How to dye your own yarn and fiber

THE BOOK IS FINISHED!

Let's Dye Yarn and Fiber for beginners to advanced Step-by-Step guide with fun techniques with acid dyes and food-grade, safe to dye in the kitchen, dyes.

My new dye book, Let's Dye Yarn and Fiber is finally done!  It took a year to write. Why?  Deep researching, experimenting, dyeing, picture taking, editing, etc., take time.  But I have loved every minute of it!

My dyeing journey is extensive. I started dyeing about 15 years ago when I had a herd of 25 alpaca.  The only information about dyeing back in the day was to throw dye at fiber and wish for a happy accident. I mean, there was even a book that encouraged dyeing in your kitchen with acid dyes!  We now know better that this is not a good idea, at all.  Oh, and there was no mask wearing either. No bueno.

After failing so many times I realized there were some very important pieces missing, such as quality of water, temperature per a given dye, amount of dye per fiber weight, cook time, acid, etc.  So I went on a quest and researched published papers about dyeing and deeply in depth books on commercial dyeing.  Man were my eyes wide open!

After I put all the puzzle pieces together I was a success! And I mean a great success. Colors were vibrant, no more muddy color, no more bleeding fiber or felting. I could re-create colorways with no issues. There is something to the science of dyeing after all.

I put it all in this book. Every calculation, tip and trick that will also make you a dyeing success.

Where can you get it?

USA buyers can get it at Camaj Fiber Arts with free shipping.

Amazon has it for Canada, UK, The Netherlands and Australia.

Canada dyers CLICK HERE

UK dyers CLICK HERE

Netherland dyers CLICK HERE

Australia dyers CLICK HERE

As an extension to the book will be my soon released Yarn Dyeing Academy. Why? Because there are so many ways to dye yarn and fiber I would not fit them all in this book! Click the photo to sign up to be notified when it goes live.

Prepare to dye my friend.

Talk soon.

XO 

Mary Egbert

Spin the yarns you want

Spin the yarns you want

When I was a new spinner some four years ago spinning balanced yarn was really just a crap shoot.  When it came out balanced I would ask myself, “How in the world did I do that?”  And when it was over twisted, when my goal was a balanced yarn, again I asked myself , “How in the world did I do that?”

Over the years of spinning I finally got a grip on how twist impacted my finished yarn, especially on plied and core-spun yarns.  Now I only make balanced yarns…oh happy day! 

I made myself a little cheat sheet to tell which way, for example, my base core yarn was spun so I had a balanced yarn in the end.  I even started writing down notes regarding twist, direction and finished yarns.

I thought if this helped me it has got to help other spinners.  So I developed a multi use Eszee Twist Tool© and a 24-page manual and yarn planner guide. 

The Eszee Twist Tool© comes with a plastic card that is a multi function tool;  a yarn thickness guide, WPI gauge, angle of twist gauge and a guide to determine if your yarn was spun in the S or Z direction.  You will also get a 24-page full color manual and yarn planner, a magnifier to be able to see yarns and a zipper pouch to hold the kit and any other goodies like your diz or orifice hook.

The Eszee Twist Tool will be the most indispensible tool in your spinning arsenal.  You can find it at www.camajfiberarts.com. 

Happy Spinning

Mary Egbert
 

  9/24/14 update: There was a printing error on the card and it needs to be re-printed.  We are looking at a date of no later than 10/6/14 before it is on the market ready for sale.
 

 

PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE

PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE


It's interesting how businesses evolve.  And mine is doing just that.   I love working with fibers and spinning yarn and I also equally love finding new pretties for my spinning friends to experience and spark their creativity.

I have found a  few wonderful suppliers in India of colorful and rich ribbon yarns, cocoons, silk waste, silk salvedges and other silk delights.  They focus on working with women co-ops to provide a living for the poor women of India.  I have been asked many times "why not the USA...why not help people at home?"  The answer is quite complex.  The US has many resources for the poor to survive...medicaid, section 8 and food stamps.  In other third world countries the poor have no resources...they mearly die.  Poor women especially have a difficult time in these countries, for instance, women generally have poor nutrition eating only what is left after the men in the family eat first.  Which leads to malnutrition and poor health. Women are considered lower class and are often times abused and have no chance of schooling.

