I just learned how to "marry" wools that you'd like to use in a rug. As we all know black, red, blue and every other color comes in many different shades. Not all of them match in clothing, and mismatched wools in a rug, might give it an older look. (They made do with what they had). Or it might distract from the overall design. My first advice is that if it doesn't bother you ~ run with that! :)

 

If on the other hand, you're hooking along and it is bugging you that the colors stand out from each other, try marrying the wools before you hook.The directions' I'm sharing came from one of my many mentors. In this case, April of Red Jack Rugs on blogspot.

"Separate your wools into the very lightest, the very darkest, and then take the medium values and separate them into light-mediums and dark-mediums.  Put the lights only in a pot with some hot water and a little laundry soap.  Simmer for 1/2 hour.  Pour in 1/2 of white vinegar.  Simmer another 1/2 hour.  Then put through a warm rinse cycle and pop into dryer with a fabric sheet.  Pin together in a bunch.  Do the same procedure for the other three value groups.

Try to keep your colors in the same range.  Don't put together complimentary colors or you will end up with brown wool.  So don't put red and green or blue and orange or yellow and purple in the same dye pot unless you want brown.  If you want a blue face, you need to simmer together blues with maybe a purple or a green, but nothing from the yellow or red color family.  . . . The reason for marrying your wools is that they will blend together flawlessly when you hook them into your mat because their colors have been blended.  If you don't do this, you will end up with a more striped and uneven effect. "

 

She will be teaching us how to hook by value, working on portraits. I'm so excited, I can barely wait for this coming Saturday! Toodles for now.