Wool rag is my favorite material to weave into rugs, runners and coverlets. Strips are narrow, about 1/2 inch wide, and cut only as I need them. Rya knots tied in wool rag weave have a shaggy texture. Rya woven boat blankets from Finland and Norway, and old rag coverlets from Finland and Russia inspire me. Rough and shaggy weaves were meant to function like animal hides, for warmth, and I like those textures. I am interested in very old Scandinavian design motifs, Tree of Life, animal and botanical stylized forms, and pre-Christian motifs. (I am a born again post pre-Christian, by way of religion). That is, I'm not a church-goer.
I use new wool blanket remnants, bought by the pound from one of the last midwestern woolen mills. This high quality fabric is one that I have learned how to dye with consistently good results.I keep dye records stapled to little manila cards, with brief notes about the dye colors I used, and very rough proportions. I'm not much of a record keeper, but this is enough to
help me.
Since I like to see a lot of subtle color variations in my rugs, especially in the same rug, this method of saving color recipes works for me. Many shades of a color are much more interesting to look at than the same shade woven all the way through. Think of the many shades of color as the light filters down through the tree leaves as you walk on a path through the woods. Many shades of color on your path! This is color that is alive. I want my weaves to look alive. If I were painting, I'd need to blend lots of colors, and use many shades. Weave rag like a painter.
Another advantage of wool dyeing is that I usually need only dye 1/2 yard pieces. I have a designated stainless steel kettle with a lid that I use for dying. It holds a 1/2 yard piece at a time, with plenty of room for slosh. The size of the piece is easy to handle.
Though there are dyes meant just for wool (for instance Lanaset) I prefer to use Procion fiber reactive dyes, heated with salt, and vinegar, per instructions, for my dye bath. Use a mask when measuring the dry dyes, and wearing rubber gloves may be a good idea, too. I simmer the wool, stirring frequently with a wooden paint stick, until nearly all the dye is absorbed. This can take 1/2 to one hour. I like to let the dye bath cool then, while occasionally stirring the wool. Since my wool rugs are washable, it's important that the dye is color fast, and fade resistant. This is especially important to me for colors which often run, like red. Procion dyes are very economical to use on wool, since a little goes a long way with most colors. They are versatile and can also be used with soda ash, and cold water to dye linen and cotton. The dye bath can be disposed of down the drain safely. It is often almost clear.
I rinse the new dyed wool in warm first, and then cool water, then line dry. It's best to do this in spring, summer and fall. But I also dye in winter. And it is dependably fun to make some new colors to weave.
For several years I have made a small faux birch woodpile in my store when the firewood season arrives.
The old warp is done now, long live the new taupe and white 12/6 Swedish cotton warp I plan to tie on and pull through. I love this offset diamond twill weave with the wool blanket remnants, because it is so deeply textured, and because it makes the diamond grid eccentric.
Now I know it takes 5 lbs of wool blanket remnants to make this. I panicked when I began weaving it, thinking, what if I don't have enough on hand? and purchased an extra 20 lbs. I may be making a batch of black rugs in the near future. For weavers who might be interested, the rug is woven in a 4 shaft double binding weave (not a true double weave, because the layers are interconnected) but took at least 4 long days to weave. The rug has been dampened and tumble dried twice, at high heat, to full it, and to de-lint the cut wool rags. The rug lost 4 " in length, and 1/2" in width after drying.
Here is the start of a set of wool rugs, woven in Swedish double binding, a 2-layered block weave. I've been wool gathering, and winding warps, calculating, and threading for the last week, so I'm happy to be weaving at last. The blocks are 10" square, but I'm weaving them long so they'll be square when they're finally cut off the loom. To finish, I'll dampen them, then dry them in a hot dryer. I'm cautiously optimistic about the project at the moment.
I have been weaving, in fact, I weave everyday. Here is my chocolate wool rug, the first in a series of 2 color wool rugs. The rugs are sized 22" X 3 ft, and 22" X 6 ft, proportions that I like in this style of rug, long and narrow. My next 2-color rug will be gray and olive, possibly.
