Washing and carding the wool is the most time consuming part of processing the wool. I added a pic of my freshly dyed wool. While the wool is soaking, set up the work station and add 1/4 teaspoon of coloring to a small amount of hot distilled water and stir. Additional supplies optional Clothes pins, sheets, towels, clamps. When you begin to see the smooth wispy wool effect, then carefully lift up the edge of the wool and stack it in a box with the ends all going in the same direction. This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. I suppose the amount of time and temperature would depend on the microwave. Amount depends on the size of container. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. Add 1/2 cup vinegar, and a drop of liquid Dawn, and 1/8 cup (salt if desired to this mixture. Buckets or tubs depending on amount of wool to be washed. We spent a few hours on this step, until the water was clear and the wool was clean and the soap removed. I also bought dog brushes to card with but soon realized they were indeed too small so I decided to make my own out of the dog brushes by putting 2 1/2 on a thin piece of ply wood so they'd be wider and I'd be able to card more. So if you want to card some corriedale or clun forest, but then also card up some merino or … Add to the pre-soaking water, Plastic wrap,or zip lock bags, microwave safe glass jars or bowls, Plastic table cloth to protect work surface. I used 1 gallon. This article has been viewed 39,623 times. Reply To learn more, like how to remove your processed wool from the carder, scroll down! Nora's mom had sheep and they made a lot of Navajo Rugs over the years. A rough estimate is courser wool is 140 degrees F and finer wool is 160 degrees F. Skirting table or a place to dry the wool, old towels to aide in removing excess water if you don't have a screen or skirting table. Distilled water ( for soaking and rinsing if you have heavy minerals, chlorine, or fluoride). It is the high heat not the vinegar that sets the color. Spread the clean wool on the skirting table and fluff and cover with a sheet using clothes pins to secure. Did you make this project? Lady Gaga Cosplay - 2020 VMA's Halloween Costume. Here is the ingredient list for stove top wool dyeing, not every ingredient or tool is shown: Paste food coloring (use approximately 1/8 teaspoon and increase until desired color is achieved). I skirted, washed, picked, dyed, and carded a stockpile of beautiful wool~. I actually did it for an extra 2 minutes as well, because some people mentioned to microwave it for 5 minutes, I was a little afraid to microwave it that long so I heated it in increments to be on the safe side with a pause in-between and it worked. I dipped a ladle into the stock pot and poured the hot water into a cup and added the food coloring and mixed it thoroughly.Then I added the coloring to the stock pot, with 1 cup vinegar and salt (if you want to try) approximately 1/4 cup. Microwave, or stove top, or oven can be used, I am sharing the stove top and microwave methods. I'm glad I came across your instructable tonight. To learn more, like how to remove your processed wool from the carder, scroll down! If you have to card a lot of wool, consider purchasing a drum carder. For best results, use a soap or detergent with a pH between 7 and 9. Hair conditioner ( as wool softener if desired ). Thank you for sharingP.S. How to Process Card and Dye Raw Wool Step 1: Research. The only difference is the method of heating is in the microwave instead of the stove top and the application of the dye was placed into bowls and microwaved 3 times, and the bowls were heated in the microwave at two minute intervals one bowl at a time. It is all definitely a learning process but so much fun and very rewarding as you mentioned. Hair conditioner for softening the wool if desired. You need enough water to cover the wool. Then the mixture is poured into a squeeze bottle and drizzled over the wet wool, that was pre-soaked in the vinegar and Dawn solution. You can spin from the ends or the fold of clicked locks to produce semiworsted yarn, or prepare the locks further by using a hand carder or a drumcarder. Timing will be important because the wool should be added before the temperature of the pot is warmer than the wool, otherwise the wool may felt right up. I enjoy working in the yard, sewing, cooking, quilting, gardening, and creating. I used 1 cup of vinegar to the water on the last rinse, to remove the soap residue and to neutralize the wool. Place the wool in the pre-soak solution and allow it to soak for a few minutes. From what I understand different types of wool require hotter temperatures and more careful handling. The savings were very rewarding. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/2\/23\/Card-Wool-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Card-Wool-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/2\/23\/Card-Wool-Step-1.jpg\/aid3946520-v4-728px-Card-Wool-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"