Deep Cochineal #1

We couldn't believe our eyes when this color came out of the dye bath; we'd planned to overdye almost all of this dyelot but upon seeing the hue we reversed ourselves and overdyed almost none of it, one pound I think.  Never have I seen a more intense Cochineal* and the coverage along the Saxon Merino yarn is even too.  It has a charm—so unusual—the color deserves to be seen as it is.

The color was dyed after an Alum and Cream of Tarter mordant at 1.75% WOF.  This is a singles worsted weight: a 2 oz. skein measures 140 yd. in length.  The color was dyed in a limited editions of 32 skeins.

Available from the Yarn Store.

*Cochineal is an intense red colorant (known since the Mayan times), a natural extract that comes from an insect (most natural dyes come from vegetables) that lives on the prickley pear cactus found in the southwest.  It takes 10,000 bugs to make a pound of extract and that is a reason why it is the most expensive natural dye I use: currently it wholesales for $650.00 a pound.  Also, the FDA approves Cochineal as a food coloring—one of the few natural dyes so approved—this creates demand to keep the price high.