That, If properly kept, Indigo stock solution is good for several YEARS!??
So, that means you can make extra stock solution, for future use, you'll not have to go through that step EVERY time?
Indigo isn't really dyeing, right? It's more like staining, correct? If that's the case, is that what Kool-Aid dyeing does?
I'm knitting up a bunch of Kool-Aid dyed handspun into a very Kool-Aid-y colored scarf (even too bright and happy for my taste!), and as I knit on it everyday, I keep thinking that I should ask you: is Kool-Aid a dye or a stain? Now I've found you - so I can ask you 'in person'. Thank you!!!! (and Kirsten for getting you online, I bet. And Shella and Ana for their support. Shella - no good coffee place here. I have had to resort to F*****'*.)
I've personally never done Kool-aid dyeing, but I believe the food coloring in the Kool-aid is actually dyeing the fiber...I may be wrong. Does your yarn smell different for different flavors?
Sorry it took me so long to reply. Our new shop is up and running now, though!! Denyse, yu have to get down here (I have rocket fuel in the coffee pot!!)
okay...Indigotin is actually a dye chemical, but because of the oxygen/reduction process it requires to bind to the fabric, it just sits on the surface. Technically, I suppose some would call that a stain, but it is not really that either. When you mix the indigo with sulfuric acid, it becomes a true dye.
You're correct. If properly prepared and stored in an airtight container, the stock solution can be used for quite a long time. I have actually used three year old stock to successfully start a new vat. Many traditional vat dyers keep a continual indigo dye vat going for 20+ years. The sludge build-up has to be dredged out every so often, but it is possible and conserves indigo dye.
I think that one of the other students in the ancient dyes class saved the sludge as ink/paint for her calligraphy. Is that right? This could be a spin-off industry!
It's not actually the sludge we save (off the bottom) but the flower (bubbles created by the reduction process) off the top. This is great to do applied Indigo painting, especially with a soy milk binder. Some dyers actually put the flower back into the vat and reactivate it for dyeing. There is usually a lot of Indigo in the flower.
dye ... or stain?
Hey, Bex and Shella!
Indigo isn't really dyeing, right? It's more like staining, correct? If that's the case, is that what Kool-Aid dyeing does?
I'm knitting up a bunch of Kool-Aid dyed handspun into a very Kool-Aid-y colored scarf (even too bright and happy for my taste!), and as I knit on it everyday, I keep thinking that I should ask you: is Kool-Aid a dye or a stain? Now I've found you - so I can ask you 'in person'. Thank you!!!! (and Kirsten for getting you online, I bet. And Shella and Ana for their support. Shella - no good coffee place here. I have had to resort to F*****'*.)
Kool-aid dyeing
I've personally never done Kool-aid dyeing, but I believe the food coloring in the Kool-aid is actually dyeing the fiber...I may be wrong. Does your yarn smell different for different flavors?
Indigo is a surface dye
Sorry it took me so long to reply. Our new shop is up and running now, though!! Denyse, yu have to get down here (I have rocket fuel in the coffee pot!!)
okay...Indigotin is actually a dye chemical, but because of the oxygen/reduction process it requires to bind to the fabric, it just sits on the surface. Technically, I suppose some would call that a stain, but it is not really that either. When you mix the indigo with sulfuric acid, it becomes a true dye.
Keeping Indigo
You're correct. If properly prepared and stored in an airtight container, the stock solution can be used for quite a long time. I have actually used three year old stock to successfully start a new vat. Many traditional vat dyers keep a continual indigo dye vat going for 20+ years. The sludge build-up has to be dredged out every so often, but it is possible and conserves indigo dye.
indigo - sludge
I think that one of the other students in the ancient dyes class saved the sludge as ink/paint for her calligraphy. Is that right? This could be a spin-off industry!
sludge paint
It's not actually the sludge we save (off the bottom) but the flower (bubbles created by the reduction process) off the top. This is great to do applied Indigo painting, especially with a soy milk binder. Some dyers actually put the flower back into the vat and reactivate it for dyeing. There is usually a lot of Indigo in the flower.