Catherine Friend
Catherine Friend

Happy to Dye (that’s D-Y-E, not D-I-E)

Earlier this year I gave away two ‘dyeing’ sessions using yarn from our farm. (I still have 6 waist-high bags full, so if you want to dye, just let me know!)

The first winner was my friend Pam. Let’s call her Guinea Pig #1.

At the farm I had a 7 foot kitchen counter in the laundry room, with everything I needed within 5 steps. At the new house, I lack the space to do this, so because we installed a ceiling under the deck to keep that area dry, I decided that would be the spot. But that meant everything had to come outside, table, and chairs and water, etc.

Here’s Pam painting her skeins on an old screen door covered with a shower curtain:

Pam applying dye to the yarn

The screen door was a fail. Grrr. But we managed. Here are two skeins dyed, wrapped in cellophane, and ready for the microwave:

the yarn dying is done

Here we are with the final product, a lovely blue and green yarn.

Catherine and Pam with the finished yarn

I learned so much from my session with Pam—basically everything was too hard and took too long. Sorry, Guinea Pig #1. Thanks for your patience!

I made some adjustments, then came another giveaway winner, Kellie. Let’s call her Guinea Pig #2. It was great to see Kellie, whom I’d worked with as a freelance editor 15 years ago.

Here’s Kellie working on her skeins, using an actual table this time. (Screen door’s going to the dump.)

Kellie applying dye to the yarn.

Here we are with the final product, which looks like a sunset.  (This is one of my first selfies. Sheesh. I need to join the 21st century.)

Kellie and the finished yarn

Things went much better with Kellie, but there was still room for improvement. My cooperative Guinea Pig #2 helped me make a list of ways to streamline the process even more. A better place to mix the dyes! Another table! Samples of yarn dyed in each color!

I have someone coming to dye in another week. Since she’s actually paying for the experience,  I cannot use her as a guinea pig. Hopefully I’ve worked out most of the kinks!

The one thing I learned from my time with Pam and Kellie is that I love doing this—-the results are different every time, and it’s a good reminder for me that it’s okay not to always be in control.

Basically, the dye’s gonna do what the dye’s gonna do.

Now if I could just apply that pearl of wisdom to the rest of my life…

4 Responses

  1. Looks to me as though your two guinea pigs were having a ball, so that in itself qualifies as a great success. Although I know nothing (well, less than nothing) about dying yarn, it all looks beautiful to me.

    P.S. Love your glass frames!

  2. This is from several years ago so it may no longer apply but I’m a huge fan of your books and my mom and I are both fiber artists. So if you still have many bags of wool you need to find a home for, I would be delighted to meet you and learn to dye it! It would make an excellent Christmas or birthday present for my mom.

    1. Hi, Cait,
      So, so sorry about the delay in responding. For most of this month I’ve been locked OUT of my website. Very weird. I’ve been unable to see it, get into it, reply to comments, etc. My web guy finally figured out how to get me back in a few days ago. So it’s likely too late for us to dye something for your mom for the holidays, but if you want to give her a trip down in the spring to dye some yarn, that would work! I’m going to dye with a few friends in someone’s basement next week, so if that works it could expand my ability to schedule these things during the winter. Right now I can only do them outside, so that means no winter! We do 4 skeins at a time, which would be $80. I provide the dyes and all the equipment and the instruction, then you get to do the work. 🙂 Feel free to email me at crfriend@icloud.com to work out the details, just in case I have more problems with the website and the website email address. Thanks, and Happy Holidays! Catherine

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The Big Pivot

About Me

After twenty-five years on the farm, I’m adjusting to the adventures of city life. Part of that adjustment is figuring out what I want to write about now, since sheep are no longer part of my daily life. I’m challenging myself creatively by painting with pastels and playing the ukelele as I seek my new writing path.

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Catherine Friend is a fiscal year 2021 recipient of a Creative Support for Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.