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Rug Hooking with Cindi Gay
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Dyeing Wool for Birch Trees, cont'
Read all instructions, including tips, before starting
Day 3: Steaming
1.	1. Set the dye with steam. Rig up one of your dye pots so that you can put the wool in a wire basket or strainer that is elevated above the surface of the water. You will need at least a few inches of water so that it does not boil off while you are steaming. Fill the pot with water to just below the wire basket without touching the basket. You do not want the wool to get wet, just steamed. Remove the wire basket and heat to boiling.

2.	Roll the pieces of wool into a sausage shape. Twist as necessary to fit into the wire basket. Continue with the remaining pieces until the basket is full. Add a piece or two of paper towel on top of the wool. This will prevent drops of water that condense on the pot lid from dropping on the wool.



3.	When the water is boiling, reduce the heat and place the wire basket in the pot and cover with a lid. Be sure you covered the top of the wool with paper toweling.



4.	Steam for 60 minutes, checking to be sure that the water does not boil away.

5.	Remove the lid immediately so that condensation does not drip on the wool.

6.	When cool, wash the wool in warm water and dry. The wool is ready to hook your birch or beech trees. If water drips on the wool, the dye will often bleed and separate, usually turning a purplish color in some sections. This will happen from time to time when I dye with this process. Luckily, purple is one of the most beautiful colors for shadows. Using these "mistakes" in the right place will make your tree extra special.

Tips:
	Use plastic beakers to mix dyes and thickener. They are cheaper than glass measuring cups and much easier to store. PRO Chem has two sizes. I use more of the small ones than the large, but I think you need some of each. They have saved me more than once from spills. If you have only a small amount of liquid in the beakers and they get knocked over, the lip at the upper edge keeps the dye in the beaker, not on your counter.

	Use a disposable stir for the thickener such as a plastic fork or knife. A spoon has too big of a surface and tends to accumulate the thickener. Throw them away for easy cleanup.

	Use a bottle brush reserved for dyeing to clean the beakers. This also works great for jars that have been used to store dye.

	Store mixed thickener or dye in mason jars. Make a note of the contents on a standard size post-it note. Put the lid on the jar. Add the post-it note then screw down the ring. This method is quick, easy and can be repeated over and over as you reuse the jars.