by Janelle Masters

If you have ever been curious about experimenting with natural dyeing, then my friend, this bug is for you. Meet Dactylopius coccus, the Cochineal bug, and prepare to be impressed.

Cochineal is a potent natural dyestuff that is derived from the crushed, dried bodies of the female cochineal bug, a scale insect native to South America. It dyes beautifully vibrant reds, purples, and pinks. The Cochineal bugs live and feed on the Nopal Cactus, commonly known as the Prickly Pear. They have been in use as a natural dye for hundreds of years, and are now being cultivated commercially. Cochineal has even been used as a natural food coloring. It takes approximately 70,000 cochineal bugs to make one pound of cochineal dye.

But never fear! You don't have to hunt and harvest these little guys yourself. Cochineal is available in two common forms from many commercial retailers via online or mail order. You can order a small packet of the dried Cochineal bugs and crush them yourself (a dedicated coffee grinder is ideal for this), or you can order the crushed dye powder. Either way, you don't need much, as it only takes about 1 ounce of dye powder to color 1 pound of fiber to achieve a medium shade.

MATERIALS
Yarn
1 pound wool yarn

Supplies
Waste yarn
1.5 ounces of Cochineal powder
0-.5 ounces of Alum
Large pot for dye bath (your pot should hold at least 5 quarts of water, plus your yarn)
Lots of water
Heat source (your kitchen stove top is fine, as our ingredients are all non-toxic)
Glass canning jar or liquid measuring cup
Old wooden or metal utensil for stirring the dye bath
Rubber gloves
Dust mask

Before You Begin
You will need to wind your yarn into hanks, if it is not already. Tie the hanks in several places to avoid tangling in the dye bath. Once that is done, you can put the yarn into a bath of cool water to pre-soak while you prepare the first bath.

Safety
While the materials we are working with are non-toxic, it is wise to practice good habits when working with dyes of any kind. Rubber gloves are an obvious choice if you like the color of your hands the way they are now. A dust mask is a good idea when working with the dyes and mordants in their powdered form. Remember to wash your hands frequently, and to protect counter tops in the area that you are dyeing with plastic. Also, kitchen tools used during the dyeing process should not be used again for food preparation. I label mine "Dye Only" and store them in a different location in my home.

Mordant

It is a good idea to pre-mordant your fiber in alum, as it is a non-toxic mordant that is easy to work with. Alum also helps to develop clear, vivid colors with natural dyes. Dissolve 0.5 ounce of alum in a little boiling water in your glass jar. Fill your large pot with water and place it on the stove. Add the alum solution and stir. Add your wetted yarn to the bath and slowly bring the water to a simmer. Hold the temperature at a low simmer for 45-55 minutes, gently stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and let the yarn cool in the mordant. This can take several hours to overnight. Remove the yarn and squeeze out the liquid. You can dye the yarn immediately or let it dry to use later.

Preparing the Cochineal Bath
(If your mordanted yarn has dried, soak it in some cool water to wet it before dyeing.)

Dissolve 1.5 ounces of cochineal powder in a little boiling water in your glass jar. Fill your large pot with water and place it on the stove. Add the cochineal solution and stir.

Add your wetted and mordanted yarn to the dye bath and slowly bring the water to a simmer. Hold the temperature at a low simmer for 1 hour, gently stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and let the yarn cool in the mordant until it reaches the color you are after.

Finishing
Once you have rinsed all the excess dye from the yarn, you can hang it up to dry. A quick spin cycle in a washing machine will greatly reduce the drying time.

I hope you enjoy dyeing your own yarns with Cochineal! It is a beautiful natural dye that is fun to use and great to knit with. Who would have thought that such beautiful colors could come from bug guts?

Janelle loves to dye wool almost as much as she loves to knit with it. She recently completed a BA in Costuming and Textile Arts, and is pursuing a career in theatrical costuming.

She blogs intermittently.