BACKGROUND
How long have
you been dyeing yarn?
About 7 years. Sometimes I feel like an amateur!
There's always something new to learn, which is really fun.
How did you
get started dyeing?
A friend sent me a swap kit that included bare yarn
from KnitPicks and some packets of Kool-aid. It's so easy because the Kool-aid
has the dye and the mordant all in the packet. The colors are fun and bright,
and it smells great!
What is your
background?
I have an architecture degree from Cal Poly. I
learned how to be a creative problem solver, and how to meld my artistic side
with my logical side. Most of my practical work experience is in office
administration, so it's helpful for running my own business.
Do you have
any special experience with art or science that influences your dyeing?
My schooling included design concepts and how to
apply them to physical things, including experiential spaces. Color theory was
only a small part and I mainly work on intuition and experimentation when
developing colorways. Working in the architecture studio setting for 6 years, I
naturally developed my own work process and it affects my operations today.
What makes
your yarn special or unique?
Every skein is unique. The kettle-dye process ensures
the dye absorbs slightly unevenly, which means the resulting yarn will look
watercolor-y when crafted into a fabric. I choose each yarn base carefully: it
must be soft, bouncy, and create a sturdy, heirloom-quality garment when
knitted or crocheted.
What is
something interesting about your dyeing process that non-dyers might not know?
You might not know that I use organic dyes and
mordant. The whole dyeing process takes about 4-5 days from start to finish.
First, the yarn gets tied up to prevent tangling. Then has to soak in a mordant
bath before being dyed. It cooks for several hours in the dyebath and must cool
completely before being spin-dried, usually overnight. It gets hung up to
air-dry in a cedar-lined drying room for another 2 days, then gets twisted up
and labeled. In total, I handle each skein at least 6 times throughout the
process. My hands and all the imperfections they create along the way
(measuring dye, squeezing out excess water, submerging yarn in the dyebath,
gentle stirring, etc.) are integral to my tonal colorways.
How do you
choose your colors and name your yarns?
Portland has some spectacular plant life, everywhere
from the International Rose Test Gardens to city parks to my neighbors'
backyards. There is no shortage of inspiration around me as I venture out for a
hike or stay home to work on my own little plot of land. Sometimes I
accidentally make a cool colorway and just have to stare at it for awhile and
wait for a name to pop into my head.
Where do you
find inspiration?
Mostly in the natural world. You'll notice that most
of my colorways are earthy. I developed the bright ones over a summer when I
spent a lot of time in my garden. We sowed some wildflower mix all around the
edges of the vegetable garden and were surprised with a wide variety of bright
colors and textures that summer (and the one afterward).
How many
colorways do you have?
There are currently 24 colorways in my classic
collection.
Do you create
seasonal or special order colors?
I do, and it's so much fun! Often a store will
commission an exclusive, limited-edition colorway. I also like playing around
with colors and making some seasonal limited editions. These are mostly
variegated colorways.
How many and
what types of bases do you use?
There are currently 6 standard bases in the
Bumblebirch collection, all superwash Merino and superwash Merino blends,
ranging from lace to worsted. They are all exceptionally soft, strong, and
consistent. I also introduced the seasonal Vernacular base this year, which is
100% domestic wool, grown and milled regionally. In 2015 it was 100% Cormo
wool. In 2016 it will be Cormo blended with another regional wool so I'll have
much more of it to dye. Keep your eye out for it!
Where do your
yarn bases come from?
The classic bases are from a mill in South America,
where Merino wool is plentiful. The Vernacular base is from small farms in the
Pacific Northwest.
Where can we
find your yarn? LYSs and online?
You can find a selection of my yarn and limited
edition runs in my online store on my website, bumblebirch.com. There you can
also find a list of retailers throughout the US.
What are your
favorite colors?
I love gray, green, blue, and warm, earthy colors
too.
Favorite
fibers?
I love a lot of soft wools and am especially in love
with anything blended with silk. Merino/silk, BFL/silk, Alpaca/silk—I love it
all!
Do you
crochet, knit, or spin? What came first?
I learned to knit first, when I was a child, and
picked it up for good in my mid-twenties. I also taught myself some very basic
crochet stitches so I could work edgings and flat circles when needed. I
recently had a spinning lesson and decided not to start that hobby until I'm
retired! I also just started weaving on a small hand loom last month and it's
very addicting.
Anything else
you would like to share?
I encourage everyone to try dyeing their own yarn, at
least once. There's something magical about the process and all the labor that
goes into it, and you get a completely unique product in the end, which is very
satisfying.
![]() |
(all photos courtesy of Sarah Kurth) |
grt
ReplyDelete