1 kilo Cochineal RED dye/ Cochenille grains

Beschrijving

For pink, red and purple colors

The cochineal (Dactylopius coccus) is a scale insect in the suborder Sternorrhyncha, from which the natural dye carmine is derived. A primarily sessile parasite native to tropical and subtropical South America through North America (Mexico and the Southwest United States), this insect lives on cacti in the genus Opuntia, feeding on plant moisture and nutrients. The insects are found on the pads of prickly pear cacti, collected by brushing them off the plants, and dried.

The insect produces carminic acid that deters predation by other insects. Carminic acid, typically 17-24% of dried insects’ weight, can be extracted from the body and eggs, then mixed with aluminium or calcium salts to make carmine dye, also known as cochineal. Today, carmine is primarily used as a colorant in food and in lipstick (E120 or Natural Red 4).

The carmine dye was used in North America in the 15th century for coloring fabrics and became an important export good during the colonial period. After synthetic pigments and dyes such as alizarin were invented in the late 19th century, natural-dye production gradually diminished. Health fears over artificial food additives, however, have renewed the popularity of cochineal dyes, and the increased demand has made cultivation of the insect profitable again, with Peru being the largest exporter. Some towns in the Mexican state of Oaxaca are still working in handmade textiles using this cochineal.

For free recipes, see “the organic vat” from Maiwa.
Recipe: 3-8% (gram) dye compared to 100% (gram) wool.
Mordant with 15% alum.

Cochenille is een schildluissoort en wordt gekweekt in Zuid-Amerika en Mexico. De kleurstof wordt gebruikt om mooie roze en rode tinten te verven.
Cochenille (onder de naam Karmijn) wordt gebruikt als pigment in de schilderkunst, in voedsel, drinken en cosmetica (lippenstift).
Karmijn was al bekend bij de Inca’s en de Azteken. Na de verovering door de Spanjaarden gingen deze verder met de cochenillecultuur. De Spanjaarden namen de kleurstof mee naar Europa.
Meer info over verven met natuurlijke verfstoffen vindt je in de datasheet van Maiwa (pdf).
Recept: 3-8 % (gram) verfstof ten opzichte van 100% (gram) wol.
Voorbeitsen met 15% procent alluin.