The idea was conceived one afternoon over a cup of coffee…

Three friends; three artists; three shop owners; all working with the same material in three unique ways. The idea was simple – follow four ounces of fiber on its path from one artist to another and share the details of its transformation along the way.

You all know me, so let me introduce you to the others:

The spinner: Jill Draper Makes Stuff

The crocheter: Hodge Podge Farm

As The dyer I am simply the creator of the spinner’s palette. I am pretty easy to spot in a crowd; just look for the the blue fingernails and dye stained shirt. I work with a small collection of powdered dye pigments to create an ever-growing collection of  dye recipes. Once mixed the concentrated dye-stock is cataloged and stored for future use.

Sold by the pound, I often  purchase large bales also called “bumps” of commercially combed top. When considering which fiber to choose for the Follow the fiber project; the choice was simple – Merino! It is perhaps one of the most popular fibers; soft and delightfully squishy it is perfectly suited for the intended spinner and final project.

There are countless dyeing techniques and each is as unique as the product it yields. Thoughtful of the type of wool as well as the spinning techniques that could  be used I choose to use a crock-pot to introduce the heat necessary to set the dye.

The tools for dye application can be as complex or simple as you wish, here, dye is applied with a recycled water bottle:

Once the fiber is dyed and cooled it is rinsed to remove any residual dye and neutralize the acidic solution used in the dyeing process. Careful attention to the handling of the wool is required to prevent any undesirable felting at this stage.

Thoroughly rinsed the fiber is set to dry for a few days…

After days on the drying racks the fiber is weighted and bundled into “chains” using a finger crochet technique. The chaining creates a braid that enables The spinner to visualize how the colours pair with one another. Once chained the fiber is photographed using both natural lighting and daylight bulbs to ensure that the image accurately represents the colours used.

And with a little assistance from Photoshop – the final result:

Once bagged and tagged the fiber has reached the end of it’s journey in the ITW studio.  The palette is complete and ready to be delivered to the talented hands of  The spinner.

To Follow the fiber – head over to Jill Draper Blogs