Follow our mordant guide to help achieve the best results before dyeing. Madder is particularly suited for dyeing yarns of wool that can be used for knitting.
Guide for using Madder powder as a dye
Around 20-30 grams of our natural Madder powder will dye 200g worth of wool hanks to a brick red to pinkish hue, depending on water quality and how well the fibres have been mordanted.
– Firstly, make a paste with around 5g (1 heaped teaspoon) of madder and a small amount of warm water.
– Fill a saucepan with water and add the madder paste. Mix about 1-2g of chalk powder (calcium carbonate) with a small amount of boiling water in a container and add to the dye pot with the madder.
– At this stage. add pre-wetted mordanted fibers. Bring the dye bath to 60°C and then keep at that temperature for 45 to 60 minutes, stirring gently from time to time. Leave the fibers inside overnight to cool.
– Controlling the temperature of the dye pot and the use of hard water determine the release of the different pigments involved. Raising the temperature above 60-70° C will produce brownish red hues. If you live in a soft water area, adding 2-3g of chalk powder will produce better reds.