Procion Mysteries
So! The vibrating pink silk scarf is off the table loom and I love it… after having overdyed it (scroll down…)
I’m currently playing with some new Procion MX dyes on silk and well, it’s a bit of a love/hate relationship. The results can be a little unexpected and I think it’s because I’m using soda ash as the dye activator. I’ve read that you can also use citric acid to activate the dye (plus heat) and that you are more likely to get a colour that is the same as the dye bath. See here…
Yeah, the colour COMPLETELY changed when I added the soda ash. It was like the blues disappeared entirely and I was left with magenta again. I love it anyway, but I want to try again for a deep, dark violet. With this yarn, I’m hoping to knit the “Silk Camisole” from Last Minute Knitted Gifts.
This result, however, was so very welcome. I overdyed the super pink scarf with 1/2 tsp of Navy Procion MX in order to “sadden” or desaturate the colours a bit. I got a lovely raspberry colour and will absolutely wear this — I love it! Thanks to June who suggested the overdyeing.
One thing that concerns me is using soda ash on silk — it takes away some of the sheen of the silk and makes the texture a little more “cottony” or rough… So the next thing I need to try is using the citric acid instead and adding heat. But the appeal of dyeing with Procion, for me, is that it can be done easily without much equipment — take your dye powder and table salt (although I used Glauber’s Salt) and dissolve it in warmish/cool water (105F); add your wet fibre/yarn/fabric and mix for 30 minutes; add soda ash and mix for 30 minutes; let it sit some more then wring it out and rinse (a million times) until clear. All you need is a dedicated pot. One pot dyeing.
I really love that scarf. Great job!
Wow! I love the new colour! I liked the pink as well but now you see more of the pattern. Very lovely!!!
i don’t know anything about dyeing but i know that that scarf is absolutely gorgeous! wow!
the scarf came out PERFECT!
Your scarf came out nice! Seems like overdyeing works really well for you. It has “perfected” two of your projects and made you like them even more. Well done.
That scarf looks great! I like how light (not heavy) it looks.
Gorgeous scarf. I can’t believe how much the color changed from the dye pot to the finished yarn. But I know you’ll get it figured out, you’re a wiz at this stuff.
oh so lovely, so incredibly gorgeous. you are one talented lady!
I know it wasn’t the color you hoped for but the silk came out beautifully! LOVE the color. And the overdyed scarf is dee-lish.
What I wouldn’t give for a thimbleful of your talent. I knew you were a knitter and a dyer, but weaving too? Wow!
That scarf is divine. I’d pay good money for one like that if I were out window-shopping.
Wonderful scarf - your “learning experience” turned out to be something really beautiful. (And that really is a fantastic colour on you!!)
that scarf looks gorgeous now that you overdyed it! great idea, great result.
I would try it with the citric acid because I think you will be happier with the hand of the silk afterwards. Proteins prefer acids and cellose prefers alkalines (like soda ash)so that’s why your silk lost some of its sheen.
The scarf looks great!
Gorgeous scarf!
I can not believe how beautiful the scarf turned out. I am really glad you decieded to finish it. It really is beautiful
The scarf is gorgeous! And I love the silk too.
I’ve had the best results with heat and vinegar.
What a beautiful color! I liked the pink as well. Nice job. And thank you for the reference list.
I love the pre-ash color, too. Which silk base yarn did you use?
Beautiful last picture. You look so pretty (compliments the wearer and the scarf). I like the paint on the walls, too. It really sets off the pop of color.
This is a beautiful beautiful scarf! man you have talent!
The scarf is gorgeius! It is, by the colours on my screen, a very good colour for you.
The scarf is super! It is, by the colours on my screen, a very good colour for you.
the scarf is just beautiful! thank you for sharing your dyeing experience; looking forward to more weaving, especially when your loom arrives….
gorgeous and amazing as usual.
I haven’t worked with Procion MX and soda ash - I’m stunned by the color transformation after adding the s.a.! I wonder what would happen if you soaked the silk in acid now - do you think it might affect the texture again? (Probably won’t be able to reverse the damage that made it feel “cottony,” though.) The overdye job went so well, too!
Good work on the scarf!
You can use vinegar as the acid for that, too. For using MX dyes on silk, I mean. Back when I was hand-dyeing a lot of quilt fabrics, I bought some white silk scarves as a lark and dyed them that way, using the microwave to set them. Fun, a little messy. Probably not the most waste-free way of doing things, but hey.
felicia the scarf is really too good.
too bad no one will believe you made it!
you’re a wonderful artist.
