Indie Dye Friday: Hauteknit Yarn

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. Today we are visited by Mishellee of Hauteknit Yarn. Her colorways are bright, varied, and unique. Let's have a look!

A bit about Mishellee
"I am from Maine but moved to Wilson, NC a year ago to escape the snow. I have an 18 month old daughter, we call her Elle, she LOVES yarn and her hand knit accessories. I couldn't ask for a better husband. He thinks what I do is "cool" and is always willing to help me decide if a colorway needs something or when I need something moved or built. To say I'm a girly girl would probably be an understatement. I love shoes, pretty dresses, pink, purple."

How long have you been dyeing fiber? How did you get started?
"I've been dying for about 3 1/2 years. After working with Madelinetosh and Malabrigo a few times I knew I wanted to dye yarn. I read a few books, blogs, watched some videos, ordered yarn and dyes and jumped in! That is pretty much how I do everything in life.  I figured if nothing else I would end up with a ridiculous stash of yarn."

Where do you get the inspiration for your colorways?
"It can really be from anything. Sometimes it's the colors in the kiddo's outfits, other times it's cars  (my husband is a car guy so there are endless car videos playing in this house). Most of my colorways are completely unplanned and just kind of happen."


What fibers and dyes do you love to work with?
"My favorite fiber to dye is superwash merino. My simple sock base is one of my favorites because it takes dyes great and the end result is really crisp. Another favorite would be a bamboo or silk blend because the sheen is just amazing."






Behind the scenes...

A few colorways... 

Such interesting color combinations! Do you want to see more? Visit Hauteknit Yarn on Etsy, Instagram, and Ravelry. Thanks for joining us today, Mishellee!

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!

Indie Dye Friday: Huckleberry Knits

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. Today's featured dyer is Scarlet Tang of Huckleberry Knits. Her beautiful, bold colorways first attracted my attention at Fiber Fusion Northwest. I'm so excited to have her here today to share a bit about her business.

A bit about Scarlet
I live with my husband and son in Bellingham, WA. We're way up in the northwest corner of the state. People often ask if it's near Seattle, but we're actually closer to Vancouver, BC.

One of the great things about Bellingham is that we're on the coast but we're also really close to the mountains, so there's a huge variety of outdoor activities to do.

How long have you been dyeing fiber? How did you get started?
I've been dyeing since 2006. I used to knit and crochet as a kid, but hadn't done very much as an adult. I picked it up again after I had my baby. The first time I saw hand-dyed yarn, I had to have it. Then I found out that I could actually do it myself, so I tried it and got hooked. I had a hobby business knitting pants for cloth-diapered babies, and added my hand-dyed yarn to my online store. It grew to the point where it was all I could think about, so I quit my job in 2011 and have been dyeing full-time since then.

Where do you get the inspiration for your colorways?
Inspiration comes from everywhere. It can be a photograph in a magazine, a lyric from a song, a favorite book or TV show. At this point in my dyeing career, I've done a lot of the colorways that I naturally gravitate towards, so now it's about me exploring the edges of my color sense, looking for new combinations that grab me and making myself go out of my comfort zone. 

What fibers and dyes do you love to work with?

Blue-Faced Leicester (BFL) has been one if my go-to wools for years. As a knitter (I don't crochet much anymore due to tendinitis problems), I really love how it's soft and lustrous, but is still durable and resistant to pilling. 

And as a dyer, I appreciate that the colors on BFL don't shift much during the heat-setting process. Sometimes you don't know exactly what you're going to get until you pull it out of the dyepot, but with BFL, what you see when you apply the dye is what you get after it's bound to the fiber.

And one thing that I've discovered lately is how good Targhee smells when you're dyeing it. Most hot, wet wool smells like nothing special, but Targhee has a really distinctive fragrance, like meadows full of wildflowers. I love it.

I also love silk blends. Though who doesn't? You get the softness and shine of silk, and if you're dyeing spinning fiber, it's much easier to work with a blend than pure silk, which has a tendency to resist being dyed.

