I hope everybody will try this at home.
It's my wish people don't take FORMULAS so literally.
I know most people want guaranteed results.
Don't want to risk that pricey wool with ugly mistakes.
But what if we know that no wool is useless and as long as you don't process it incorrectly by cooking it in soap until it is weaker than a kitten, things are always redeemable.
It takes three things to dye:
WOOL HEAT DYE
And of course we need an acid.
WOOL
It is best to dye at least 85% wool. I'm hoping we can all dye over tan. I dyed over Dorr #17
Got a plaid or texture close in colour to this ? OK
A little lighter , a little darker- is okay too.
You might have a bolt of it, a yd of it, a quarter yd, a skirt, shirt , pant leg of it.
You decide how much you want to use for this experiment.
Wet the wool with a few drops of shampoo or jet dry, synthropol or wetter than wet to make the wool more receptive to getting wet. Well wet wool = well dyed wool.
HEAT
How you apply heat and dye reflect the various methods and results in dyeing.
We will make a regular over dye, just dyeing over already coloured wool in a dye bath.
BUT you could spot, stripe, swatch, marbelize, wander or any other dye method you want with this wool.
You will need some vessel to dye in, once you use it to dye in you can't cook dinner in it anymore. You can use an old crockpot, a kitchen kettle from walmart ( only 23.00), aluminum foil cake pans placed on a cookie sheet , an electric wok , an old pot , a new pot...whatever you wish.
Fill vessel 3/4 full with water , heat the water.
DYES
Use whatever dyes you have. Including rit and kool aid ( not lightfast but better than not dyeing at all)
Here is a chart to help you decide how much to use whatever you are dyeing:
A Value Guideline
Over 1/4 yd of wool ( YOU DYE THE AMOUNT OF WOOL YOU WANT IN THIS CLASS THIS IS JUST A GUIDELINE to give you a place to start)
LIGHTS
very , very light - dry toothpick dipped in dye
very light- wet toothpick dipped in dye
light -1/128th tsp
MEDIUMS
medium light - 1/64 tsp
medium -1/32 tsp
medium dark - 1/16th tsp
DARKS
light dark - 1/8th tsp
medium dark 1/4 tsp
very very very dark 1/2 tsp.
Now because our colour is already a medium value and we want to have a definite colour change we will need to use at least 1/16 th tsp. or 2/32. over 1/4 yd.
What colour to use .....
well keep in mind that tan is yellowish in nature so anything you put over it will be "yellow influenced".
For instance
Blue over tan = teal
Red over tan = reddish orange
Violet over tan = dull violet
Magenta over tan = red
Capeesh ?
You might have noticed I usually refer to 32nds when measuring dye even though I can round them down to simpler measures, we rarely have a 1/16th measure or even 1/8th tsp can be hard to find.
If you have no measuring spoon, wet a wooden chop stick, yah you heard me.
Stick into the jar of dye right to the bottom or 3 inches deep. This will get you about 1/32 tsp. dye.
So make a little note to self about what dyes you want to use and the amounts you will measure. Then follow those instructions.
Use any dye or combinations of dyes you want.
Measure your dye into a jar. Pour 1/4 cup of boiling water over it. Stir to dissolve. Add cool water to make the jar easier to handle. Pour the contents of the jar into heated water.
Place you wool in, stir around a bit, submerge it.
Add vinegar ( 1/8th cup) or citric acid crystals( 1/32 tsp.) a the 5 minute point.
Remove wool when water is clear ( dip a white plastic spoon into the dye bath to see if dye is gone ).
Rinse wool very well.
Dry
Pat yourself on the back.
Try doing another colour.
You are now a self fed hooker.
Good job !
