Uniformly disperse dyed water-swellable cellulosic fibers

Uniformly dyed water-swellable cellulosic fibers, wherein said fibers are fast to washing and to light and having been produced by contacting water-swellable cellulosic fibers sequentially or concomitantly with water, ethylene glycol or a derivative thereof and while said fibers are still swollen said fibers are dyed with an essentially water-insoluble dye of the formula ##STR137## in which D is anthraquinonyl-1;

• R is alkyl of 1 to 18 carbon atoms or is alkyl of 2 to 8 carbon atoms which is substituted by hydroxyl, alkoxy of 1 to 8 carbon atoms, phenoxy, tolyloxy, cyclohexyloxy, benzyloxy, .beta.-phenylethoxy, carboxyl, carboxylate ester of a total of 2 to 9 carbon atoms, C-acyloxy of a total of 1 to 11 carbon atoms, alkylaminocarbonyloxy (where alkyl is of 1 to 8 carbon atoms), phenylaminocarbonyloxy, tolylaminocarbonyloxy, chlorophenylaminocarbonyloxy, dichlorophenylaminocarbonyloxy or pyrrolidonyl, or is cyclohexyl, cyclohexylethyl, norbornyl, phenylalkyl (where alkyl is of 1 to 4 carbon atoms), tolylalkyl (where alkyl is of 1 to 4 carbon atoms), .beta.-phenyl-.beta.-hydroxyethyl, CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 OH or (CH.sub.2).sub.3 (OC.sub.2 H.sub.4).sub.n OB,
• n is 0, 1 or 2,
• B is hydrogen, alkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, cyclohexyl, benzyl, phenylethyl, phenyl or tolyl.