While researching color forumulas, I discovered Leigh’s not-entirely-successful attempts at using color hex codes to create dye ratios. Reading her attempts saved me a lot of frustration because I was pursuing the same line of thought — I intended to use the hex codes from the palette I created last week to do some more dyeing.

Through her blog I also found a neat dye mixing tool.

And I discovered an article that helped me understand the Procion MX codes. It turns out that:

• My blue (MX-R) hues towards red and is slightly dull in color. I need to buy a different blue for mixing colors.
• My yellow (MX-8G) is a strong, pure yellow that hues towards green.
• My red (MX-5B) is quite strong and hues towards blue (Fuschia is MX-8B so I have almost-fuschia).
• Goodness only knows what my black hues towards because it is a mix (not a pure color).

This explains why some mixes are coming out beautifully clear but other colors are coming out muddy.
It also explains why I can’t get a decent red using the dye I have — I would need to mix it with an orange (such as Orange MX-2R) to get true red.
And why all of my red-blue mixes hue so strongly towards purple.

I bought Judy Walter’s out-of-print Creating Color: A Dyer’s Handbook and it arrived in the mail yesterday afternoon. Dense and technical, I can’t wait to sit down with it and a cup of coffee this afternoon.

Unfortunately I won’t get to dye again until the weather warms up.