✨We did hear that y’all like a surprise, so for tomorrow’s shop update (12/1) @ 12 PM EST, we are going to be adding surprise grab bags for our Homestead Worsted & Homestead Sport yarns. ✨Now- before you say, “HEY GUYS!!! I have a particular color family I like, and I don’t want to get anything that I won’t use…”, don’t you worry! The listing will allow you to choose if you want: 3, 4, 5, or 6 skeins (so we can accommodate all price ranges and project needs), AND we will have an option for: individual color families, fades, and a “surprise me with what is poppin’ now” option 😁 ✨Also- the more you buy, the bigger you save! Our typical kit price is $2 off per skein. These listings will be priced so that: •3 skein bundles are $2 off per skein •4 skein bundles are $3 off per skein •5 skein bundles are $4 off per skein •6 skein bundles are $5 off per skein ✨Kelsey put together this beautiful 5 skein pallet for a new design she is working on…ya want to know the colors, dontcha? 🧶In our Homestead Worsted from Left to Right: Fig, Torn, Summertime Sadness, Oblivion, & Pheasant. Oh- and don’t worry. We will have Kelsey’s combo as an option too 😉 See y’all tomorrow at 12 PM EST!!! #primroseyarnco #primroseyarn #primrosehomestead #indiedyer #indiedyersofinstagram #indiedyedyarn #indiedyed #indiedyersofig #handdyed #handdyedyarn #handdyedwool #handdyedyarns #handdyedfiber #yarn #yarnlove #yarnspiration #yarnstagram #yarnofinstagram #yarnlovers #yarnlover #knittersofinstagram #knittersoftheworld #knittersofig #crochetersofinstagram #crochetersoftheworld #crochetersofig (at Primrose Yarn Co.) https://www.instagram.com/p/Clmfb3wPN2E/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
#knitting a #barleylight with #handspunyarn from fiber I purchased from @spunrightround ages ago when she used to have #handdyedfiber https://www.instagram.com/p/BqukHhZFlFW/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=sywg63kcsg01
This is the finest-gauge single I've spun so far and it represents many months of practice. I dyed up some Targhee, didn't like the color combo, so kept the sections I liked and started on my #turkishspindle. #ighandspinners #igspinners #targhee #originalfidgetspinner #handdyedfiber #handspunyarn #handspunofinstagram
♥️ THE MORE YOU KNOW ♥️ Did you know that: There are 2 distinct fiber classifications that determine what dyes to use, when dying different types of fibers? 1- Protein Fibers (Animal): Wool, Silk, Yak, Mohair, Alpaca, Angora… any fiber that is grown and then sheared or plucked (in the case of angora rabbits), from the animal. ✨Acid Dyes are typically used for this dye process, but natural dyes can also be used. 2- Natural Fibers (Plants): Cotton, Rayon, Hemp, Linen, Wood, Corn…any fibers that are grown and harvested from plants. ✨Procion (or Fiber Reactive) Dyes, are typically used for this dye process, but again, natural dyes can be used. 💥Fun fact: you can not use acid dyes on natural fibers, and you can not use procion dyes on protein fibers, BUT, you can use natural dyes on both! ….BUT WHY? ✨During the acid dying process of protein fibers, a chemical bonding takes place between proteins found exclusively in animal fiber and the acid dye. When the dye and fibers are mixed together, the dye is activated and the process of activity seeking out the proteins to bind to is initiated; and with the help of a little heat and an acid….VWALLA! Dyed animal fiber! ✨A very similar process happens when dying plant fibers, the only difference is that the fiber and protein element has changed. Which is why a different type of dye is needed for this chemical bond. This is why you may see a wool and linen blend yarn, and the plant fiber is all white (or close to it) and the animal fiber has been dyed. Plant fibers do not have the ability to bond with acid dye, and wool does not have the ability to bond with Procion dyes. Betcha didn’t know all us indie dyers are actually conducting science experiments ever day, did ya?! 😁 #themoreyouknow #primroseyarnco #indiedyer #indiedyed #handdyed #handdyedwool #americanwool #handdyedfiber #handdyedroving #indiedyersofinstagram #indiedyersofig #indiedyersoninstagram #indiedyerofinstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/ClHhpz8v-a6/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
