away so that I can pick up on them when I am ready. I will probably be ready when I actually start weaving on the crackle jacket.