Rug Hooking Wool

Colors

Modern dyes and wool production provide a wonderful variety for the rug craftsman to choose from. Not only the design elements but the style of the rug will dictate which colors are desirable for a piece. Primitive style rugs require a different pallet from the extensive pallets required for the elegantly shaded realistic style rugs.

While most modern dyed wools are stable when used for garments (and subjected to dry cleaning), the rug hooker might have different results. Machine washing and drying not only alters the hand of the wool, they may effect the color as well. A wonderful black wool can come out of the dryer a mottled dark blue. Part of the joy and challenge of rug hooking is the chance in every choice.

Deliberate mistreatment of a dyed wool can produce some wonderful results. Try boiling a piece of wool in a large pot (dedicated to crafting not cooking) of soapy water for a few hours. A lime color might just turn out a lovely soft mint. Or try rolling three colors of wool together before putting in the simmering pot. The dye might transfer from cloth to cloth creating interesting effects. Even the amount of stirring done during the simmer will effect the outcome.

Dying is a popular method of obtaining a variety of colors. While a white wool might dye beautifully, some really wonderful results can be obtained by over dying plaid, herringbone or solid color yardage. There are many books, and web sites dedicated to dying wool.

Recycled Wool

Raiding the family closets, scouring the weekend garage sales and visiting used clothing shops can provide just the wool needed for a project at a really decent price. Be sure to check the fiber content, even a small amount of synthetic in a fabric can negatively affect its use in a rug. A small amount of nylon is the only synthetic blend suitable for rugs.

After purchasing, deconstruct the garment. The seams can be ripped out. If the garment received a lot of stressful wear, the seams should be cut away. Usable pieces need to be a few inches wide (depending on the strip width desired) by at least 18" in length before fulling. Try to determine the lengthwise grain of the fabric so that the strips you cut will have nice long warp threads for support.

Weed out the pieces that are too small to use and full the remaining pieces. Cut strips from the bone dry wool.

What Wool is Right for Rug Hooking?
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