I REALLY like how the scarf turned out.
I’ve found that it’s mostly the blues and purples that change shades dramatically when dyeing, almost no matter what kind of dye I’m using. After a bit of experimenting, I’ve found that really low heat helps a lot, as well as leaving the stuff being dyed (whether it’s roving or yarn or fabric) in the solution with the dye and the soda ash (or whatever fixative) for a much longer time period. I know heat causes some dyestuffs to separate into different components, and it seems to happen most seriously with blues and purples.
Black is also a challenge.
Still, it’s a gorgeous color!
I use Lanaset dyes on silk with good results - shine remains, colours true. Soda ash will damage silk since it is alkaline and silk, being a protein fibre, prefers an acid environment.
Beautiful scarf, it mellowed nicely and picked up color depth along the way.
The final result on the silk yarn is so surprising. Unexpected.
Ooh, that is just loverly. I love the colors. Your experiments were successful!
(This is to be read hearing a very whinging voice…) But I wanna dye something like that! (Normal voice now…) How cool is that? Well done!
Love the scarf. I haven’t tried those dyes yet. Very interesting how it started dark and turned light.
Hi. I found your blog newly listed on WeaveRing and thought I’d pop by for a visit.
Your procion mx on silk is gorgeous! Interesting because I’ve been extensively exploring silk spinning this past month.
I also see you have newly entered the world of weaving, welcome! I found your post on choosing a loom interesting as well. I have an 8 shaft loom on my “someday” list and have been contemplating all the points you mention. Will look forward to your weaving adventures.
Ooh your scarf turned out fabulous!
I have had really good luck with vinegar. Painting the dye on, wrapping it in plastic wrap creating a tight package and then steaming it in the microwave. With blues I find that you need to leave the dye on longer, I often leave the packet overnight for optimum dye absorption. The scarf is yummy! I hardly ever use soda ash on silk. it eats away at the fibre
Beautifully weaved scarf and so lovely coloured yarn! You really seem to be so ambitious and to know so much about yarn/knitting…!! I always enjoy visiting your blog for inspiration! Have a great weekend!
I love that scarf. Just beautiful, and the colour suits you too.
I use procion alot to dye cotton fabric. Fuchsia reacts really fast, blue reacts really slow. So if you take stuff out of the dye bath too soon you will get something leaning more towards the fuchsia.
My advice is to leave it in the bath overnight, and make sure the room is reasonably warm (dyes react faster in heat).
If you are unhappy with the pink colour, you can overdye the yarn with blue.
Cheers Claire
Nice scarf! Procion dyes are the way to go although personally I still prefer natural dyes of course. Seems like many of us out there have been dyeing lately. Must be the Summer bug or something. BTW have you seen the new Louet Victoria Wheel? They had a press release in April on the Dutch Louet website; It is written in Dutch but I did translated some of the main news on my blog. Hoping that you’re having a good weekend.
Arianie
Beautiful (sigh!) work - why don’t you just quit you regular job and do this all day and night, blog and weave and knit…. Then all your fans can read more of your lovely work
(Yes, I’m off my rocker today, I know it’s not a reality 
I use the procion reactive dyes on our silks a lot and have had better luck mixing the soda ask in with the salt and warmish water to form a base and then adding the dye from there. The results are still unpredictable, too many varients about how long it is left to react, the temperature etc but you get more of an idea this way I find.
This is so inspiring.
I use procion mx too. it’s great because you don’t have to boil it (I live in a basement what doesn’t have a stove), but the final colour is totally unpredictible. Maiwa’s instructions don’t help that much either. when I first dyed my silk, I thought I did something wrong, because the texture of silk changed and no one ever mentioned anything abut that happening.
I love the overdying effect. It certainly makes for a softer looking piece.
I just found your blog and am enjoying reading the old posts about weaving. I have a comment to make about fiber reactive dyes and getting rid of the excess dye . Wash your piece intially to get rid of the salt. Then, if you put your yarn, or scarf, etc. into a pot with a little syntrapol detergent (probably any detergent) and bring it to a simmer, the unreacted dye will bond with the water molecules and then you can wash your piece without it bleeding in the future. I use old crock pots I find at thrift stores for my dyeing and they work perfectly for this chore and dozens of other dyeing projects.