| wy New Hampshire night, years ago, my friend Marcia | | | | generally known that 1% dye to the weight of the wool |
| invited me over to learn how to hook rugs. I was a | | | | will produce a medium value for most colors, and it is |
| seasoned crafter and explained to her that, with three | | | | also well-known that doubling the amount of dye on |
| young children, I wanted a project that could be | | | | the wool with each value produces a gradation that |
| completed quickly. So she showed me how to make a | | | | takes the color from light to dark in 6-8 jumps (this is, in |
| penny rug. For those who are new to wool crafting, | | | | effect, what the 'jar method' accomplishes). So one |
| penny rugs are comprised of pieces of wool that are | | | | good option for producing 6 values, (working outward |
| appliquéd, using the blanket stitch, onto a base piece | | | | from the medium value at 1%) is to use: .125%, .25%, |
| of wool, or other fabric. Generations ago, women used | | | | .5%, 1%, 2%, and 4% (although 3% produces a color |
| scraps from their wool rug hooking efforts, and cut the | | | | nearly as dark, with less dye). Some time spent trialing |
| scraps into circles, using a penny as a template. The | | | | values will give you a progression that you like, and this |
| circles were arranged in pretty designs, stitched onto | | | | progression will work for most color formulas that you |
| the base fabric, and turned into decorations for the | | | | use, except, perhaps, formulas that are mostly yellow - |
| house -- table runners, doilies, coverlets, etc. | | | | a slightly more saturated progression is needed there. |
| Nowadays, penny rug designs may be much more | | | | Once I know what formula I want to use, and what |
| complex, as crafters take the art to new places. The | | | | value I want to make it, the only remaining question is |
| craft is gaining popularity, because it is easy to create | | | | how much of the overall formula to mix up, and I |
| something pretty and useful at the same time. And a | | | | determine this by weighing the wool to be dyed, and |
| simple project could be completed in an evening or | | | | doing some basic calculations. Follow me through a |
| two. | | | | sample calculation, and see if you can make sense of |
| So my friend supplied me with wool from her stash to | | | | it: |
| get started. From the moment she brought out The | | | | Let's say I have 100 grams of wool (about ¼ yard), |
| Wool, I loved the craft. I made my own design for that | | | | and I want to dye it to a medium value in a 90% red / |
| first penny rug and brought my own style to the | | | | 10% yellow formula. Since a 1% ratio of dye-to-wool |
| project, using a theme from Genesis of the serpent in | | | | produces a medium value, and I already use a 1% |
| a tree in the Garden of Eden, with thorns embroidered | | | | dyestock solution, equal parts of dyestock and wool |
| around the edges, growing in towards the "garden" in | | | | will, therefore, produce the medium value that I want, |
| the middle. The only elements in the design that could | | | | since 100 ml of 1% dyestock will deposit 1% dye onto |
| be considered "pennies" were the round fruits on the | | | | the wool. Once I know that I need 100 ml of dyestock, I |
| tree. I made it symbolic, telling a story in the Bible that | | | | multiply that amount times the percentages in the |
| was meaningful to me, and that first project grabbed | | | | formula. So I will mix 90 ml red and 10 ml yellow for this |
| my attention, so that I could hardly wait to do more. | | | | example. |
| When it came time to shop for more wool, I quickly | | | | Here is the same thing in equation form: |
| realized that, as frugal as I was, I would have a hard | | | | 100g wool X 1 (factoring the percent of dye needed to |
| time affording all the colors that I wanted for future | | | | produce a medium value) = 100 ml dyestock. Then: |
| projects. So I determined to learn to dye my own | | | | 90% X 100ml = 90 ml red dye 10% X 100 ml = 10 ml |
| wool. I have never been one to take the beaten path | | | | yellow dye |
| or do anything small-scale, so I was not inclined to rush | | | | Here is another example, for dyeing 300g wool to a |
| to the store and buy all the pre-formulated colors and | | | | dark value at a 3% dye factor, using a formula |
| just start dyeing. I needed someplace to start, and a | | | | containing 70% red / 10% yellow / 20% blue: |
| way to sample a large variety of colors from which I | | | | 300g (wool) X 3(dye factor) = 900 ml dyestock |
| could choose my favorites. So I rifled through old | | | | 70% X 900 = 630ml red 10% X 900 = 90ml yellow |
| issues of 'Threads' magazine to see if there might be | | | | 20% X 900 = 180ml blue |
| helpful information there. Lo and behold, I stumbled upon | | | | (Notice that we don't multiply the weight of the wool |
| what turned out to be a life-changing article by Linda | | | | by 3 percent, but by 3. This is because the percentage |
