Wayne and I went on a road trip in November to visit friends in Sterling, Illinois. (Check out last week’s blog if you missed it.) While there, we did a day trip to Galena, Illinois and I went to Peace of the Past Antiques to purchase some hand-dyed yarn. Yarn in the Woods yarn is dyed by Lauren and she was kind enough to do an interview with me.
Please introduce yourself and share a bit about your background in yarn dyeing.
“My name is Lauren, and I’m from Galena, IL. My mom’s side of the family is from Galena, and my dad’s side is from Pennsylvania, but I’ve lived in Galena for most of my life. I had no background in yarn dyeing whatsoever, actually! Dyeing my own hair is about the closest experience I’d had.“
What inspired you to become a yarn dyer?
“I was a knitter first, then a crocheter (“self”-taught both 100% through books and YouTube videos). I decided I wanted to try spinning and dyeing as well, so I asked my mom for a little yarn dye kit off of Etsy for Christmas one year and it sat unused for a while. One day I just decided to give it a whirl and started YouTubing yarn dyeing videos, went to some thrift stores to get supplies that I didn’t have to worry about ruining, and then tried it out and really liked it. I’m not even really sure what made me decide to even try knitting in the first place, since I didn’t know anyone who did it as far as I was aware. Turns out my paternal grandmother was a crocheter and owned a yarn and crafting store in Pennsylvania back in the 70’s and 80’s, and I had no idea! Maybe it was a genetic thing, lol.“
Please walk us through your dyeing process. What materials and techniques do you use?
“It is completely different depending on whether I’m dyeing a plant or animal-fiber yarn. I use fiber-reactive dyes and acid dyes from a variety of sources. For the plant fiber yarns, I use soda ash to make the water more alkaline, and for the animal-fiber yarns, I usually use citric acid powder that I mix with hot water. I have used white vinegar, but I really can’t stand the smell, so I usually don’t use that.
Usually, I pre-soak the yarn in plain tap water first (though not always; it depends on what I’m going to be dyeing). Sometimes I leave it dry and twisted up for the first step like with my Haunted Forest colorway. I have a single and a double electric burner on my basement countertop that I use for anything hot (which is all the animal-fiber dyeing). I have a few pots with steamer baskets, I have some catering steam pans with lids, and some big stew pots with lids. I have a lot of plastic and glass jars, measuring spoons and cups, syringes, plastic squeeze bottles, tongs, spoons, removable zip-ties, electric scales for measuring very small amounts of dye powders… and of course, my respirator mask, plastic goggles, and rubber and latex gloves for safety. Lots of paper towels too!
I use a lot of techniques, from straight up dry dye powder, kettle dyeing, dip-dyeing, space-dyeing… I’m going to try some ice-dyeing with snow this winter and see how that turns out.“
What challenges do you face in the dyeing process, and how do you overcome them?
“My biggest challenge is time and space! I have two other jobs in addition to Yarn in the Woods, and they take up a lot of my time. My dye studio is currently part of my basement laundry room, so I don’t have a lot of space. I can really only work on a few pans or pots of yarn at a time because of my shortage of burners and places to put things. I would love to get a big proofing oven at some point that can hold several catering steam pans at once to really ramp up my ability to do several things at once to make the most of the little time I have.
Another challenge is dyeing the plant-fiber yarns with multiple colors. The process is totally different from dyeing animal-fiber yarns. When dyeing cotton or linen yarns, the dye doesn’t exhaust from the dye bath like it does when dyeing wools or silk. Because of that, the colors tend to spread a lot more and intermingle and get muddy, or just end up not looking anything like what was intended. Additionally, they take absolutely forever to rinse out in the end. I just have to be a lot more careful and often do different colors in different stages to keep them from mingling together, which is part of the reason that it takes me much longer to do plant-fiber yarns, especially when there are multiple different colors involved.“
Where do you find inspiration for your yarn designs and colors?
“Nature, fantasy, comfy and tasty things, or just by seeing a color I like and wanting to do something with it, and I just kind of see where it goes. Sometimes I have an idea going in, and sometimes I don’t and I just kind of wing it and see what I end up with.“
Are there any particular artists, nature elements, or cultures that influence your work?
“Definitely the forests and the seas, magic and fantasy, that sort of thing.“
How has the yarn community influenced your journey as a dyer?
“I recently joined the Madison Knitters Guild, but I haven’t had the time to actually attend any of their meetings yet because they’re always when I’m working. Other than that, ChemKnits on YouTube has probably influenced my journey as a dyer the most, since she is where I learned most of what I know about the chemistry side of dyeing, for sure.“
What advice would you give to someone interested in starting their own dyeing business?
“Learn everything you can and start with superwash wool! There are very few tutorials for plant-fiber yarns (I sort of just had to make my own process after watching videos about tie-dyeing clothes and using fiber-reactive dye to dye cloth, and extrapolate out from there). Make sure you don’t use anything that you plan to later use for food or beverages, and definitely get someone else to do your taxes for you, lol.“
Are there any resources that you would recommend for aspiring dyers?
“I’ve never actually used any books or online courses yet regarding dyeing, so I can’t speak to that. ChemKnits is the main YouTube channel I watch, but there are others out there too, so give them a look! There’s an online course that I want to take when I have the extra money (and the time!) for it, which is Alanna Wilcox’s Color Alchemy Masterclass.“
You can support Lauren’s yarn by shopping on her website at http://www.yarninthewoods.com or check out her Facebook page Yarn in the Woods. She’s also on Instagram @yarn.in.the.woods
I crocheted a beautiful infinity cowl using the Fantail Shell Stitch Pattern from Hooked by Robin and 100% Superwash Merino Wool in the color “Wildflowers” from Yarn in the Woods.
I also made crocheted the Suzette Stitch Fingerless Gloves by Michelle of The Snugglery using “Lilac Blooms” Baby Alpaca Sport Weight from Yarn in the Woods. I plan to make the Suzette Stitch Ear Warmers from The Snugglery as well with the yarn I have left.
Hello again! Rio, Belle’s daughter, here! I crocheted the Giana Mobius Infinity Scarf from Silver Rose Studio using the “Turning Leaves” Set from Yarn in the Woods, as well as “Copper Cove” Treasured Yak Toes Fingering Yarn by Treasure Goddess.
I also crocheted the Shell Stitch Hat by Kim Guzman of Make It Crochet using “Foggy Morning Meadow” 100% Superwash Merino Wool DK Weight from Yarn in the Woods.
If you are looking for yarn for a new project, be sure to check out Yarn in the Woods!
Thanks for spending time with me today.
~ Belle
