Color Mixing Formulas, Sample Colors
Dyeing yarn and fabric in a spectrum of colors using a limited pallette

Abbreviations:
C=Cup
T= Tablespoon
tsp=teaspoon
g=gram

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Some colors, such as black and true gray, are best dyed with a dye especially formulated by the manufacturer to produce that color. Many colors though, can be dyed sucessfully using a limited pallette of colors.

To dye your fibers you will need to take into account the weight of the fibers when they are Dry. Here is a chart of Dye stock solution needed for one pound of the various shades of fibers.

Dry weight of Fabric Depth of Shade Dye Stock Solution in Grams Dye Stock Solution in Cups
1 lb pale 57 1/4 Cup
1 lb light 114 1/2 Cup
1 lb Medium 227 1 Cup
1 lb Dark 454 2 Cups
1 lb Very Dark 908 4 Cups

As you can see, the total amount of dye needed changes with the depth of shade you require in your dyed fibers. If you change the weight of the fibers you are dyeing, the amount of dye solution needed will change again.

Dry weight of goods Shade Grams of Dye Solution Cups of Dye solution
1/2 lb medium 114 g 1/2 cup
1/4 lb medium 57 g 1/4 cup
1/8 lb medium 28.5 g 1/8 cup (2 T)

Cups of Dye needed

Here is a useful equation for finding how many cups of dye solution you need:

Pounds of Dry Weight X Depth of Shade = Cups of Dye Solution needed

and here are the numbers to plug into the equation:

Dark depth of shade=2
Medium depth of shade=1
Light depth of shade= .5
Pale depth of shade= .25

Example Equation:

1/4 pound of fiber X Pale depth of shade (.25) = _______cups
SO
.25 X .25=.0625 cups

But how much is .0625 cups? This is too small to measure with a cup. Plug it into this solution:

Cups of Dye solution needed X 48 teaspoons= ______ teaspoons

So-- .0625 cups X 48 = 3 teaspoons

Grams of Dye Needed

If you prefer to work with grams, here is the equation for you:

227 X Dry weight of fibers X Depth of Shade=_________grams

and here are the numbers to plug into the equation:

Dark depth of shade=2
Medium depth of shade=1
Light depth of shade= .5
Pale depth of shade= .25

Example equation:
227 X Dry weight X light depth =_____ grams

SO
227 X .25 lb X .5 = 28 grams

I like to be able to predict and reproduce colors, so I keep charts and samples of the colors I dye, and the formulas that produced them.

These dye formulas are written using "parts", ie. 2 parts yellow, 2 parts red, and 6 parts blue.

Click on the links below to see the color charts.The scans are large and will take a while to load if you have a slow connection, so please be patient. Each formula is written below the color sample. I used fabric for the samples because it is easier than yarn to scan properly. Warning--The colors on your monitor are only approximations.

This chart shows how the formulas work. Each formula is divided into 10 parts, which means that the total amount of dye solution is divided into 10 parts, theoretically. Each formula shows three possible colors to use in the formula, though not all formulas use all three colors. The three colors are Y-yellow, R-red, and B-blue. By varying the porportions of the colors I get new colors. I can also change which shade of yellow, red or blue I use and get different results form the same basic formula.

Here are some sample formulas and how they work:

0Y, 0R, 10B -- what color do you think this dye formula will make? That's right, blue, because all ten parts of the formula use the blue dye.

Let's try another one:
4Y, 6R, 0B -- what color does this look like? A reddish orange because it has alot of red parts but enough yellow to make it orange-ish. What happens when I use all three colors?

2Y, 4R, 4B-- this color is kind of a mystery color-- how it will look depends alot on which red, yellow and blue you use. One thing is sure: all three colorsused together will produce a subdued, more neutral color than one or two colors will.

Now, how do you calculate the actual amounts of dye used for each color of the formula?

Cup Equation:

(Pounds of Dry Weight X Depth of Shade divided by10) X 48= teaspoons of dye solution per part of formula

Example:

I want to dye 2 pounds of fibers to a pale shade using formula 4Y, 0R, 6 B. Here is the calculation I need to make:

(2 lbs X pale shade (.25) / 10) x 48= 2.4 teaspoons of dye formula per part of formula.

For my formula I will multiply 2.4 tsp by each part of 4Y, 0R, 6B.
Result= 9.6tsp Yellow, 0 tsp Red, 14.4 tsp Blue.

Grams Equation

227 X Dry weight of fibers X Depth of Shade /10= ___ grams of dye solution per part of formula

Example:

I want to dye 1/2 pound of fiber to a dark shade using formula 0Y, 8R, 2B. Here is the calculation I need to make:

227 X .5 lbs X 2/10= 22.7 grams of dye per part of formula

Form my formula I will multiply 22.7 by each part of 0Y, 8R, 2B.
Result= 0 gYellow, 181.6g Red, 45.4g Blue

Uses Procion MX dye from Dharma Trading Co.