Natural Wool ~ For Sale and A Recipe

First I'll speak about the recipe called Soft Green which is in one of my favorite dye books Beautiful Wool by Laurice Heath.  The Soft Green recipe uses Cushing Dyes; 1 1/2 t. Bronze Green, 1/2 t. Khaki Drab in one cup boiling water.  Then from that 1 cup you apply the dye one tablespoon at a time in your pot over natural wool until you achieve the intensity you want.  

Remember that well water vs. city water, as well as physical location does have an affect on how the final wool turns out. So be sure to add only 1 tablespoon of dye at a time, you can always add more.

The background wool used in both Hester and now Hobo Joe is this green below which was overdyed on natural wool.  The ticket I attached to the wool indicates the recipe used was Soft Wool, 4 T from Beautiful Wool.

When I dye wool I'd usually do a couple different dye pots and put 4 T of the solution in a pot and the other maybe 3 T of dye.  Normally I start with one tablespoon and add to see what I like.  You can always add more if it isn't dark enough.  Here is the background on Hobo Joe, close to the end.  

Here's Hester, a design by Lori Brechlin and was a free pattern in the last issue of Primitive Quilts and Projects.  Looks like I used up the lighter pieces of wool from the same dye for this mat.  The outside border and base was from an as is textured piece of wool.

Now about that natural wool sale.  Below is a picture of one yard of UN-washed natural 100% wool.  If you click on the picture it will enlarge and you can read the tag.  

NOTE:  I have received orders from folks who are a NO-REPLY Blogger making their order in the 'Comment" section.  I cannot reply to you since you are a  DUH, "no reply' blogger.   You can learn about how to fix that if you search my blog.  So IF you want to place an order follow the instructions and click on the HERE that is provided below.  

I am not over dying much natural wool these days since there are so many colors left in my stash to use up so really need to clean some of this wool out.  The natural is $15 per yard and I've several yards.  

As you can see there is more on the bolt.  At this time I'm not ready to sell my as is textured wool but that might be next because when I walk in that wool room I become over whelmed.  

If you are interested in the natural wool sale, again it will be $15/yard, unwashed and shipping will be added.  If you'd like to inquire as to postage tell me how many yards you are interested in, your address and I'll give you a price on shipping.  Then you can decide and either send check, money order or could send you a PayPal invoice.  To place an order send a message with the information HERE.

IF any of you are interested and going to Cape May NEXT WEEK I can deliver the wool to you there and no shipping of course.  Just let me know what you want so that I can have it packed in my car by next Saturday.  

I will ship wool out until next Friday and then if there is any wool left to ship it will have to wait until I return home from Cape May.

It's storming here again so should get off this computer.  Have a good weekend folks.

Saundra

Old/New Rug on the Frame

Big Dog didn't get done today because I dyed some wool to tone it down for the next hooking project.  So it appears that the new design will be started sometime tomorrow after I finish pulling the last few loops on Big Dog and steam it.

You're all wondering what my next project will be and I've given some hints in the past but if you are like me that desire could change in a heartbeat.  But, the desire has stuck with me and this is what I'm starting tomorrow.  I'm calling it Red Bird of Pennsylvania since that is where is was hooked and/or discovered.

                                                                      

The antique rug is hooked with cotton and wool, was hooked early 20th Century and measures 21" x 39".  That was a smidgen bigger than I wanted to hook so mine will measure 18" x 35".  Eventually, when able to update my web site I'll post this design for sale there but that won't happen until sometime in May when I get the computer situation rectified.  Meanwhile, if anyone would like to join me and hook this design the same time I am, the pattern would be drawn on Dorr Natural Primitive linen with the measurements of 18 x 35 for $65 plus shipping.

So now to the dyed wool......Lucille Festa told me what she does to tone down color in wool and thought I'd try it on the cream for the rug.  She suggested putting 1/4 teaspoon of Cushings light brown dye in 1 CBW and then use a tablespoon at a time in the pot until you get what you desire.  The off the bolt washed wool is on the right and the slightly toned down wool is on the left.  There isn't a whole lot of difference but suits me just fine and I'll cut some strips of the lighter as well and mix them up in the bag and pull at random.

Since I didn't really want to darken the wool much, but did hope for a little mottled wool here, I only used 2 tablespoons of dye solution in a pot with about half a yard of wool.  So if I need more wool or want to tone down something else later there is more solution already mixed up.

Enjoy your weekend and come back to check on the progress on my new rug IF indeed it does get started tomorrow as hoped.

Saundra