Name: Su
Country or region: USA

Message: HI Paula.....I am commissioned to dye some yarn grey....the client wants a medium value grey and my inclination is to use a red and green combo to attain the desired color.  I could also start with black and use a diluted dyestock to attain the color, but am wondering which method, if either, is more likely to yield satisfactory results.  I am quite familiar with color theory and dyeing in general, but have never before been called upon to dye a medium value grey.  I was wondering if you have any suggestions or advice to offer?  Any suggestions appreciated.....and thanks in advance.

Hi Su,

You'll want to prepare to do a bit of trial and error. In many cases the results of a formula for a neutral color will not come out quite neutral, because chances are that one dye will be a little stronger or a little weaker than expected.

Since you're working with Procion MX dyes on cotton, what I would recommend would be to start with the dullest, darkest colors, some navy blue MX-3R or blue MX-2G mixed with some brown MX-GRN, which is a terracotta brown. (See "Which Procion MX colors are pure, and which mixtures?".) If you start with the duller unmixed dye colors, you will not need to use as much dye as you will if you start with clear bright colors such as fuchsia or turquoise. As you know, however, you can use any red, blue, and yellow to start with, if you keep adding the opposite of whatever color you have so far obtained with a mixture (red to green, orange to blue, or yellow to purple). It's not as important to start with a dull dark primary if you're aiming at a medium gray instead of a dark black; you're less likely to have problems with using enough dye to get it dark enough.

This is an ideal situation for a prepackaged color mix, if you're willing to wait for an order to be delivered. In some cases, it makes sense to let ProChem or Dharma do the work of balancing the different colors in the mixture. Of course, it's not impossible that your water or fiber (or, visually, the color of other items seen next to the yarn after dyeing) might slightly affect the balance of the color, so you still might end up having to balance the color.

In terms of published formulae, Jacquard Products recommends using a dilution of their Jet Black mixture. Note that this is not the same as the Jet Black sold by other suppliers, though they might work just as well. In many cases a mixture that produces a nice black when used at a high concentration will not be quite balanced when diluted. Maiwa suggests using 50% of a navy mixture along with 50% of their black mixture to get a steel gray. That's all of the formulas I have handy for mixing a gray from Procion MX dyes.

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