By buying products from fair trade companies we are all helping the poor women of India perfect a craft, bring money home to their families and put food on the table. It empowers these women to have self worth and self esteem, thereby,  being productive in society and being good role models for their children.  It's a great thing!

So know that when you are purchasing Camaj ribbon yarn, cocoons, silk salvedges or silk waste know you are helping a poor woman help herself and her family.

My friend, Ruth Pohl Hawkins, used this amazing sari silk ribbon yarn to create the most beautiful bag. She is so very talented.

I also used the ribbon to make a market bag and scarf.

           

       HERE IS THE PATTERN FOR THE MARKET BAG

I made a couple of changes to the pattern:
-  I only made mine 17 inches long..that is plenty long for this bag
-  I did two rows of single crochet to improve the strength of the handle.
-  My next bag I will single knit the last 4 or 5 rows to further strengthen the base of the bag.


A bowl of beautiful ribbon yarn

                                                       PLEASE JOIN ME ON FACEBOOK

MOVIN' ON

MOVIN' ON

We moved from Utah to Florida this past June. It's been a ton of work but so worth it! We moved because my middle daughter was pregnant with twins...and...my oldest daughter was expecting. She and her family live in NC. The twins were born August 6 and the NC baby was born August 13. We are so very blessed to have three beautiful, healthy boys to our family.

Now that things are settling down I'm back to business. So what to do in the hot, humid summer day in Florida...ice dye of course! I've seen it done on silk scarves, which makes beautiful patterns that make the eye dance. So I thought why not try it on wool top. Her is a little video I made dyeing wool top with ice.

A close up of my ice dyed yarn

You can dye fiber a multitude of ways...just have fun and go for it!

Happy new year

What a great year 2011 has been.  I sold well over 100 skeins of handspun yarn, pounds of roving and lose fiber and hundreds of wool dryer balls.  People, me inlcuded, love these little orbs of wool.  It seems that most people are tired of piles of garbage that is non biodegradable and how big businesses are dumping toxins on this earth.  But there is a green theme with big businesses to clean up their act.  We are demanding it.  You can do your part by using wool dryer balls.  Cut down on electrical use and stop using toxic dryer sheets.  Move toward a healthy home, for you, your pets and your kids. 

We had so many people interested in our dryer balls we thought it was time to expand.  We got a facebook page up and running and I am working on a webpage.  Please "like" us on Facebook and show your support for a greener and healthier world.  Even if it just starts with orbs of wool.

CLICK HERE TO "LIKE" LEAPING SHEEP WOOL DRYER BALLS

Faux dyeing

Ah, the day after Christmas and a day off work.  Time to dye!  I had some faux cashmere that I have been wanting to dye so today was the day. 

This stuff is amazing!  It takes the dye like no other fiber I've seen...vibrant and rich!  It's silky soft and blended with other fibers gives it not only softness, but strength. 

  

Here's wishing all my friends a happy, healthy and safe new year:)  2012 holds amazing things to come!  XXOO

Balls, balls and more balls

I am up to my ears in balls....dryer balls that is.  These are 100% wool, felted balls.  They are perfect to use for dryer balls.  You just toss 5 or 10 (the more the merrier) in your drying load and they cut your drying time by 25%...more if you use more balls.  How does this work?  Well, it fluffs up your clothes allowing the air to circulate more efficiently thus cutting down your drying time.  And, this is the best part, you don't need to use dryer sheets.  I don't anymore and I live in the high desert.

I know what you're thinking...what else can I use these balls for?  They are the perfect dog toy...they love em!  And the more they slobber on the balls, the more it felts and the more dense it gets. The wool soaks up the slobber so the ball doesn't feel slimy.  I hate slimy dog toys:(

Oh and you can use them for juggling balls for all you jugglers out there. And kids love 'em too!

What else can you do with a dryer ball....leave a post if you please.


GET YOUR DRYER, JUGGLING, DOG, KID BALLS HERE