Barbara Parry - Teach Yourself VISUALLY Hand-Dyeing

Hand-Dyeing

by Barbara Parry

Teach Yourself VISUALLY Hand-Dyeing

Copyright 2009 by Barbara Parry. All rights reserved.

Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2008943606

ISBN: 978-0-470-40305-1

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Credits

Acquisitions Editor

Pam Mourouzis

Project Editor

Suzanne Snyder

Copy Editor

Catherine Schwenk

Technical Editors

Sara LambVicki Jensen

Editorial Manager

Christina Stambaugh

Publisher

Cindy Kitchel

Vice President and Executive Publisher

Kathy Nebenhaus

Interior Design

Kathie Rickard, Elizabeth Brooks

Photography

Matt Bowen

Additional Photography

Barbara Parry, Cynthia Herbert

About the Author

Barbara Parry raises sheep on her 220-acre farm in the Berkshire foothills of western Massachusetts. She dyes her own line of knitting yarn produced from the wool of her flock and markets it under her label, Foxfire Fiber and Designs, both online (at www.foxfirefiber.com) and at sheep and wool festivals throughout the Northeast. Her hand-dyed yarns and fibers have been featured in Wild Fibers magazine and in several knitting books. She chronicles life on her farm in her blog Sheep Gal (www.sheepgal.com) and is a free-lance writer contributing to fiber arts publications. She teaches classes in hand spinning, dyeing, and colorwork.

Acknowledgments

I thank the many people who contributed to this book: Pam Mourouzis, Suzanne Snyder, Matt Bowen, and the Wiley team; Vicki Jensen and Sara Lamb for their technical expertise and careful reading of my manuscript; Linda Roghaar; Kathy Elkins; knitwear designers Lisa Lloyd, Melissa Morgan Oakes, and Kirsten Hipsky; Barbara Giguere, Teresa Campbell, and Holly Sonntag, whose stitches composed the samples in the book; Holly Sonntag for reliable back-up at both the farm and studio; and the many friends and family members who helped in myriad ways. I especially thank my husband, Mike, whose encouragement and support made this project possible.

Chapter 1: Why Learn to Dye?

Learning to dye fiber opens the door to an exciting new realm of color possibilities. Whether you knit, crochet, spin, weave, or felt, the greatest benefit of dyeing your own fiber is an unlimited range of color. The freedom of color choice in any fibers you wish to use presents a vast world of options.

My work with color in the dye pot began over a decade ago. I am fortunate to live on a 220-acre sheep farm in the Berkshire foothills of western Massachusetts. My flock provides an abundance of raw materials, and the ever-changing natural beauty of the pastoral landscape provides color inspiration.