Over the past few months, I’ve been experimenting with some backyard fabric dyeing (results above!). No real agenda, just Googling and YouTubing the heck out of the topic and trying my hand at it.
Do you ever think, “How hard could it be to (insert new skill here)?” Yeah, that tends to be me.
Turns out I’ve gained a new respect for hand dyeing. I didn’t find it hard, per se, but I wasn’t able to control the results as I had desired.
However, I’m happy to report that despite most of my trials turning out not-as-anticipated, that speckled yarn I created, above, is spot-on what I wanted! Pun definitely intended. Ooh, I love it so much, I had to start knitting a pair of socks with it, stat.
And last week I took a little vacation out to New Mexico to visit friends. We made up an indigo dye bath and had a really fun, messy time dyeing anything we could fit in the vat! The results were stunning, as was the view from my friend’s front deck. The whole experience was just what my creative well needed to be filled.
What do you do to jump start your creativity? Have you tried your hand at dyeing crafting materials?
Love that yarn. And, oh, wow, what a view! I have always wanted to try indigo dying, and I imagine it must have been especially wonderful in that environment.
When I need to jump start my creativity, I usually surround myself with copious amounts of artsy magazines and books. Eventually after consuming plenty of raw inspiration something unique will pop out of me 🙂
Yes! A trip to the library or bookstore can be a great jumpstart.