Clown Barf and Other Dyeing Thoughts
I am not a frequent stopper on Knitter's Review. But I like their weekly e-newsletter. It's always entertaining with yarn reviews, knitting techniques & projects and the latest hot topic in their forums. This week I just had to go there and read through! The topic was what do you think about the plethora of hand-dyed yarns? Everyone was very polite and no vendors names were mentioned, but to be sure, the gloves were off! I think my favorite expression was Clown Barf! It seems that training in painting and visual arts is neither a help nor a handicap, listening to the experiences of the more vocal (online) shoppers! It seems many yarn sellers who dye/paint their own yarn have all their taste in their mouth! What can honestly be said but 'beauty being in the eye of the beholder' rules the day?
That having been said, however, it must be mentioned that what looks good in the skein can knit up - really ugly! And the reverse can also be true, an ugly skein can have surprising appeal knit into the right project.
I have also noticed this with spinning. Some of my favorite bloggers have started out with gorgeous roving. They spun it into pleasant looking single ply and then horrified me by plying it with another kaleidiscopic strand and produce something as attractive as recycled painter's drip cloth! More and more color isn't always better. To quote one of my favorite watch-when-I'm-brain-dead movies, Sabrina (with Harrison Ford & Julia Ormond), "More isn't always better, sometimes it's just more!".
I am coming more and more to accept the tried and true wisdom, no more than 3 colors per skein! That having been said, there can be variations in the strength of those 3 colors to add more variety but I tend to agree with the opinion that appropriate/attractive vehicles for variegated yarns are limited. Color wheels were invented for a reason, folks!! And as I said in an early post, I am not into dyeing yarn to look like exploded neon confetti! And I am even less likely to purchase it!!
Case in point, Noro yarns. Buyers have been going ga-ga for these clown barf creations for a number of years now but I can honestly say I have only seen 2 or 3 projects using it that benefitted from the schitzophrenic color combinations. One, in fact, is the mitered squares afghan made by Smokin' Hot Needles. I was surprised and amazed that Noro could become anything I would consider beautiful! Hats off to her! To me, the ugliest sections of Noro anything are where the transition from one color to another produces up to 12 inches of 'mud' color or an inadvertant blotch of screaming purple or neon green. Perhaps it is the novelty factor; No one has ever dared produce such a bizarre product before (looks like it was produced under the influence of LSD)! I can't help but feel that Noro will eventually fall by the wayside like avocado green & harvest gold appliances and chocolate brown/burnt orange combination everything in the 70's! Yes, you can quote me on that! LOL! The very high prices due to importing will also speed that fall. I have actually used Noro yarns and I can't say the fiber quality was worthy of the price either! Look how the eyelash & fake fur yarns have crashed and burned after less than 10 years of glory! By comparison, after 100's of years the undyed ecru of the fisherman's aran 100% wool is still going strong. Need I say more?
It has been refreshing to see that at least the mainstream yarn companies have bypassed the color berserk trend and are now exploring the semi-sold and mono-tone color variations.... after my weekend dyeing escapade I can certainly see myself headed in that direction too!!! I love my yarns too much to destroy them with color disasters! Since my second-through-the-dye-bath yarns are looking more like what I wanted I can see my dye powder going a LOT farther on future dye jobs! And don't get too wound up about me trashing Noro - it's just my opinion. If you like it, good for you - enjoy! As for me, I'll stick to the more classical, it appears to have more staying power! That's all for me today! Cheers!
That having been said, however, it must be mentioned that what looks good in the skein can knit up - really ugly! And the reverse can also be true, an ugly skein can have surprising appeal knit into the right project.
I have also noticed this with spinning. Some of my favorite bloggers have started out with gorgeous roving. They spun it into pleasant looking single ply and then horrified me by plying it with another kaleidiscopic strand and produce something as attractive as recycled painter's drip cloth! More and more color isn't always better. To quote one of my favorite watch-when-I'm-brain-dead movies, Sabrina (with Harrison Ford & Julia Ormond), "More isn't always better, sometimes it's just more!".
I am coming more and more to accept the tried and true wisdom, no more than 3 colors per skein! That having been said, there can be variations in the strength of those 3 colors to add more variety but I tend to agree with the opinion that appropriate/attractive vehicles for variegated yarns are limited. Color wheels were invented for a reason, folks!! And as I said in an early post, I am not into dyeing yarn to look like exploded neon confetti! And I am even less likely to purchase it!!
Case in point, Noro yarns. Buyers have been going ga-ga for these clown barf creations for a number of years now but I can honestly say I have only seen 2 or 3 projects using it that benefitted from the schitzophrenic color combinations. One, in fact, is the mitered squares afghan made by Smokin' Hot Needles. I was surprised and amazed that Noro could become anything I would consider beautiful! Hats off to her! To me, the ugliest sections of Noro anything are where the transition from one color to another produces up to 12 inches of 'mud' color or an inadvertant blotch of screaming purple or neon green. Perhaps it is the novelty factor; No one has ever dared produce such a bizarre product before (looks like it was produced under the influence of LSD)! I can't help but feel that Noro will eventually fall by the wayside like avocado green & harvest gold appliances and chocolate brown/burnt orange combination everything in the 70's! Yes, you can quote me on that! LOL! The very high prices due to importing will also speed that fall. I have actually used Noro yarns and I can't say the fiber quality was worthy of the price either! Look how the eyelash & fake fur yarns have crashed and burned after less than 10 years of glory! By comparison, after 100's of years the undyed ecru of the fisherman's aran 100% wool is still going strong. Need I say more?
It has been refreshing to see that at least the mainstream yarn companies have bypassed the color berserk trend and are now exploring the semi-sold and mono-tone color variations.... after my weekend dyeing escapade I can certainly see myself headed in that direction too!!! I love my yarns too much to destroy them with color disasters! Since my second-through-the-dye-bath yarns are looking more like what I wanted I can see my dye powder going a LOT farther on future dye jobs! And don't get too wound up about me trashing Noro - it's just my opinion. If you like it, good for you - enjoy! As for me, I'll stick to the more classical, it appears to have more staying power! That's all for me today! Cheers!
Hi Purls Unravelled!
I have all of Elizabeth Zimmermann's books, CD's and some old videos. I never get tired of looking at them over and over. Love 'em!
The Stahlman's Shawls and Scarves is definitely worth adding to your library.
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Hi Maria! I checked out your blog too! LOVE your socks and your shawl!!! What an interesting life! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment! Cheers!
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