Monday, September 1, 2014

Dyers in Their Studios: Art by Eve

 

This month I am pleased to introduce Eveline Chapman of Art by Eve. I met Eve during the Rose City Yarn Crawl last year where she showing off her yarn and felted work at two of the participating yarn shops. We got to chatting about her yarn and her farm, and she was one of the first dyers to send me yarn for my Hooked on Hand Dyed project. I am excited to share my latest creation inspired by her signature lace weight baby alpaca and silk blend "Anne", but until then you can learn more about Eve and her yarn...
Every Summer Eve sets up her outdoor dying studio right on her farm!
Background
How long have you been dying yarn? About 5 years
How did you get started dying?
I’ve loved fiber arts for as long as I can remember and started to dye yarn to add to my various fiber art activities, and fell in love with dying immediately.
What is your background?
My Grandmother taught me to crochet when I was about 3 and to knit by the time I entered Kindergarted.  I remember getting “in trouble” at school because I brought my knitting with me to knit at recess and was told it was not safe for me to handle the sharp knitting needles on the playground.
Do you have any special experience with art or science that influences your dying?
My degree is in Architecture, so I studied the arts and design and color in college, art were my favorite classes. My background is in drawing, watercolor, pencil, and oil  mostly.
Your Yarn
What makes your yarn special or unique?
My yarns are carefully selected for their handle and feel. Then they are all dyed in small batches and carefully re-skeined after dyeing.
What is something interesting about your dying process that non-dyers might not know? We live on a small farm and practice only what we consider environmentally sounds farming practices. We have NEVER used any chemical pesticides or industrial fertilizers. We practice only natural methods. We also believe in recycling, so it is with that in mind that I practice dyeing. I use table vinegar to set my dyes, environmentally safe detergents to wash the yarns and only the safest dyes I can find. At the same time my yarns are consistent in color from dye batch to dye batch. It is always recommended to buy all yarn for a project at once, but in our case there is a good chance one could not tell a color difference from one dye batch to the other.
How do you choose your colors and name your yarns?
I try to have a spectrum of colors available in each yarn so that no matter what the season of the year or the mood for the project, there might be a color available to suit.
Where do you find inspiration? In Nature.
Just The Facts
How many colorways do you have? Anne has 22. Betsy has 17.
Then there are other yarns that are limited edition and these vary.
Do you create seasonal or special order colors? Yes
How many and what types of bases do you use?
Anywhere from 5-10 and they change. My signature yarns are combinations of Alpaca, Silk and only the finest Merino.
Where do your yarn bases come from?
Oregon, these are my limited edition yarns, and Peru for the Alpaca. I try to source local when ever possible.
Where can we find your yarn? LYSs and online?
If you go to my website, www.artbyeve.com there are links to online stores and also on the retail location page you can see which shops carry the yarns.

Personal
What are your favorite colors?
Purple, and then all others, depending on the season.
Favorite fibers?
I love Alpaca and Silk, but then depending on the project others too.
Do you crochet, knit, or spin? What came first?
1st crochet, 2nd knit, 3rd spin, 4th dye, 5th raise my own fiber animals now too.

Link Up
Website? www.artbyeve.com
Ravelry Group? http://www.ravelry.com/people/artbyeve
Facebook? https://www.facebook.com/artbyeve2
Twitter? Not yet

3 comments:

  1. I have know Eve for several years and her love of fiber and color is unwavering.
    Her talent in this area as well as felting truly amazing. Eve's energy is infectious.
    I have personally used at least 4 of Anne yarn colorways and have several others. The colors are so rich and saturated.
    This yarn has such an amazing feel and since I knit shawls the drape is perfect.
    It has been a pleasure to read this article.
    Sincerely, Robin

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  2. Eve's Yarn is just fabulous...the colors are intense with just that hint of hand dyed variegation that makes them special!
    Tanja

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  3. Thanks Robin and Tanja for taking the time to share your experiences with Eve's yarn. I just finished my first shawl with Anne. It's so light and airy!

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