🎉Shop Update🎉 Newly listed immersion dyed Elli AU combed top! This update includes the very last of the SW Targhee Llore base as it has been discontinued by the supplier. I will be dyeing up some non-SW Targhee as soon as all of the old base sells out of the shop. I will be using the same base name (with clear indications on the listings and ball band that it is not superwash treated fiber). There are two braids of the top colorway in Llore (shown in the photo) and two braids in Llegacy (SW Merino) available in the shop. They were dyed in the same pan but the bases do absorb the color somewhat differently. #LladyLlama #LLFC #indiedyer #spinnersofinstagram #spinstagram #handspun #handspunstagram #fiberart #handspinning #handspinnersofinstagram #spinningfiber #spinning #wool #handdyedfiber #kettledye #combedtop #yarnmakersofinstagram Image Description: A photo collage on a black background showing three colorways of immersion dyed combed top spinning fiber. Each colorway is shown in close up and in a full angled shot. The top colorway is dyed in aquas and purples with hints of grey. The middle colorway has pops of bright teal, fuchsia and purple overdyed with a dark navy blue for a layered, glazed effect. The third colorway is dyed in muted tones of dusky plums and grey blues with hints of cooler purples as well. https://www.instagram.com/p/CaVKt16pngi/?utm_medium=tumblr
🎉Shop Update 🎉 More immersion dyed Elli AU combed top and two new Niddy Nøsties are now available in the shop. Link in profile. #LladyLlama #LLFC #indiedyer #spinnersofinstagram #spinstagram #handspun #handspunstagram #fiberart #handspinning #handspinnersofinstagram #spinningfiber #spinning #wool #handdyedfiber #kettledye #combedtop #yarnmakersofinstagram #spinningtools Image Description: Slide one shows a photo collage on a black background with four colorways of kettle dyed combed top in closeup and full shots. The first colorway in sunset sky colors, the next in muted spring pastel pink and greens. The third is a mix of purples, blues and pops of pink with areas of very pale pastel. The fourth is a range of olive greens, speckles of warm brown and areas of pale yellow. Slide two shows two hand turned cherry Niddy Nøsty spinning multitools with decorative vinework wood burned details. It also shows two more colorways of combed top. The first is a mix of deep burgandy red and blue grey with lighter areas of grey and undyed. The second is a muted mix of olive green, browns and reds with some speckled areas. It is reminiscent of my Zombie Hunter colorway. Slides three and four show each Niddy Nøsty close up. https://www.instagram.com/p/CNVk5lyJV0_/?igshid=rbikv00wkz61
I proudly present to you, Project Noah. A THREE YEAR PROJECT examining how to dye a ball of yarn in multiple different colors. I wanna talk about two seperate ways to dye a yarn ball with several different colors and the pros and cons of each. I also want to talk to you about growth.
Three years ago, in 2016, I had this giant ambition to dye the rainbow for my “Matthew Shepard” scarf. I was so inspired by the message of that pattern, and how closely I feel tied to the LGBT+ community that I simply had to pull out all the stops. I had never dyed before, I had never approached a fisherman construction, nor have I ever tried editing a pattern to fit my tastes. When I finished it, I felt like I could DO ANYTHING. It had all worked out great- all of it except my approach to dyeing yarn.
It has taken me several years, not only to get to a place where dyeing yarn was financially feasible, but also to learn techniques and learn from my mistakes. I was so DETERMINED to get a rainbow that flowed from one color into the next almost seamlessly. I want to share with you what I’ve learned- and how it feels to see growth in such a real way,
Three years ago, I thought, that if you put the colors of the rainbow ROY G. BIV in some mason yarns, and divide your yarn equally amount those colors you’d get BAM a rainbow. I used food coloring at the time and nearly obliterated my family’s stock of red food coloring for red velvet cake. I had that vision in my head and I KNEW I could do it– my first result was, severely disappointing. I thought that the colors would magically meld, because I left yarn to dangle in between the yarns- thinking capillary action would bring each color into the next and create that gradient I was looking for. I was wrong. Hopefully. Excited! But wrong.
Let me tell you my great surprise when I learned that I had accidentally created self striping yarn WHILE I was trying to knit my Matthew Shepard scarf. It was terrifying, hoping maybe it would work as I got farther and farther away from the point I could safely frog it without losing some really hard lace motifs. I was feeling like a failure when I found that last little bit of yarn. It was hanging across ALL of the pots and picked up that gradient EXACTLY I had envisioned it. THERE WAS HOPE.
