Hand Dyeing Yarn and Fleece: Custom-Color Your Favorite Fibers with Dip-Dyeing, Hand-Painting, Tie-Dyeing, and Other Creative Techniques

by Gail Callahan

Discover the colorful joys of hand dyeing your own yarn and fleece. It’s easy, fun, and can be done right in your own kitchen! Self-taught dyer Gail Callahan shows you a variety of simple techniques to turn plain, outdated, or leftover yarn into vibrant “new” fibers using ovens, crockpots, frying pans, and other standard kitchen equipment. Detailed advice on color theory, self-striping, “grocery store” dyes, and handmade multicolor skeins make successful dyeing a cinch, even for complete beginners. 

Genres: Knitting, Nonfiction, Crafts, Reference, Art, Adult, How To

168 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 27, 2010

Reviews

[Deborah Gafford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have almost every book on spinning, weaving and dyeing that's out there and thought this sounded good to add to my library. Little did I know that it would become my all-time FAVORITE book on dyeing!! I started reading it one morning then had to stop to do other things, but it was so good I went back to it in the evening and didn't put it down until I finished it near midnight!

It is very well written, clear, easy to understand and "friendly". You almost feel as if you are there experiencing the dyeing process right along with the author. There are many terrific tips to make dyeing easier and pleasing. The photographs are outstanding and her method of teaching about color with her ingenious color grid and grains of rice is fantastic! Much easier to use/understand than the common color wheel. Not to mention, with the book you get the terrific color grid to use from then on.

Another positive thing about the book is its binding. It is a spiral-bound hardback with the spiral wired spine underneath the outside hardback spine. This allows you to open it flat to use when working and also keeps the book from getting caught on things as exposed spiral-bound books often do. There are eight interesting knitting projects (spanning various levels of experience) with directions and a full color picture of the finished item.

I have been dyeing fiber for a couple years now, yet still found several of the things she mentioned to be new and helpful. I am going to request that it be added to the library at the art college that I attend.

This book is truly outstanding and I am ordering another copy today for a Christmas gift for a friend!

KUDOS to the author, Gail Callahan!!!

[hope h. · Rating 5 out of 5]

some incredibly useful information for an upcoming project where i have to dye some 100% silk fiber....wish me luck!!

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book about dyeing yarn. I avoided it for a while, because it uses professional dyes and I generally do natural dyeing or Kool-Aid/food coloring dyes. But that was silly, because these techniques and ideas work just as well with food-safe dyes! I've already tried out one of the "recipes," and I'm so excited to try more.

The instructions are nice and detailed, the photos are lovely, and the whole book is incredibly inspiring. :)

[Ina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glad that I decided for an English book. I expected a little bit more, and I got it. All the basics are covered (things I didn't think about) like how to set up your dye 'studio', supplies needed, fixation methods, the role of different fibers and plies, preparing the yarn, color theory and dyeing methods I didn't know before.
The only thing I missed were some basic color 'recipes'. I would have liked to get some informations how to mix 'difficult' colors like apricot or shades of brown from the primary colors (of the different brands) which can be hard sometimes.
Features I liked best or found enlightning: What to do when your dyeing went wrong, the chapter about color proportions and palettes, the parking meter yarn method and the immersion dyeing methods (which I prefer now).
The included patterns weren't really necessary for me, because you can find similar patterns on Ravelry (which are for free, too).

[kingshearte · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book got me very excited to try dyeing some yarns. For the time being, I'll have to stick to food-based dyes, I think, since I simply don't have room in my kitchen for extra supplies to use for anything potentially toxic. At any rate, this book discusses various techniques and uses very readily-available equipment, making the whole thing very accessible. Like I said, I'm excited to try some of it!

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you've never dyed yarn before, and especially if you're a bit nervous about starting, this would be an excellent book for you. If, like me, you're an avid watcher of the ChemKnits youtube channel and have dyed a few things yourself, there's probably not a lot in here you don't already know. I picked up a few ideas and tips, but nothing that's going to have a huge impact on how I dye.

