Yarn Rainbow

Yarn Rainbow
Originally uploaded by dinahsaurus.

This is going to seem completely incredible--it would to me if I wasn't in the class-- but these are NATURALLY dyed yarns! On Saturday, I took a class, through Hilltop, at Earthues, called "Dyeing Yarn the Natural Way." If this class ever shows up on the schedule again, and you're at all interested in dyeing, take it! Sandra and Kathie, who taught the class, were incredibly nice and knowledgeable about plants and fibers. We learned about how to create colors using natural materials, as opposed to chemical dyes, and learned about preparing, dyeing and preserving these colors. Each pair or trio of students took on a dyepot to dye yarn for the group, though we had plenty of opportunites to walk around, observe, ask questions, and share in the amazement. My fellow students could not have been nicer people, too. Everyone pitched in and helped with creation and cleanup. From the top of my yarny color wheel, you see: Madder (Dark Red) and Madder with Tums added (Orange), Marigold (Yellow), Weld with Indigo overdye (Green), Indigo (Blue), Logwood (Purple), and Cochineal (tiny bugs) (Fuschia). Another incredible thing was that these all started out as good old Cascade 220 (Color 8010, if you're wondering). It was not even the superwash kind, and it really held up to the boiling and dunking and handling, and took the color perfectly. Now I have 110 yards of each color, and I'm wondering what to make. Something fair isle? Something striped? Does anyone else out there from the class know what they'll make yet? Any suggestions?