I firmly believe that everyone who is going to dye in any way should make a color wheel from their dye, and at the stock solution (1%, 2% etc.) that they will be using. For most at home dyers using food coloring, this is going to be pretty easy, as most likely you only have the three primaries, red, yellow and blue, and maybe a black. For professional and indie dyers like myself, its a bit more complicated, as I use 9 primaries, plus dye stock variations, and black.
Lets assume you are using the 1% dye stock, and only have 3 primaries for this. I like to use steps of 8 for my color wheels so I have a nice smooth gradient between one and another. An 8 gram amount of the sample yarn is also a nice way to go, because it makes the math nice and easy.
As you can see on the right, I move from one color to the next in small sample amounts, starting with 8/0 parts of the first/second colors and moving to 0/8 parts. So, the second example down has 7g color one and 1g color two, then 6g color one and 2g color two, etc. I call these mixes duals, because we are only using 2 of the 3 primaries.
For my records I record what colors and stock solution I am using at the top of the page. An easy way to do this exercise is using small microwave safe containers to mix and heat in one vessel. Later on, you can refer to your color wheel for inspiration, and see exactly how one color turns out, even comparing it physically to another color you might want to pair it with.Another thing to consider is incorporating Color Triads, or using all 3 of the primaries (red, yellow, blue) to create complex browns. In these triads, you might consider using 9 gram sample yarns, instead of 8, just to make the math easier for yourself. For example, a rusty brown (brown that leans to red) could be created by using 5 parts red, 2 blue, and 2 yellow. Doing triads as well will also give you good ideas (and samples to compare to) of how your non-pramaries will mix whether you are painting the yarn and they meet in the middle to mix, or you are vat dying and pouring into a liquid that will mix.
Hope you enjoyed todays installment!
Brittany