The past weeks in the dye studio have been equally exciting as we prepare for summer with new yarns and new colors. This is by far one of my favorite activities and provides a release and relief for my creative reservoir.
Some of these new colors will be released in our Yarntasting Cafe Sampler (six samples, 90 yards total, $10 ppd (add $5 outside the US).
Our June sampler kit will be inspired by one of the most treasured and sought-after precious metals of all time, GOLD!
One of my favorite yarns -Bambusa (97% bamboo,3%silk) in a new and improved gold.
Below is a photo of this color in process.
Also included in the sampler is a new painted Scarab (75% viscose,28% nylon). This color scheme was inspired by a photo taken in Venice at Carnevale.
Painting Scarab is one of the most difficult to master, it takes a vast amount of foresight and consideration to finish with your intended result; that being said, I was very pleased with how this color turned in our favor.
It is strange how sometimes your mind drifts in and out of a variety of inspirations, sometimes the finished result of a project can reflect something entirely different than what was first intended. This Scarab has now shown us a new inspiration for our dye studio, Claude Monet. I have chosen an image for comparison below.
Also included for tasting, a new painted Tantra (100% tussah wild silk). This started with a very Golden Chai like base color shown below.
As it is sometimes asked in the studio, which comes first, the pattern or the yarn?
In this case we found inspiration from an unexpected source. During our search for inspirations related to tussah silk we came across this garment and were awestruck with its elegance. Nyle has declared that we will make his very own version with this specially painted Tantra. I am very excited for this.
The finished painted product that will be included for tasting is shown below.
Ensemble, 1920s
Raymond Duncan (American, 1874–1966)
Tussah silk with polychrome hand-painted vegetal motif and wood beads, navy-blue silk chiffon
Source: Raymond Duncan: Ensemble (1990.152) | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Rasu (Extrafine Merino Wool 70% Mulberry Silk 30%), is a new additions to the ArtFibers catalog.
For those of you who have been ArtFibers fans for a long enough time, you might remember a yarn called Sherlock. Rasu is almost an exact replica of Sherlock, same components, except this time produced from higher quality fibers.
Rasu is a genuinely unique yarn, the components (silk and wool) themselves are not flexible materials, however when spun into a chainette they are transformed into soft and stretchy bliss.
Color development on this yarn has been a pleasure. My imagination is allowed to stretch as the material, to lengths that extended beyond expectations. In this case, it landed me in a country that I hope to visit in a few years, Ethiopia!
An ancient place for a new mind.
This photo is taken by Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher of a Surma girl with a painted eye mask; an expression of affection. This photo has influenced the personal space of my bedroom and the professional space of the studio for the entire month of May. It seems only natural that my attention and intentions should be drawn to it.
