Knotted dyeing

Did some dyeing today. Had some small pieces of undyed wool left over from the ends of bolts, projects, etc. I decided to take these pieces and do the same thing you do to them as you do when marbleizing wool. So, I knotted them up and threw them in a pot of boiling wool with synthrapol added. After they simmered for a bit, and I was sure the wool was wet, I added my Stargazer formula to the pot. Squashed the wool down well with a pair of tongs and let it simmer for 25 minutes. I added vinegar to the pot after 10 minutes or so.

The original colors of the wool were a gray checked, an oatmeal texture, celery green, goldenrod, and some small brown pieces. With the exception of the brown pieces, I like the way the wool came out. Here is a photo of the finished pieces. Sorry, they are not the best.

I think you get the idea of the kind of effects you can achieve. These can be very effective in penny rugs.

This knotted dye piece was done at another time. The yellow is much more vivid in the actual piece.