Indie Dye Friday: Three Fates Yarns

The second Friday of every month is Indie-Dye Friday! Feast your eyes on lovely yarn in gorgeous colorways developed by talented independent yarn dyers. Stephania of Three Fates Yarns is here with us today to talk about her dyeing experiences and show us her beautiful yarn.

A bit about Stephania
"I live in Salem Oregon, about an hour south of Portland. I've been with the same person since 1993 and we have a daughter, aged 5 going on 9."

How long have you been dyeing fiber? How did you get started?
"I've been knitting since I was about six years old. Around 2004, I stumbled into the yarn harlot's blog, fell in love with a pair of socks she was making (Pomatomus by Cookie A) and developed an incredible addiction to hand-dyed yarns. I knew at some point I was going to dye some and it was just a matter of time. With some encouragement by Jodi Danenberg and Janis Thompson, I decided to open a kit that I'd owned for over two years. A few months after that I started selling a little bit of what I made to friends."


Where do you get the inspiration for your colorways?

"I've been around dramatic and bold colors my entire life. I have two parents who are in the arts - one was a graphic artist with a focus in theater arts and the other is a folk artist and children's book illustrator. They are both so madly talented that I never bothered to learn how to draw. The color theory is built in through osmosis. I think if you take a look at Sun Grumble you will probably understand where I get ideas for colors like orange plastic.

I'm not as extroverted as my father though, so I tend to wear more muted shades. Knitting socks for a long time taught me not to care so much about wearing bright colors on my feet so I am really much freer with sock yarns than with what I'd put into a full sweater."

What fibers and dyes do you love to work with?
"I love them all. I worth with light-fast and wash-fast acid dyes like Washfast, sabraset and jacquard. Jacquard is a mainstay while I use the other dyes to make adjustments to make my colors my own.

My favorite thing to do at the moment is to over dye fibers that began as brown, grey or black. Check out helios, a merino/yak/silk blend that I picked up from Ashland Bay."

Behind the scenes...

A few colorways...

Aren't the colors fabulous? You can find out more about Three Fates Yarns on Etsy, Stephania's blog, Ravelry, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Thank you for visiting with us today, Stephania!