Betty,

To get the brown (should be a chocolate {yummmm} color to start with) silk to turn almost black you should be using something like a cobblers wax or even a Keane wax. I have a bit extra of each (imagine that) that I would be happy to send your way if you PM your snail mail addy.

The same waxes used on primrose yellow silk (for the red and dun spiders) will turn the silk a nice translucent olive with the Keane Wax and a very nice olive grey with the Cobbler's wax (also the correct color for a Greenwell's Spider and Greenwell's Glory). Once you start to apply the wax to the thread don't stop part way as the silk will break when you restart. This stuff is sticky.

REE