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Penny Dyeing

If you haven't tried this yet, you're in for a treat. This is a great technique for beginners because all you need is a container large enough to hold the wool, several dollars in pennies, water, and non-sudsy ammonia. Add time and you can change the most obnoxious wools into the most desirable. Penny dyeing will make your wool (generally) darker and duller.

Click on the picture for a larger view.	Notice the slight mottling in the background of this rug. I wanted to add my granddaughter's handprint and her name as printed in second grade to the background on the left side of the rug. I added my handprint, name ("Nana Gay" to her), and the year on the right end of the rug. I didn't want to detract from the rug so I needed the color to be similar to the background. I had dyed the background and planned to return to the dye pot. Thanks to the hot weather, I used the penny method instead. It only took about 24 hours to change enough for me to use. Remember to watch your wool. Depending on the amount of wool, pennies and ammonia you use your time will be much different.
Instructions
1. Fill a container (with a lid) with enough water to cover your wool. I often use one of my dye pots because it's too hot to do any dyeing on the stove. A student of mine uses a gallon jar. It's convenient because you can watch the transformation.
2. Add several dollars of pennies to the bottom of the container. No need to count, just several large handfuls. You can't add too many. Too few will just take more time.
3. Add a few glugs of ammonia, about a 1/4 cup in a large dye pot. The more ammonia you add the faster the chemical reaction will take place. If you're not sure, start slow. You can add more ammonia in a day or so if nothing is happening.
4. Add the wool. You can add several different wools if you like but remember that some of the dyes will leak and discolor the others. Sometimes this is exactly what you want. Experiment! If you are using red, be careful. Like a red sock in the white load of laundry, everything will end up with a pink cast.
5. Add the lid. The ammonia stinks! And wait. If you are trying to change the bountiful red plaids out there, be patient. It make take a week or two. Other wools may change in less than an hour.
Tips and Comments
White/Natural: great dirty white for snowmen, Santa's beard, etc. Camel: I've had some change to a mint green! This process is unpredictable but fun. Red plaid: If you are patient, really patient, you will get a wonderful cinnamon soft plaid - wonderful in any piece. Yarn: Don't pass up the 100% wool yarn you find at garage sales, etc. The most awful colors can be made useable after spending time with the pennies.

This is a photo of my actual penny collection. They are too ugly to spend or take to the bank, but that's OK because I can use them over and over. They are worth so much more when used as a simple, no heat dye solution to ugly wool colors.