0956525857 by Unknown Author

Author:Unknown Author
Language: eng
Format: epub

Our dye studio manager, Cori, is in charge of the production dyeing. While I do quite a bit of that too, most ofmy time lately is split between creative colorway development and administrative tasks. Cori takes the dye formulations and protocols and turns them into yarn and fiber. Finally, Ellie does most of the fiber braiding and packaging as well as partnering with me at fiber festivals.'

The scale might have changed but creative curiosity remains the core motivation of the business. 'Our business model embraces the ever-changing nature of the fiber/yarn community If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. I really crave creativity so Fiber Optic Yarns is about new products, colors, dye applications, set techniques. I can't remember the last time an entire day went by without hearing (or asking) the question, “How can we make this better?” I tell folks that Fiber Optic Yarns is a collaboration of the personal yarn/fiber stashes of the ladies who work here — we have to be excited about it and want to own it more than what is currently available or we don't carry it.'

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That collaborative approach extends to the process of selecting a new base yarn. They start with a sample of 5 -10 pounds, and any member of the team has the authority to call a halt: ‘everyone brings a different perspective to the table and it's important to take advantage of this since we are selling to a wide audience with a variety of preferences.' They then put the potential base yarn through its paces: ‘we dye it, knit it, wash it, block it, and wear it, evaluating it at every step. We knit lace, cables, big items, little accessories — if it falls short in any way, we toss it in the scrap bin (we have a lot of yarn in that bin). It took over two years, and a couple of dozen different base yarns, before we fell in love with the yarn that Amy used for her sweater: a 4-ply spun from a long-staple Merino that is then plied around a very thin core of air. It is spin-balanced and not over twisted, while at the same time it is also dense, smooth, and very elastic. It has everything we wanted in a worsted weight wool — soft, superwash, gives great stitch definition, and holds up well, wash after wash.'

Kimber's science background is immediately evident when she describes their dyeing process, which varies depending on the goal for that yarn: ‘We begin with a concept of what we want the skein to look like and how it will knit up — then I go back to the chemical properties of the primary dyes and work up a protocol to achieve the desired color effect. We have completely different protocols, depending on what we are trying to achieve — super intense and saturated colors with no dye bleed, chromatographic separation of dye mixtures, or muted and subtle shadings of color.'

110 | FIBER OPTIC

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