Like most of you, my eyes and mind are constantly in search of beautiful things.
A while back, I did a story about my
obsession with Harris Tweed, but today, I want to tell you about my new
obsession: Hand Dyed Yarn.
The word yarn comes from Middle
English, from the Old English gearn, akin to Old High German 's garn,
"yarn", Dutch 's "garen", Italian 's chordē,
"string", and Sanskrit 's hira, "band".
The idea of dyeing yarn dates back to Neolithic times, over 5000 years ago on the continent of Asia. China has been using dyes sourced from plants, minerals, and insects for at least this far back in time.
My mother talked about dying muslin
fabric with tea or plants when she was growing up and since much of what I write is historical, this fascinates me even more.
My friend Maureen, right here in the
Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, showed me how she dyes her yarn, and it is as much an
art as it is a craft.
The process begins by importing only
the finest yarn from the UK- as her base. Perhaps this is why I love her yarn
so much? It reminds me of my tweed.
Maureen carries many blends of yarn, including yarn with cotton or silk.
A skein, or hank or yarn, is a large length that has been loosely wound into a ring and then twisted into a figure of eight. These hanks are immersed in dye pans.
Maureen uses a combination of primary
and custom blended dyes. Each batch created is unique and blueprints and recipes
must be created so she can replicate the pattern and design for future orders.
After dying and rinsing, she dries the yarn in a huge oven.
You would think that was the end of
the process, but then comes the time-consuming part of twisting, tying and labeling.
Besides being eye candy, her yarn is petal soft for wearability
If you love handmade beauty, check her out at her website Charmingewe.com.
Not a knitter, but I love hand-dyed yarn. It is so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI do crochet, but I have learned as I get older that buying supplies and using them are two different hobbies.
DeleteI crochet. I'm fascinated with dyed yarn and what the pattern will turn out to be when there are a variety of colors in the skein. Enjoyed your post.
ReplyDeleteI am a crocheter too- I wish I could knit but never got the hang of it- I was amazed to see the process and the outcome- especially the yarn with speckles.
DeleteDid I tell you about my wild idea for yarn when we lived in Weatherford? We had several acres of pasture that was unused. Several friends dyed yard and knitted and one had a loom and wove yarn. They had difficulty getting raw wool. We had the wild idea that I would have sheep on our unused acres and then I could furnish the raw wool. When I discussed this with Hero, he said, "No way." Realistically, he pointed out that he knew who would be tasked with shearing the sheep and doctoring them, etc. I have to admit that was my plan. :)
ReplyDeleteI actually think that is a genius idea! ;)
Delete