So, I tried again. This time I did some research! I found out about sock blanks! SO. Usually it was knit up using a knitting machine (the same kind of toy one that always dropped stitches and started my knitting journey, needless to say at the time it was out of the question) I didn’t have a good one at the time. SO I decided to take out some size 17 circular needles and knit the things MYSELF. YA’LL IT TOOK ME THREE WEEKS. So after finishing, I promptly got some squirt bottles I used for tie dyeing shirts and proceeded to DYE MY SEAMLESS COLORED DREAM. I thought- if it’s in a skein, and I shove a bunch of different colors in each other. MAGIC would happen. AND ID FINALLY BE ABLE TO GET MY RAINBOW. It didn’t quite work out. IT WORKED. Most definitely, but it wasn’t seamless- beautiful, and well enough for my scarf but when I look of that picture of it drying in my shower, I cringe just a little bit. I remember being so EXCITED for that yarn, and getting shot down when I wanted to show it off. So discouraged that it took me another three years to even think of attempting it again.
Fast forward to today. I have math on my side now. I had finally been able to work out dye concentrations, and the depth of shade I was looking for- and after ensuing mistakes, trials, and experiments. I ended up with 16 mason jars and a whole ton of colors. Once everything was out of the dye pot. I was SO PROUD of the shades that came out. I got teals, I got coral, I got chartreuse! AND IT STILL FEEL LIKE I could go further!
Let me share with you some of my notes on this. I knew, I would start with my primary colors. Red, Yellow, Blue. I needed a stand in for “Ultra Violet” And I know that the pride flat ops for pink, so pink it was. From there, I had to figure out how I could fully saturate a skein of yarn, but ALSO have the dye solutions light enough so that one color doesn’t fully over take the other.
Yellow was a .0375% stock solution as they are quite strong
Pink was the same concentration.
Blue was a .05% stock solution.
Red was the same as blue.
From there I figured out how deep I wanted to get the lighter colors first. Yellow, and Pink. Once I got myself a fade set I was happy with, I went ahead and started adding reds or blues, depending on their position with an inverse relationship. As one color gets strong, the other color gets weaker.
What I love most about this technique is that you can be extremely accurate and replicate your color way quite easily. If you find a color you absolutely love, you have notes on it to do it again for either a full skein or more mini skeins. It can be expanded- as long as the ratios are the same.
My frustration with this technique is this. IT DOESN’T FLOW. You’ll gave to get REALLY granular- and maybe do a dozen stages of a gradient to replicate that seamless gradient. I would be really happy to do this for maybe two colors and their transitions- but for a whole rainbow. This will take me more time.
NEXT. WAS THE SOCK BLANK.
I used my same stock solutions- one because I made a ton, but two I wanted to try and keep the same relationships between colors if I could.
If done right, dyeing a sock blank is endlessly satisfying. For me, it’s very much a messy organic process where your hands get blue, and your whole surroundings become a canvas for colorful chaos. It was a blast. Having my hands on the skeins, squeeze one color into another and pouring the colors on a blank skein made me feel like an alchemist. I didn’t put a lot of thoughts into how big my swatches of color were going to be- and I probably should have been more precise. Nevertheless, I find myself preferring to dye this way if I were just dyeing for me. You may not get exactly what you want- but the joy is i the process. And you can more easily get that kind of “FLOW” into the next color because you’re literally pouring one over another.
There are a lot of difficulties with this method. One, you have to watch your work surface. Getting bits of stray colors on the skein is really easy. sometimes it’s even inevitable. Your sock blank may not be completely perfect. It usually isn’t easily replicated so knitting double can be really helpful– sock blanks are notorious for their little pockets of resist created by the interlocking knit stitches so if your dye strikes too fast, you’ll get variegated yarn instead of solid or tonal. Because of that, I like to dye without heat and then steam set. That brings more complications though. Watch how saturated you get your yarn with liquid. I say this because, I thought once I had dyed the perfect blue gradient. Before it was time for me to heat set the yarn. It flowed so wonderfully into the next. I couldn’t stop looking at it. I covered it in plastic wrap giant mistake because plastic doesn’t breathe. SO. If you have too much liquid in your skein of yarn. Guess what. its going to pool on the bottom side of the yarn while it steams. Your hard work could get erased in the last stage- and it can be disheartening. Take my advice get a big roll of butcher paper. You can find it cheap at wholesale culinary stores or the internet and it works like a dream.
DID I GET EXACTLY WHAT I WANT?
er. Yes, and no.
I am so proud of this work, and I’m so excited to see how I’m going get these skeins knitted up. I can’t help but wonder. How much better can I do this three years from now?
PLEASE KEEP CRAFTING. KEEP CREATING. EVERY HICCUP IS A LESSON YOU CAN USE TO GET STRONGER. YOU ARE ALWAYS GROWING.
