Rug Making Kits Bits & Tips

When I do this dye color, instead of just dumping in a bit of one color or recipe of red dye, I prefer to use several different reds – one at a time –  in a basic spot-dye method.  That sort of technique seems to go better in a large casserole pan instead of in a pot.  Even though my pans are big, I only put in 3 quarter yards pieces so that the wool is not overly crowded in the pan.  While I want plenty of water so that the wool can easily be stirred around, I still want peaks of the wool to be able to stick up above the water line.  I add my citric acid to the water before adding the wool.

Once the water is bubbling nicely, and the wool is good and hot, I start adding my dye  - one color at a time.  For this application I mixed up 1/4 teaspoon of dye of the first color, in a cup of boiling water.  (When spotting, I usually go in color order going from darkest color to lightest.)  It is important to spot the piece at various places over the expanse of the wool so that the color being spotted shows up in a sort of uniform way – you don’t want it just at one spot on the wool, but here and there throughout the wool.  Once the first color is applied and starts to go into the wool, I take a spoon or tongs and push the peaks down into the water.  It is a real temptation to stir at this point … a temptation I try to resist as I don’t want the color to dissipate too much into the wool – I do want it to stay undisturbed long enough to make a good spot.  My other temptation, perhaps because I am always in a rush, is to start adding the other colors of dye too quickly into the process.  It is important to wait a few mins. before adding color #2.  The water needs to begin to go clear, otherwise one might as well just dump in everything at once.

Before adding color #2, I gently reposition the wool so that new “high points” stick above the water.  Once done, color #2 is added and allowed to cook a while. I repeat this process until I have added all the colors I want.