[thedailydiva · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book! I’m learning to dye yarn and this book answered so many questions that I’ve had come up in my journey. It also introduces new ones. But that’s all a part of learning.

This is a must have in any dyers library. I will come back to this book over and over for ideas and answers. It’s so good.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite dyeing resource. But if you're looking for a book that will encourage you to just get in there and start dyeing (probably without lots of measuring and calculating and planning ahead), this is not a bad book for that.

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This user-friendly guide to dying is written with such clarity, that”anyone can do it,” comes immediately to mind. If Clara Parker’s, guru of all things yarn, can endorse it, that is enough to grab my interest and to make me more hopeful about creating my own colours.

[Night_Dragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this book very useful because it walked you through different dyeing instructions. In the back of the book, the author includes a few knit patterns. My only criticism is I wish they included some crochet patterns, not just the motifs.

[Renee Huttle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome reference, with great dyeing ideas.

[Bruna Aguiar Melo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could have some crochet samples at the end, but it is an awesome book!

[Emmalee · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent resource if you want to get into dyeing.

[Nicolette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honest to goodness the best beginner's dyeing book I've read. Ms. Callahan makes the "mystery" of dyeing yarn easy to understand. She provides concepts but it's up to the dyer to investigate with different brands of food, and or acid dyes. She gives more than enough to get the dyer's appetite wet.

Well written, beautiful photos, concise instructions and a variety of techniques can all be found in this book. Definitely a must have for any yarn fibre artist interested in dyeing.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book on dyeing yarn, but I found the basic techniques to be more involved than what i do. I've found this true of other books as well and can't figure out why they make it more convoluted than it needs to be. Still, there were some techniques in here I hadn't known about, and I liked the patterns included for showing off your hand-dyed yarns!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it in less than half a day. It wasn't as in-depth as I'd hoped. Great book for beginners, but if you've read a few internet articles and played around a bit already, this isn't the book to take you to the next level. I thought it was and so I'm disappointed. But that's a problem of expectations, not a problem with the book. It is well organized, clear, and inspiring.

[September Michaud · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome! Very visual guide to dying yarn and comes in a spiral-bound format that lays flat! Focuses on protein fibers, but the techniques are still useful for those who want to dye plant fibers. Checked this one out from the library, but I think I will need my own copy so I can reference it while dying and not worry about dropping dyes on it.

[Kerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book on dying yarn that I've come across that didn't make me feel like it was an impossible task. I'm still a little overwhelmed by the entire process, but I will eventually buy all the stuff I need and give it a try.

[Shirley Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly wonderful reference book. I have been spinning yarn and hand dyeing for over forty years, yet I have found some great new processes and ideas in this book, especially the use of a slow cooker for dyeing which is now my favoured process.

[Dora · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is the best book on dyeing yarn. It gives more information than most books on dyeing. Also teaches some color theory.

[Cayenne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is awesome. She makes dyeing seem so easy. She covers everything a beginner dyer like myself would want to know.

[Camille · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great reference book for dyeing your own fibers. I love that so many different ways to dye are covered and basic color theory is addressed.

[Another · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got me excited to dye. Wish she used Jacquard dyes instead of Sabra, as Jacquard are much more widely available. Someone needs to write a book on dying with Jacquard dyes!

[Tracy Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Explains in great detail how to dye using various techniques. Feel confident to try dying now.

[Lenora Carey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must for anyone wanting to enter the yarn and fleece dyeing world.

[whimsicalmeerkat · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book for a beginning dyer and I have been assured it will remain a good resource. I especially like that it has the spiral binding. I have a dyeing date on Sunday and I can't wait!

[Tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting. I'd like to try some of these techniques very much now.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some very useful information for indie dyers who use synthetic ready made dyes. Hoping to adapt this and experiment with natural dyes so not sure how this will go.

[Mzfitz]

tclib 746.6041 Callahan