Color in Spinning

by Deb Menz

Written expressly for the hand spinner seeking new adventures in color, this manual presents in-depth discussions and step-by-step photographed demonstrations of immersion dyeing, painting rovings, blending colors and fibers, and spinning and plying multicolored preparations. A chapter on understanding color principles offers novice spinners the skills needed to easily work with color while providing advanced spinning techniques for the expert dyer. A gallery of finished pieces as well as appendixes on dye workshops and metric conversions are included.

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

240 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1998

Reviews

[Celia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by my mother!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Usually I end up skimming the color theory section in books because I've read it so many times. Not this time -- there was some less commonly talked about information and really good illustrations of how color theory translates to yarns spun from colored fibers.

I got this more for the dyeing section than the spinning and fiber prep sections. It was good but nothing revolutionary. The spinning and fiber prep sections seemed quite comprehensive, and if I get into spinning more, I'll probably go back to this book.

[Lark of The Bookwyrm's Hoard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thorough and clearly written, but more detailed than I need at this point. Covers color theory, dyeing fiber, handpainting techniques, color blending using a drum carder, and so on.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

For anyone wanting to learn about dyeing, not only does it cover the basics of dyeing and carding/combing well, but it also provides lessons in color (beyond the basic color wheel) where you directly see the results of mixing and using different color combinations. There are samples of finished knitted pieces using similarly-colored yarn yet with slightly different properties. Readers are encouraged to use the exercises for future self-directed study. Great cataloguing ideas are offered.

I highly recommend this book!

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of this was way, way over my head since I'm brand-new to spinning and have only just started to dye unspun fiber, never mind comb and card it myself. The color theory section was excellent for someone with no artistic background, however; right now I'm on the fence about needing to purchase the e-book for myself (this was a library loan) just yet.

[Sasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't written to be a fun book, but it's incredibly thorough.

[Kaylan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great resource for people interested in the fiber arts. Lots and lots of information about how color shows up in your spinning, as well as color theory, dying techniques and blending. Love it!

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Excellent for learning about how color behaves when used in spinning. I also took a class from the author which was very revelatory.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am going to work through the exercises at the end of each chapter this summer. It should be fun.