The Yarn Lover's Guide to Hand Dyeing : Beautiful Color and Simple Knits

Take your craft to the next level.

For rich, unique yarns of your very own creation, The Yarn Lover’s Guide to Hand Dyeing is your essential go-to guide.

Now you can create gorgeous, unique, handpainted yarns in your very own kitchen. In this practical guide to dyeing yarn at home, you’ll learn simple techniques for creating beautiful, colorful yarns–and pick up some new patterns to highlight your new hues along the way.

Fiber artist, knitter, and teacher Linda LaBelle provides her own valuable expertise and insight and gives readers a peek into a typical day in the lives of seven professional hand dyers through lush photographs and personal interviews in which they share their thoughts, advice, and sometimes dyeing secrets!

You’ll learn a variety of hand-dyeing processes, including faux ikat, used to create a fun tie-dyed effect; quick stovetop techniques that yield tons of color; space dyeing, which uses several colors to create a pattern; a way to dye already
knitted pieces; and trouble-free methods for immersion and handpainting. There’s also info on different types of dye–from Kool-Aid and food coloring to Jacquard Acid and PRO One Shot.

Once you’re finished, show off your rich and quirky new hues with 20 original knit and crochet patterns. Designs are easy yet sophisticated, and include everything from ponchos to scarves and hats to arm warmers. You’ll find clear instructions, entertaining projects, and plenty of how-to tips.

LINDA LA BELLE is a former costume designer, having worked on Matthew Barney’s Cremaster Cycle as well as costuming several sculptures for Keith Edmier, one of which (“Beverly Edmier”) is in the permanent collection of the Tate Museum in London. Linda continues to do commission work, creating specialty props for everything from an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent to a knitted piece for Details magazine. Her studio, The Yarn Tree (www.theyarntree.com), in Brooklyn, New York, offers classes in dyeing, knitting, crochet, spinning, weaving, felting, and papermaking.