I recommend this method to beginning dyers. It gives you a chance to alter wool without buying commercial dyes. This method will make recycled solid wool more useable.
- Put your wool in a pot and fill it with enough water to cover the wool. If your pot is large enough you can add all the wool at once. If not, rip each piece of wool in half, thirds or quarters and put one piece of each in the pot. Then repeat this process with the remaining batches.
- Add a healthy squirt of soap to the water. I usually use dish soap, but you can use laundry soap.
Be sure the soap DOES NOT HAVE BLEACH. Bleach will actually dissolve the fibers in your wool. It does not remove color as it does for cotton.
- Bring the water up to a simmer, just below boiling. If it begins to boil, just turn down the heat a bit, but you need to get it hot. After a few minutes the water will begin to take on some color. This is the dye coming out of the wool. If you do not see this after several minutes of simmer, raise the heat and add more soap.Continue to cook until the water turns just the right color. What color is the right color? It depends. Only experimentation and experience will tell you when it is ready. The more you cook it, the darker the water will get and the more the wools will become the same. If you cook it too long there will not be any variety between them. If you don’t cook them long enough, they will still be too different, but you can repeat the process again.
- When the water is the right color, add your acid. This can be vinegar or citric acid crystals. You will need to add enough to force the dye back into the wool. If the water does not clear, add acid and turn the heat up. Cook for 30 minutes more. If you remove the wool immediately once the water is clear it is prone to fading so don’t skimp on the cooking.
- Let the wool cool in the pan overnight. If you want to speed up the process, you can remove it right away, but it will be hot so be careful. Wash, rinse and dry. I prefer to wash my wool in a full cycle with soap. The alkaline soap will help to remove the acid. I put them in the washer with a pair or two of blue jeans. I get some laundry done while I finish up the wool.
Here’s an example of what this wool looks like hooked when you marry several different beiges.
Get started with this process right away. My Best Beige Background is a bundle of closely related light wools that you marry. Includes a recipe card. The wools that are included will vary from the photo.
Cindi Gay Rug Hooking Newsletter
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Hi Cindi,
Is it possible to cook wool too much? I once cooked some recycled wools together to marry them for a background. I found the wool sort of broke apart if I pulled on it and I wondered if I had cooked it too much, let the water boil too hard, etc. I’ve not had that happen again, but I’ve only tried to marry wool together one time since them (and it came out ok). Thanks for your input, Jane
It may have had dry rot. Cooking it would only make it worse. To test for dry rot, just pull on the wool when it is near your ear. If you can hear fibers snapping it my have dry rot. I’ll add this topic to my list of ideas for post and will write more about it.
Hi Cindi!
I have looked at all the pages of the room – sized rug and found them delightful!
Thank you for sharing it!
I am wondering if you have finished it by now?
I made an impossible ‘log cabin’ rug using cotton strips…mostly from cut seams when I recycled clothing for quilting needs. It took FOREVER and I had to talk myself into finishing it each time I sat to work on it. Cotton is harder to pull thru the monk’s cloth, so it was a workout. I finished it. :) 4′ X 5+’
I moved from New England to Calif…not much need out here for wool, so the thrift stores are not promising. I have met a couple rug hookers though. More spinners and weavers. I am now making my own wool yarn. Perhaps that will be my next direction…using my handspun.
Thanks again for your inspiration! It is beautiful!
No further work on the rug. I’ve had a very busy teaching schedule for the last few years. By 2014 I’ll have more time to get back to it. The only time I hook anymore is when I go to the hooking group and the big rug is just too heavy. I finish about 1 stair riser a year this way, hooking about an hour or two a month. When progress starts again, I’ll post more.