 
Behind the scenes...
[For my Rock Candy colorway, first] I soak the yarn (in this case, Willow Blue-Faced Leicester/nylon). Next I dye the brown through yellow colors, and heat-set them for about 20 min, long enough so that the dye won't run. Then I apply the green and blue. With most colorways, I dye all the colors at once, but I've had enough problems over the years with either the red or the orange getting mixed with the green (and turning into mud) that I do a two-step process now. It takes extra time, but has saved me some headaches.

A few colorways...

Rock Candy. I originally wanted to call this M&Ms, but I didn't want to get sued.

 Slate. I love grey. It's such a great neutral--not as stark as black, but still hides most of your dye stains when you start splashing it around. This is my new American Dream Worsted yarn, which is a 100% Targhee that's grown, processed, spun and dyed entirely in the US. Not only is it beautiful and fun to work with, but I'm also really glad that I can support Western farmers and the domestic wool industry by offering it.

Beachcombing. This one was inspired by a trip to the East Coast that we took a couple of years ago. We went to Chincoteague Island, on the way from DC to my parents' house in Massachusetts, and this colorway is all about the beach and the salt marshes and gazing out at the Atlantic.

Such splendid colors! Want to see more of Scarlet's lovely fiber? You can catch up with her on her website, Instagram, Ravelry, and Facebook. Thank you for joining us today, Scarlet. 

Indie Dye Friday: Dye-It-Yourself

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.

Today's featured dyer is... you! Hey now, I can see that quizzical look on your brow. You may be thinking, "how can I possibly be an indie dyer?" Well, these days dyeing yarn is a lot more accessible than you might think. Knit Picks has a whole line of bare fibers for you to experiment with, and you can often find bare yarns in your local yarn store as well.

You also have several options when it comes to dyes. There are all kinds of kits and books out there to help you dye your own yarn. There are also yarn dyeing tutorials made available online.

So, full disclosure, I've never dyed my own yarn. It's true! I'm hoping that this post will inspire not only you folks but me as well. Let's all get out there and dye our very own hank of yarn. Think of how unique our projects will be! Have you ever dyed your own yarn? Tell us all about it in the comments.

Indie Dye Friday: Toil and Trouble

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. Today we'll be hearing from Ana of Toil and Trouble. Her colorways pop with outstanding vibrancy and are beautifully blended. I'm so happy she's taking the time to share a bit about herself and her yarn, especially since she's been tied up in the snow storm that has blanketed the eastern US!

A bit about Ana
I was born in Brazil and lived in several different countries before settling down in the US. I now live in Salem, Massachusetts with my husband and our three rescue cats. Dyeing yarn, knitting, and obsessing over what to knit next take up most of my time, but I also love curling up with a good book, painting, and going bouldering. Also, pie. There's always time for pecan pie.

How long have you been dyeing fiber? How did you get started?
I dyed my very first skein of yarn in December 2010. I have a background in oil painting, so once I realized it's possible to paint yarn, it was instant love. Dyeing yarn is a way for me to bring together my passion for art and knitting. 

Where do you get the inspiration for your colorways?
I spent my formative years traveling and moving. I got to experience so many different cultures and stories, which has influenced all of my work. My love of books, folklore, and mythology is a predominant theme and source of inspiration for my colorways.

What fibers and dyes do you love to work with?
I love merino wool and cashmere (who doesn't?). I've discovered I enjoy working with fiber blends more than pure fibers because the combinations can complement each other in interesting ways. A hint of cashmere really increases the lusciousness of merino wool, and the merino wool gives the cashmere more sturdiness. Silk brings a beautiful sheen to wool, and the wool gives silk more stability and structure. For dyeing, I use professional grade acid dyes. 

Behind the scenes...

A few colorways...

Continuum Transfunctioner - This colorway was the most recent colorway I did for my yarn club. We've had an awful lot of snow days here in the last month, and I found myself indulging some guilty pleasures, such as watching a lot of terrible movies. As we learn from Dude Where's My Car, the Continuum Transfunctioner is a powerful device, and its power is only exceeded by its mystery. 

Fairy Queen Jubilee - This colorway was inspired by the Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee. There was so much publicity around it, and one day I found myself wondering - why wouldn't a fairy queen also have a jubilee? And wouldn't it be wonderfully colorful?

