Is it just me or are more and more people seeking out indie dyed yarn lately? I'm so thrilled to see a growing community of fibre artists embracing indie dyed yarn and supporting their favourite indie dyers. But for those who haven't yet been bitten by the indie fibre bug, this post is for you! Indie dyed yarn; what it is, and what it's not.
First of all, what exactly is an indie dyer anyway? The simple answer is an independent (indie) person who dyes (dyer) fibre on a relatively small scale (small batches) in comparison to a commercial mill that supplies larger quantities to yarn stores. Many indie dyers provide wholesale quantities to shops, but not all indie dyers can afford to pay the commission it costs to sell yarn this way, especially if they are just starting out. Typically, indie dyers operate out of their own kitchens, garages, or basements (like me!), and take the time to produce unique, unique pieces of art for the pure enjoyment of working with something so luxurious and beautiful. For the indie dyer, it's not just about functionality, it's about creating an experience for the maker.
Besides volume differences, an indie dyer has a completely different dyeing process than commercial dyers. Indie dyed yarn, otherwise known as hand dyed yarn, is just that, yarn dyed manually or by hand. The process is very tactile and personal. In contrast, commercial mills tend to dye with machines, in large vats, and in too large quantities to dye with natural pigments. Both indie dyers and commercial dyers can use commercially available dyes such as acid dyes, but only indie dyers can produce naturally dyed fibre since this process is much more time consuming, not to mention more labour and water intensive.
Lastly, indie dyers can achieve very distinctive results compared to mill dyed fibre. Besides being able to achieve beautifully natural dyed yarn, indie dyed fibre dyed with commercial dyes can yield very unique and vibrant colour ways that can vary wildly from batch to batch, (or dye lot to dye lot). Unlike its commercial counterpart, the indie dyed results are truly masterpieces of artistic self expression.
I read somewhere that hand dye yarn is like haute cuisine and commercially dyed fibre is its fast food equivalent. Sometimes you're craving a burger and fries (and I mean, who doesn't?!), but you don't soon forget the magnificent splendour of a three Micheline Star meal. So the next time you're shopping for yarn and wonder why the hand dyed options are so expensive, just remember that fillet mignon does't cost (or taste) the same as ground beef, but there's a time and place for both.
Glossary
Indie dyer - A person who dyes independently from a commercially business.
Indie dyed yarn/hand dyed yarn - Yarn dyed by an indie dyer.
Small batch dyer - A dyer that dyes small quantities of fibre, many may unreproducible.
Commercial dyed yarn/mill dyed yarn - Factory dyed yarn, usually in large amounts and with the use of machines.
Acid dyes/commercial dyes - Colourfast dye that is typically used to dye wool and other animal fibres.
Colourfast - Dyes that will not fade or wash out.
Naturally dyed - Dye stuff that typically derives from nature, such as plants and insects, and tends not to be as colourfast as acid dye.
Dye lot/batch - A grouping of yarn that was dyed in or with the same dye solution.
Wholesale - A large quantity of items being retailed by others who take a % of the sale.
Wow! This is great! Very informative.