As always, the folks at KC are some of the best on the planet. Really lovely staff.
Amy started out the class with some really solid basic color theory, and progressed deeper into the psychological and cultural aspects of color. Some of the philosophy of it as well, which of course, as a philosophy major, piqued my interest.
tosh lace in oxblood(photo courtesy of madelinetosh)
I'd never before considered how color is pretty tightly wrapped up in time. That colors change over time, fade, deepen or intensify, depending on what it is. That color changes depending on what time of day it is, (and what time of day you are, as apparently our perception of color changes with our sleep and waking cycles), what kind of light you're looking at it in and how old you are. Like our other senses, our ability to perceive color peaks at a certain age and declines as we get older.
tosh merino in violin(photo courtesy of madelinetosh)
Beyond all the theory stuff, Amy talked quite a bit about her process for dyeing yarn and how she comes up with colors. That most of her colors are glazed and overdyed multiple times to give them a richness and depth (saturation, if you will) that large batch dyeing does not have.
tosh merino light in cherry(photo courtesy of madelinetosh)
We also learned about the pretty amazing journey her company has taken. She started up in 2006 with dyeing her own yarns and sold some of the extra to a LYS. As of 2010, she has 42 employees and is thinking about building her own large studio/factory.
Amy is really lovely and knowledgeable. I highly recommend taking a class from her if you get the chance. I also highly recommend getting your hands on some of her yarn. It is fabulous. I'm currently obsessed with four colorways: Filigree, amber trinket, ginger and gilded. I wish I could find pictures of these colors for you all... well, you can always check them out on her website.
Amy is really lovely and knowledgeable. I highly recommend taking a class from her if you get the chance. I also highly recommend getting your hands on some of her yarn. It is fabulous. I'm currently obsessed with four colorways: Filigree, amber trinket, ginger and gilded. I wish I could find pictures of these colors for you all... well, you can always check them out on her website.
if you are color mad (i am!) and going to Rhinebeck, be sure to stop at Holiday Yarns (booth 26/barn1) and see MooseManor's hand painted color changing yarns! (the semi solid yarn looks green in one sort of light (incandesents) grey in other light, and wine/red in natural sun light!
ReplyDeleteIt is incredible.. (find her on Ravelry as Elizzabetty--or on Etsy as Moose Manor (store on etsy is empty right now--everything is being sold at rhinebeck)
I am so jealous.I love love love Madtosh!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like the most wonderful class - I envy you such an opportunity. Having recently painted a wall four times to get the right colour, I absolutely agree on the way light at different times of the day can affect your colour perception.
ReplyDeleteI am not usually one to go mad for the hand-dyed yarns, but I actually "windowshop" the madeleinetosh website all the time. I am so fascinated by her colors! One of these days I am going to spring for some of her yarn.
ReplyDeleteI love that idea of color as time. Pretty fascinating concept.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a really interesting evening! And I LOVE the oxblood color! Hand-dying yarn is something I never will try I think, guess I just don't have the interest :-) But I love yarn hand-dyed with leafs and moss and stuff like that - earth colors. There is a lady in Finland that I have purchased some pure wool from, hand-dyed in lovely colors, and I knitted a pair of mittens from the greenish yarn. The rest of the yarn I purchased is in lovely blue, and it is too beautiful to knit up :-) I only admire it :-)
ReplyDeleteThat will be fun Virginia, if you came to Norway on vacation. But I am not sure that I can offer a house to stay in like the one in the photo - if I don't win the lottery :-)
ReplyDeleteNo arguments here, I adore Madtosh yarn too - and you can't get it here in NZ. I love me some WEBS action though - I got another package from them last month with some different colours, and they are just sitting awaiting some empty needles. I love the AmberTrinket colour too, and Baltic is divine. Gorgeous, the lot of it!!
ReplyDeleteWow, that sounds like so much fun!I adore those beautiful yarns! The colors are outstanding!
ReplyDeleteThat would be so interesting. Loving that oxblood colorway! Ooh, and mourning dove is beautiful. Lots of great colorways there!
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