Sun Also Rises  - This was one of my earliest colorways and is still a favorite. It is named after The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. 

 

How much do I love those colorway names? So much! Ana's yarns are so lovely (and fabulous pictures, too). I'm in danger of breaking my fiber diet! If you're as smitten as I am you can find Toil and Trouble on her website, on Etsy, and on Twitter and Instagram as @toiltrouble.

Indie Dye Friday: Rambling Rose 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. Today's featured dyer is Teresa Rosello of Rambling Rose. She's here with us today to share a bit about herself and her yarns. Her vibrant colorways really stand out beautifully.

A bit about Teresa
I am a stay at home mom of two little girls.  We live in Maryland, south of Baltimore.  I love to make things from scratch, and things like cooking, sewing, knitting, and crocheting are perfect for me.  I also enjoy gardening.

How long have you been dyeing fiber? How did you get started?
Being a from-scratch kind of person, just knitting wasn't enough for me.  Dyeing the yarn that I use was a natural first step.  If I had the time (and I certainly don't!) I would enjoy learning to spin the yarn first, or even to raise the sheep myself (but don't have the land...  yet).  I started dyeing as well as a creative outlet for myself.  My second daughter had just been born and I needed a non-mommy pursuit.  Making money is a bonus, but having my shop is more for giving myself an outlet.

Where do you get the inspiration for your colorways?
As a gardener, it was easy to take inspiration from nature.  I like bold, bright colors, but am learning to appreciate the subtle colors as well. 

What fibers and dyes do you love to work with?
I love to work with the silk yarn.  The colors are so bright and vibrant!  Plus silk for some reason doesn't tangle as badly as some of my other yarns when I'm rewinding them.  I only use Greener Shades dyes, and I find the lack of diversity in their color to be perfect for me.  I only use a red, blue, yellow, and black from them and mix my own colorways.  I'd never get anything done if I used something like Jacquard, as they have too many options for me.  I would really like to start learning how to make my own dyes from plants. 

Behind the scenes...
[Here are] a few pictures of my dyeing workspace.  It's in my basement, so it's not easy to take nice pictures.  I included a picture of my yarn storage, a photo of yarns hanging to dry, and two ugly photos of my crock pots and a large assortment of the glassware I use to mix up dyes.  

A few colorways...
This is my silk blend yarn, in my Lime colorway.  I love how bright and fun this colorway turns out. 

My alpaca blend yarn is a single ply mix of wool, silk, and alpaca.  I love how the colors blend in the Midnight Blue colorway.

 
My tweed yarn is a fun superwash merino yarn with bits of synthetic material spun into it.  Blackberry is a great combination of purple and pink, and one of my favorite colorways.

Just lovely! You can see more wonderful colorways on Teresa's website and in her Etsy shop. Thank you very much for joining us today, Teresa!

New 2015 Friday Features

Hello, readers! We are here at the beginning of a whole new year. This blog has seen so much growth and development over the past year and my current Friday features, Remix Friday and Friday Focus, have enjoyed a lot of popularity. We've seen inspiring, bold projects remixed by everyday crocheters and learned about talented designers. My 2014 features were wonderful indeed but I am just itching to shake things up. Collaborating with others has left me with so much enthusiasm that I have decided to expand all of our horizons in 2015... with new blog features! You're going to love them and there's something for everyone. Read on to discover what you have to look forward to on Illuminate Crochet this coming year.

The first Friday of every month is Fiber Arts Friday! Join me as we expand our horizons beyond crochet to focus on other interesting fiber and needle arts. Enjoy the beautiful projects and learn something new along the way.

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.

The third Friday of every month is Reach Out Friday! Learn about ways that you can use crochet to help others through special charities and groups.

The fourth Friday of every month is From the Source Friday! Show your appreciation to these dedicated fiber farmers as they teach you all about where your yarn comes from.

The fifth Friday of January, May, July, and October is Freebie Friday! Tune in to find out how to enter my exciting giveaways. You could win yarn, patterns, findings, and more!

So, there you have them! I hope you're as excited about my new Friday features as I am. Thanks for reading!