Dye your Rug

When you are making a hooked rug yourself, it is more fun if you do everything on your own and this also includes dyeing the material. Dyeing wool for rug hooking is a fun and an interesting process and can be done at home. Dyeing rug hooking technique is quick and can be done with ease.

Let us look at a simple way to dye wool for rug hooking

Materials required

A pot to dye in

Wool

Acid reactive dyes

Spoons

Tongs

Forks

Paper Towels

Vinegar

Water

Rubber Gloves

 Method of Dyeing 

• First soak the material you want to dye in lukewarm water for about an hour. This helps it to dye evenly.                  
• For every pound of wool that you need to dye, use about 1.5 to 2 oz. of acid dye powder.
• Make a strong dye solution by mixing the color you want in little water.
• Now fill your pot with enough lukewarm water to soak all the material
• Add to this the dye solution that you had prepared
• Put your wool in this solution
• Now add ¼ cup of vinegar
• Put the pot on a stove and let it simmer. As the wool absorbs the dye, the solution will become clearer.
• Stir the wool and turn it every now and then carefully so that there is even saturation.
• Now transfer the wool into cooler water. Soak it a couple of times. This will remove all the excessive dye
• Incase the dye continues to bleed. Put the wool back n the dye pot and simmer for sometime.
  

Color Chart

• Orange = 3:1 (yellow: red)
• Scarlet = 1:3 (yellow: red)
• Magenta = 14:1 (red: blue)
• Violet = 3:1 (red: blue)
• Blue green = 1:7 (yellow: blue)
• Mid Green = equal parts blue and yellow

 Some Tips

• You can change the color of the dye quite easily. If you want a darker shade, use more dye. Simmering the wool in dye solution for a longer time will also affect the shade.
• In case you want to make the same shade twice, note down the exact amount of dye and water used and the time you simmer the material
• The concentrated dye solution that you make can be stored up to six months.
  

 Some Precautions to take 

• Wear rubber gloves before you begin. It’s important to protect your skin.
• Work in an area where children are not allowed or else it can become risky.
• The utensils or pots that you are using to dye should not be used for cooking or eating.
• Spread newspapers where you work so that it is easy to clean the area.
• Vinegar can be used to prevent the dyes from running.