| Knutson about dyeing using only the three primaries, | | | | symbol expresses the amount of dye powder as a |
| dissolved in water to a 1% dilution. I liked this idea. It | | | | percentage of the dyestock that we need to get the |
| would keep the mechanics simple and the buying of | | | | value we want, but in the equation we are calculating |
| supplies to a minimum, so that I could experiment to | | | | the amount of dyestock itself to use, which is exactly |
| my greedy heart's content. The article also outlined a | | | | 100 times the amount of dye itself. Using percent in the |
| systematic approach to trialing colors, using | | | | equation would divide the final answer by 100, which |
| progressive percentage-based formulas. Brilliant! A | | | | would be incorrect. So dropping the percent sign and |
| way to address my need for organization, while | | | | using the number alone is simply a shortcut to getting |
| allowing me to be creative. | | | | the correct answer.) |
| So I would like to share with you, after the thousands | | | | Have you heard the adage, "Give a man a fish and |
| of hours I have spent using these methods, why I love | | | | you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you |
| them. | | | | feed him for a lifetime"? This is, in essence, what I am |
| KEEPING COLOR CHOICES SIMPLE The very first | | | | doing. Rather than saying, "here is a formula that will |
| decision I made at the outset was to use only white | | | | dye 1 yard of wool", I am showing you how to |
| wool. Since then, I have had to content myself with | | | | assemble boiler-plate formulas and equation that will |
| using natural, because white is not always available, | | | | take you wherever you want to go when dyeing, and |
| and I want to be as consistent as possible, since I also | | | | with relative ease once you are used to it. Don't let the |
| sell wool. (Using natural wool does add a tiny bit of | | | | math intimidate you - it's all stuff we learned in the fifth |
| warmth to the colors, but not enough to worry about.) | | | | grade, and you ARE smarter than a fifth grader! |
| Before I started dyeing, I saw many formulas using a | | | | I could go into more detail here (in fact there will be a |
| base wool of taupe, or khaki, etc., but I concluded that I | | | | book on this sometime in the future) but for now I am |
| would have every color of the rainbow eventually | | | | just giving you the gist of the method. I will provide |
| anyway, so to use one base color would keep | | | | more help in future articles, so stay tuned! |
| everything consistent. I further standardized by creating | | | | THE BENEFITS OF USING LIQUID DYESTOCK Liquid |
| formulas using only the three primaries. I work in color | | | | dyestock is, without doubt, the most convenient way |
| families or 'tiers' of color, from very bright to primitive, | | | | to dye wool. Even if you use pre-formulated colors, |
| and I determine where a color belongs by how much | | | | maintaining dyestock in the colors you use most will |
| of the third primary it contains. If I were using mixtures | | | | speed up your dyeing -- you can walk into the kitchen |
| of pre-formulated colors, this kind of organization would | | | | and dye a few pieces easily. One of the great |
| be impossible. My method also allows me to see gaps | | | | conveniences of this method is that you need only |
| between formulas, ensuring that I have a continuous | | | | produce dyestock occasionally, if you produce a fair |
| selection all around the color wheel in each tier. | | | | quantity. For instance, 1,000 ml of dyestock will dye |
| It is also easier to find colors that are in between | | | | 1,000 grams (about 2 1/2 yards) of wool to a medium |
| colors I already have. For instance, if I am studying two | | | | value, so if you produce 3,000 ml of each primary, |
| blues and I want to find the color in between, splitting | | | | (nearly a gallon) this will carry you through a fairly large |
| the difference in the formula will nearly always | | | | project, or several smaller ones, even if you dye all |
| produce the color I want, provided that I start with two | | | | your own wool. Once made, your dyestock will keep |
| colors that are fairly similar. Sometimes it takes two | | | | for a long time. Dyestock will, theoretically, last |
| stabs to get the formula right, but that is usually all it | | | | indefinitely, given the quality and sterility of the water |
| takes. By expressing all formulas in the same simple | | | | you use, but for practical purposes, ProChem says it |
| terms (three colors, in percentages), we reduce an | | | | will last a minimum of 6 months. If you dye regularly, |
| unknown formula to a mathematical equation, rather | | | | there is not much danger of wasting a lot of dyestock. |
| than an educated guess. | | | | Using liquid dyestock will give you the kind of control |
| GOING METRIC Like most of us, I am accustomed to | | | | needed to dye small pieces with accuracy. Using a |
