Midnight Lagoon—Painting a Gradient Directly on the Warp

This is the first time I’ve done Midnight Lagoon as a painted warp. I started by winding warps in 5/2 Tencel™, 8/2 Tencel™, and ringspun cotton. Then I mixed up five colors from the palette—the three main colors plus two intermediary blends—to make a smoother transition. 

I painted the warps in accordion folds, pouring dye into the folds first so the color could penetrate through the layers. Cotton took the dye up faster than the Tencel™, so I adjusted as I went. Sometimes I spread out the yarn a little so the dye could pool underneath and move through better. 

One thing I noticed was that the transition between two sections could use tweaking—next time I might push one of the intermediary blends a bit greener to smooth that out. I’ll also think about experimenting with shorter repeat lengths instead of one long gradient. 

For now, this first run includes just three painted warps. If they’re already gone, you can add your name to the waitlist—I’ll open Dyed-to-Order in October.