Dyeing to Knit

by Elaine Eskesen

Hand-dyed yarns are so sensuous, with their custom hues and rich blends of colors, that every knitter longs to work with them. But once we've brought home some of those precious skeins, what next? In Dyeing to Knit, designer and dyer Elaine Eskesen demystifies hand-dyed yarns by providing straightforward how-to information both for using the yarns and dyeing your own, and encouraging you to trust your own creative instincts. Includes instructions for 21 patterns, from scarves to sweaters and hats to mittens.

Genres: Knitting, Crafts

128 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2005

Reviews

[Isabel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The instructional part of this book is much closer what I think I wanted when I ordered a dyeing book a couple years ago. If I were dyeing this summer, I would give her method, instructions and product recommendation a go. I would have liked more than one section on overdyeing. (pg. 46) The "aspirational" part of this book, the color theory, looking at painting and nature for color palette inspiration and guidance felt stale... I didn't find any deep thoughts about color here that I haven't already pondered over my own lifetime of color sensitivity and sense. And the pattern section? Well, I'm a bona fide remnant yarn hoarder and I love to use all those bits I've saved, so some portion of her aesthetic appeals to that portion of myself. However, I had to look at the copyright date of the book, (2005) because I felt many of the patterns were extremely dated and was surprised the book didn't harken back from late 90's.

-The color palette for the pollock yarn on pg. 51 appeals to me.
-Three pages "Yarn in Hand" where she gives 6 notable knit industry names yarns and we see a swatch they've created with the yarn. I particularly was impressed with the free-form colorwork of Bill Huntington on pg. 68 and the Fair Isle colorwork of Libby Mills. I would have found more inspiration from additional pages of this feature than the 7 pages following "Sources of Inspiration.
-photo of thrummed mittens p. 107
- slipped stitch as a blending element for diverse novelty yarns. p. 108
- Maine Bounty Sweater. Love the color elements of the photographed sweater. This is a blending technique I would try, but would never used the boxy pattern design as shown.
-pattern stitch for zig zag pilow (alternating garter stripes with stockinette waves)

athol library.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let me preface this by saying this author and I are never going to get on. I found her writing style annoying, her color choices garish, and her patterns dated. That aside, I still have a number of more concrete issues with this book (primarily the section on dyeing, as that's why I read it). There's this strange blend of overly rigid rules (space dyeing must use exactly three colors!) and vagueness (just go outside...look at nature...now you know what colors to use...). She's also really keen on you buying her beginner dyeing kit, which is listed in the supplies of every single project, but the information on what colors are included in that kit is hidden away in one spot. So if you want to buy dyes from elsewhere, better hope you don't miss that section! I've read a number of books on dyeing in the past couple of weeks, and none of her suggested dyeing projects were groundbreaking. All in all, I'd definitely choose to skip this one in favor of a different dyeing book. Her information is not incorrect, though, so if this is your only option, you'll be okay.

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to admit, I have not actually tried anything from this book. None of the patterns were much my style, and as much as I would love to hand dye, I'm not at a point right now where I have the time or space to commit to it seriously...so, maybe I would like this book more if I had used it more than just read it.

It's pretty comprehensive in terms of the dying process, although the author constantly imploring the reader to buy a certain beginner's dying kit was a bit obnoxious. After explaining the general process, the author also describes several different methods of dying, some of which I really enjoyed. Also obnoxious, though, was the detailed instruction before each process to "soak your yarn, mix your dye, blah, blah." While I may just be nit-picky, the unnecessarily repeating details really turned me off.

In terms of basic instruction, I found this book as useful as any book on dyeing. Beyond that, I'm glad I checked this book out of the library instead of buying it.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I'd had time to play with the ideas in this book. Next time.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome color techniques for acid dyeing.