A new book by Suzy Brown
As someone who spent years ‘dabbling’ in all kinds of arts and crafts, jumping from one to the other as soon as things started feeling repetitive, I am frequently amazed at just how long fibre has held my interest! I love everything about working with fibre; the possibilities for endless variety and discovery keep me coming back with new ideas and experiments to feed my curiosity, and the way yarns and fibres take up colour and all the different ways there are to add it, are incredibly engaging.
In this book, laid out as a workbook with informative sections followed by hands-on exercises and step-by-step instructions, I have shared my seven top favourite methods for adding colour to fibre. These are all methods that anyone can do, at home, with no fuss or complex processes – enabling you to experience the joy of creating palettes that fill the senses even without a dedicated dye studio or a large amount of equipment.
In creating this book I have combined all the Dye Series articles I have written for tinyStudio magazine scattered through Issues from 1 to 11, with one additional article from Issue 28. I have added to this content with more information at the start of the book on my approach to dyeing yarn and fibre, and I have added, with each of the four Parts of the book, a new collection of Exercises and step by step instructions for you to follow for each of the seven dye methods covered.
Over the last few weeks I have been running a workshop with the Online Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers using ‘most’ of this book as class notes. From this I have made some further additions and combined some more information into the book. I have had some lovely feedback from workshop participants on the content and seen some wonderful results from their dyeing!
This is not a ‘dye recipe’ book, nor does it involve strict measuring, weighing, or calculations. Instead, please look on it as an exploration of all the variables that can impact the result of adding dye to fibre in different ways. If you are a person who loves to feel your way through a process, who learns by doing, and who loves developing intuitive ways to express your creativity, this book is for you! Troubleshooting your dye results is relatively easy and is a key aspect of successful dyeing as you build skills, The discoveries you will most love can come in unexpected ways. I hope this book will give you the confidence to experiment, play with colour, and feel in control of the dye process, based simply on the small number of key understandings covered in Part One and expanded on by your own imagination.
Part One covers the main essential principles you will need to know in order to gain control of the dye process. After that, you can work through the book as a workbook, or let the colours in your dye (or fibre) stash guide you.
Each section includes:
- Reading about the dye method you will explore
- Links to video content related to the method/s showing hands-on demonstration of the methods
- Exercises for you to practice the method.
My hope is that using this book will make you a ‘Dye Detective’ able to follow your own investigative process: interrogating a dye result and working out why you got it, so you can repeat it or improve on it next time. This is a great place to start experimenting from, discovering the different results you can get from multi-colour mixes, and creating your own special dye effects and palettes.
Learn the basics, then spread your wings!
This book contains 98 pages of text and gorgeously vibrant images to inspire you on your dye journey. It is suitable for beginners and may have some fun new ideas for intermediate dyers as well! It comes in paperback, and is the same size format as the tinyStudio magazine and our other books as well (244x170mm).
Like all Fiberygoodness publications, Colour In The Kitchen is produced as ‘print on demand’ and ships to you from the closest print location to you (internationally from USA, UK, Australia). Local tax, duties, VAT, and/or carrier-related import charges may apply if you are outside these areas. International shipping included in your purchase price. All prices are listed in US$
