Dyeing wool using the season’s hottest colors using PRO Chem dyes

Have you noticed some years you can find all sorts of things in your favorite colors and other years you can’t find anything? Is there a conspiracy? Yes. So if you can’t beat them, join them. Dye your wool in the latest most desirable colors. These are the fall 2012 forecast colors from Pantone.

When I see a color like bright chartreuse in the forecast, I know I will be buying all sorts of new stuff. I love that color. Makes me happy. Just a few weeks ago, I bought a bicycle. Sure I was in the market for a bike, but when I saw this color, I couldn’t go home without it. I’ve been looking for a bike in that color for years. A quick spin around the parking lot and I made up my mind.

Love this bike! Back to wool. . .

Every season, PRO Chem publishes a list of their dyes that most closely match the current fashion colors. I’ve always checked out the most current fashion colors, but I never understood the way PRO Chem labeled the color quantities. I usually dye by eye and I just kept adding dye until I got the value right.

When I first started dyeing my wool for rug hooking, I relied very heavily on the PRO Chem technical support department. If I had a question, they were just a phone call away. They have some written instructions (for Washfast acid dyes) on their website to help you learn how to dye wool, but sometimes you need to talk to a person.

A simple email to the technical department, gave me the answers I needed. I translated all the math so you can use this table to get the right value. All quantities assume 1/2 yard of standard rug hooking weight wool. All dyes are Washfast Acid Dyes.

A lot of math and translation went into this presentation. The colors are what PRO Chem recommends to get close, the quantities are mine. Please let me know if you experience any problems. As soon as it cools down some or before Cape May rug camp, whichever comes first, I’ll show you my results.

Dye Recipes for 2012 Fall Colors

French Roast – 1/4 + 1/8 tsp. 502 Chocolate Brown
Honey Gold – 1/16 tsp. 122 Mustard
Pink Flambé – 1/8 tsp. 341 Raspberry Sorbet
Tangerine Tango – 3/4 tsp. 231 Tiger Lily
Ultramarine Green – 1/4 +1/8 tsp. 408 Seabreeze
Bright Chartreuse – 1/4 + 1/8 tsp. 724 Key Lime
Olympian Blue – 3/4 tsp. 407 Sky Blue
Titanium – 1/16 tsp. 670 Charcoal Grey
Rhapsody – 1/8 tsp. 813 Deep Purple
Rose Smoke – 1/8 tsp. 845 Lilac