Experiments in dyeing

Part 1 - Marrying colors

This is the first of a series of bi-weekly dye experiments, working with different techniques and materials to see what happens. This experiment was in marrying colors. I have been collecting used wool skirts for some time now. I find them at the local thrift store or on eBay. I have found that if I time my purchase right, I can get a half yard of usable wool for less than $5.00! Given that new wool for rug hooking goes for $22 a yard, it’s a little bit of a savings. Plus, I get a variety of colors and textures that I wouldn’t other wise have. 

One of the dye techniques I have recently read about was marrying colors. Most recently I read about it in an article in Rug Hooking Magazine, called “ Color Marriage with a New Twist” By Loretta Scena in the March/April/May 2018 issue. In this article, the author is marrying the colors of various gradient dyed swatches using a process developed by Annie Spring. 

Gradient dyed swatches are dyed with successively lighter values of the same color. The first swatch is a solid red, the next swatch is a step lighter red and the next even lighter. She took four sets of different colored swatches and put them in a dye bath to marry the colors together. The idea with marrying is to blend the colors together, either with or without additional dye, while still retaining aspects of the original colors. In my experiment here, I didn't use any additional dye.

In my other reading, I found that rug hookers will use this technique to even out a palette of different colored wools. It can soften the colors and introduces the colors of one piece into the other. My goal was to soften the colors and to create a harmonious grouping of colors. 

To start, I pulled a piece of bright red, a piece of bright blue and a piece of textured light brown and cream wool out of my stash. 

I started small as I was hoping to use my newly acquired crock pot for my ‘dye’ bath. Following the directions provided, I put an inch of water in the pot along with two teaspoons of laundry soap. (I didn’t use the brand referenced in the article because I didn’t have any). I brought the water up to a simmer added the wool and enough water to cover the wool. Bring that back to a simmer and simmered for 20 to 30 minutes. At this point, I had a pot full of reddish-purple water and three pieces of wool. I added a half cup of white vinegar and simmered another 30 minutes or so. This second simmer is supposed to be until the water is clear. Yeah, I never quite got there. After about 30 minutes, I added another piece of white wool to absorb some of the excess dye. Another 20 minutes later I added a second piece. I wasn't able to get the water to clear up entirely.

After the second white piece simmered for 20 or 30 minutes, I pulled all the pieces out of the pot and rinsed them in cool water. I then hung them to dry. I think the dryer would have been a better choice as the pieces are a little stiff, but I could see running it for this small of a load. Below is a picture of the final results.

(original colors from the bottom up: Blue wool, textured brown/cream wool, red wool, first piece in the exhaust bath, second piece in the exhaust bath). 

I’m happy with the results, I think next time I will use more wool and see if I can get the water to completely clear before rinsing. My next experiment is going to be with black oak (quercitron). We lost a rather large branch off of our black oak tree in the nor’easters this winter, so this is the perfect opportunity to harvest some bark without injuring the tree!

Thank you for reading!

~Kerrie