| using English measurements, and when I do anything | | | | 1-ml syringe (the type used to deliver insulin) helps |
| else I still use cups, yards, pounds, teaspoons and all | | | | make this possible. And when using several colors to |
| the rest. But when I started dyeing wool, I felt a great | | | | produce a formula, small nuances in tone can be |
| need to eliminate as many variables as I could. So I | | | | made. For instance, yellows are very, very difficult to |
| took a huge breath and switched my mindset, where | | | | formulate with accuracy, because tiny changes in the |
| The Wool is concerned, to using metric measurement | | | | red and blue of a yellow formula produce dramatic |
| for everything, despite my previous reluctance to do | | | | results. Working in drops, however, these fine changes |
| this anywhere else in my life. I am so glad I did. | | | | are quite possible, in fact there is a predictable |
| Honestly, using the metric system makes the math | | | | mathematical progression of formulas in yellow that |
| easy to manage once you are accustomed to it, and | | | | produces everything from near-green to near-orange, |
| not beyond the average person with basic math skills. | | | | and every nuance in between. |
| The great beauty of the metric system is that 1 ml of | | | | Contrary to what you might think initially, I find this |
| water weighs 1 gram, so liquid measure and dry | | | | method to be a tidy way to dye, especially when the |
| measure can be treated as equal for wool-dyeing | | | | dye powder (nasty, messy stuff, in my opinion) spends |
| purposes. This principle is absolutely key to everything | | | | most of the time in the cupboard. I use various-sized |
| one does when using this method. You can relate the | | | | syringes and small graduated pitchers to dispense |
| gram weight of dye powder equally to the ml | | | | dyestock. Because the dyestock that I use is dilute, |
| measurement of water when making dyestock, and | | | | spills rarely cause a stain if I wipe them quickly, even |
| you can relate the gram weight of the wool equally to | | | | on my oiled oak floors and birch countertops. I use |
| the amount of ml in the dyestock, when choosing a | | | | screw-top lids to store dyestock, and keep the lids |
| value for a color. | | | | screwed on when not in use, and I pour larger |
| For instance, I mix 1 gram of dye with 99 ml of water, | | | | amounts of dyestock over the sink to avoid big |
| creating 100 ml of a '1% solution dyestock'. Because 1 | | | | accidents. |
| ml of water weighs 1 gram, this 1/99 ratio of dye to | | | | A FEW CAVEATS Using the three primaries does |
| water is mathematically accurate and easy to quantify. | | | | have its limitations, but they are few. I have formulated |
| I make 1% dyestock for each primary, and store it all in | | | | many browns and blacks using the three primaries, |
| milk jugs. So remember: | | | | however, these colors are more difficult to produce. A |
| 1 gram dye powder + 99 ml water = a 1% dyestock | | | | lot of stirring is required, and the use of Glauber's salt |
| solution | | | | mandatory to produce any kind of even result. Even |
| USING PERCENTAGE-BASED FORMULAS Now I'm | | | | then, your results may vary from batch-to-batch. If you |
| going to make you think a little harder. You'd better go | | | | are more fussy about your results, you may prefer to |
| get a cup of coffee! | | | | use pre-formulated browns and blacks, and add a little |
| In addition to adopting the metric system, I continued | | | | of the primaries to adjust them. |
| standardizing my methods by rendering all formulas in | | | | I use ProChem dyes, and have yet to experiment with |
| percentages, rather than teaspoon fractions. This | | | | other brands, although I can guess that even if the |
| creates a 'universal' formula that will work, regardless | | | | overall results vary from ProChem dyes, those brands |
| of the size piece being dyed. For instance, if I am using | | | | would still behave predictably, using the same methods. |
| a formula that is 90% red and 10% yellow, that | | | | I hope this inspires you to try this method, which has |
| percentage will remain constant for any piece I dye. | | | | worked so well for me. This is the first in a series of |
| Since every formula, no matter who makes it, is | | | | articles on the subject, and in future articles I will |
| ultimately a mathematical equation, whether it is | | | | provide more detail about the methods I use, including |
| rendered in percentages or 1/16 teaspoons - working in | | | | equipment (with resources), working in percentages, |
| percentages broadens your ability to apply that | | | | setting up mathematical progressions of color formulas, |
| formula in any circumstance. | | | | how to trial color samples, and the care and feeding of |
| I also use percentage measurement to determine how | | | | your dyestock. |
| much dyestock to use to produce the value I need. It is | | | | |