I am taking a one day break in showing blog hook-in rugs, with the hopes that the photo issues can be solved before that rug show is finished.
Here is a letter from a reader that is having problems with shredding wool.
Dear Gene,
I would really be grateful if you could give some advice: How can I prevent home-dyed, new, off-the-bolt Dorr wool from shredding when I hook with it?
If you have a minute, here’s the longer version: After buying your `Bible’ a year or so ago I became really interested in rug hooking. Not knowing any rug hookers in my area, I ordered wool (Dorr natural), dyes (Cushing and Magic Carpet), Monks cloth, a frame and a cutter through the internet. I had read that new wool should be washed before dyeing to `full’ it. I washed mine in the washing machine (warm water, Tide no-bleach detergent) and dried it in the dryer (medium heat, with a towel). I then spent a glorious day dyeing it, getting just the colours and gradations I wanted. I rinsed it thoroughly in cool water and dried it in the dryer again (medium heat, with a towel – we don’t use clotheslines where I live because everything would just freeze for half the year!) But after cutting it (#4) it shredded when I tried to hook with it – all the lengthwise fibres separated from each other and it had a sort of vaguely crunchy feel. So I ordered more wool, tried it all again, with the same results. I really want to get this right, but I can’t afford too many more mistakes as wool is expensive! Should I be preparing the wool differently? Could I be using too much vinegar in the dye bath? Should I agitate the wool more or less when washing it (I used the `normal’ cycle on my machine)? Could it be that the water here is too hard or soft?
I hope you can help. I know that hand-dyed wool is available for purchase, but I would really like to be able to do it myself”
ANSWER
I am sorry to hear about your problems. Here is exactly what I do and then some additional comments -
1. I use, pretty much exclusively, Dorr wool. I like the natural colored wool the best, but do use several off the bolt colors and some white. They all work fine for me. SOMETIMES, the Dorr plaids can be a bit “shreddy” but that is normal with many plaids.
2. If I am dyeing something off the bolt, I DO NOT pre-wash. I soak it in warm/hot water with a bit of softening agent, over night or several hours. (The only time I pre wash is if I am working with recycled garments. When that is the case, I do not use the entire agitation cycle – just a few mins. to get out the soap or chemicals that might be in the wool, then rinse and spin.)
3. I dye the pre-soaked wool in a simmering water bath … or bake it, or whatever. I don’t boil it hard and only cook it about 30 mins. until the color goes into the wool. (IF I need to full some colored wool that I bought somewhere, I do not put it in the washing machine. I still simmer it in a kettle of water with some citric acid (1/2 to 1 tsp) or vinegar (1/2 cup > yard) to know that the colors are properly set. I don’t think the washing machine does that.)
4. I rinse in cold water (yes, I said cold and it never caused me a problem) and hang it on the line if it is a nice day. If it is not a nice day, I put it in the dryer with a couple of bath towels and dry until “just” dry. (Tweeds and Dorr white wool I almost always put in the dryer to make them full a little more.)
I think my wool comes out just fine.
Because of your letter, I just cut some off the bolt wool and hooked it with a #4 to see what would happen. (I did not dye it or anything – just used it as is.) I am not much of a #4 fan as 3 and 4, by their nature, can shred easier than wider cuts – there is not all that much warp and weft in the strip for everything to hang together. In my test case, I cut some in the same direction as the selvedge (which is what you are supposed to do) and it hooked fine. I also cut some AGAINST the selvedge and it wanted to shred more, but it wasn’t terrible. (When cutting wool for wider cuts, 6 and up, I don’t pay any attention to the selvedge. However, for 3 and 4, I do cut it in the right direction.)
MY THOUGHTS ON YOUR PROBLEM
-You are going through more steps than I do to dye. I can’t imagine that the washing, drying, dyeing, drying scenario would cause the wool to fall apart – I would think it would be just the opposite. However, you don’t need all those steps.
- Make sure you start with a straight edge on the wool. Do you tear your wool with the selvedge to get the “edge” that will butt up against the cutter when put through the cutter? If that edge is not straight …i.e. if you cut your pieces with scissors, then the edge will wander r wobble back and forth across various rows. Instead of threads running the length of the piece … and helping hold the strip together, the piece is almost on a diagonal and it will want to shred easier. In essence you would be cutting across all the threads, even the ones that are supposed to be running the length of the strip.
- Analyze your technique. Having not seen you hook I do not know your “technique.” Some people, and I am not saying you are one, when pulling a loop, bring the wool up and down several times before getting a loop they like. That is much like rubbing a cord against something until it shreds and breaks. Hooking in this fashion can make good wool shred. The same thing happens if you put it in … then take it out … then put it in again, etc.
-Make sure you cut narrow cuts in the right direction. If using 3 and 4, cut in the same direction as the selvedge.
-Adapt. If all else fails, consider moving up to a #5 as it might make things easier.
I hope these thoughts help. Maybe some of our readers have other suggestions?
