I remember being very intimidated by dyeing a few years ago; mostly because reading Deb Menzs’ book Color in Spinning made everything look so scientific and precise. After taking a class at Sievers, with Deb, and declaring in front of all, my fear of dyeing; I quickly found that splashing color on roving and spinning it into yarn, very creatively satisfying . It was great to learn all the really accurate ways to measure out the dyes so that you can easily reproduce colors. But it was even more fun to let out my inner demented scientist and add a little bit of this color and a little bit of that and just play around. She was a great teacher and if you ever get a chance to take a class at Sievers, jump at it. It’s a peaceful island get away; where you can refuel your creative energies.
I remember driving home from that week and seeing color inspiration everywhere. Sunset colors I could dye into a roving , colors in the fields that belonged in a weaving. And now, every time that I do some dyeing, my eyes seem to be more open to the color combinations nature provides in such vast profusion. Yesterday some cows in a field of varying greens, connected in my head with a weaving I had seen on some talented weavers blog. Now I have in mind dyeing some warp, black and white combined with some chained warps in greens and voila, cow scarf!
The other thing percolating in my head right now is a “demented chipmunk” handspun yarn. Long story short, let’s just say killer chipmunks attacking from under a porch on our recent vacation. The kids have been helping me with what this yarn should look like. I takes my inspiration wherever I can get it.
These jugs contain Lanaset acid dyes in a stock solution; once they are in solution they are much safer and easier to deal with.


Too much white

This turkey roaster is a godsend for steaming. It has a bottom section that keeps the water separate from the fibers. I’m dyeing everything in the studio that is white in preparation for the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival coming up Sept 5th-7th