Scarf Project - Color Scheme!

I needed to decide on a color scheme.  Bamboo and Tencel as fibers can be dyed with fiber reactive dyes just like cotton.  They are cellulose based fibers, not proteins.  I also have some dyes on hand for tie dying and started there.  I had DEEP ORANGE and was thinking of that for my weft.

I wanted a combination of a rust red, brownish orange, maybe a nice violet splash to round out the colors.  I buy all my dying supplies at DHARMA TRADING They have the largest selections of dyes and chemicals known to man (including stuff to dye as well).

The hard part is looking through their "color chips" and getting a good feel for the colors themselves.  I poked through them and picked SOFT ORANGE, ORANGE CRUSH, PAGODA RED and RED VIOLET.  When they arrived I was unsure of how to "sample them".  A friend (Joe Cole of What the Flock hand dyed yarn and fiber)  Suggested i just use a Q-Tip and smudge the top of the dye container.  I thought that was a great idea but colors can shift when washing out.  So I used a prepared piece of fabric and made smudges of my four colors.  Let them set, washed and dried the scrap.  Below is the pic.

My favorite is the pagoda red.  I also think either the orange crush or the soft orange is going to be my weft color.  Otherwise I am unsold on the oranges.  The pagoda is nice and I will probably use it but am looking for a brownish color.  The oranges are too close and you would probably not notice the difference in a line up.

I ordered two more dyes: GINGER SNAP, and TERRA COTTA.  I will sample that with the deep orange.  Hopefully they will allow me to complete my color scheme.  The hand paint is supposed to be asymetrical.  You will flip every other group to get the color bar type pattern you saw in the first posting!

A quick dye process.

• A solution of soda ash and warm water is mixed.
• Your sample or fiber soaks in the soda ash for 15-20 minutes.  This creates the conditions necessary chemically for the dye to bond.
• A solution of Urea (nitrogen) and water is mixed. 
• A very small amount is used to turn your dye powder into a paste.  Adding a little more water as you go to create a nice loose slurry with no lumps.
• Pasted dye is mixed into the remaining water/urea solution to create your dye stock.
• Fiber or fabric is painted or soaked in the dye.
• The item is allowed to rest 8 to 24 hours for the brightest best colors.
• The fiber or fabric is washed in special detergent to remove all the remaining dye and the item is allowed to dry thoroughly and the color is set!