June sees us with Fibre 2 Go on the Indie Shelf - Lyn is based in Auckland and dyes jewel tones on both fibre and yarn. They simply glow with vibrancy - and we love being able to treat our spinners with some special indie dyed goodness!
When you aren't busy dyeing yarn, what do you do?
Spin, knit, housework (when absolutely necessary), cook meals, visit my 96 year old Mum, browse Ravelry and Craftsy and I also have a keen interest in netball so I volunteer on the official scoring and timing bench at ANZ netball games and tournaments.
What is your number one favourite part of being an indie dyer?
Seeing the reaction of my customers (both regular and new) when they see my stock. The smiles often followed by jaw-dropping amazement. Then I know I have them in my trap!
How did you get into knitting? Are you a process or a product knitter?
My mum taught me during a three week drive around NZ on a family holiday. I was 8. I love to try new techniques so often my projects don't get finished. They get tinked and reinvented. Having said that I do love that sense of achievement when I remove a finished shawl from the blocking pins, or give a special piece to a friend.
Do you have a particular fibre or fibre blend you love to dye more than any other?
Hmmm, let's see. Probably the 20%silk 80% merino. But I also love the Luxury blend which is silk/cria alpaca/fine merino. The colours migrate in a very special way and look incredible.
We all have colour tendencies - what's yours? Do you find this comes through in your dyeing?
Blues and purples but I get most of my inspiration from nature. Millions of years of product development already for me to use. But I do study colour theory and have a sense of what will work with fibres because you have to understand how to spin or knit to create the best starting materials for other crafters to work with. This is especially important for fibre as opposed to yarn. Yes, I hope my colour sense comes through in my dyeing. But I am always happy to work with customers to create something special with their own colour suggestions.
If you could go on holiday anywhere in the world, where would it be? Why?
Tahiti for the underwater colour bonanza or India, I have heard that vibrant colours are everywhere and not to be missed.
Anything else you want to share with us?
I produce mainly highly colour-saturated fibre blends. When using coloured fibres for spinning or felting it is important to realise that after dyeing, each process the fibre goes through can cause the colours to optically blend and may result in muddy browns. Of course this may be your goal. But knowing how to use highly saturated colours for maximum effect is an art in itself. Your projects will look breathtakingly beautiful as much from a distance as up close. And when you do get close the feel of the merino-based garment will add to the magic.
