Tag: dyeability

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Why I Love Online Learning

I have to confess, I’m a lifelong learner. I love to explore new ideas and new techniques. I am currently taking a 10 week intense natural dye class. I’ve taken a lot of in-person natural dyeing classes. I always learn something but I never incorporate that new learning into my dyeing practice. If you have been following me, you know that I am adding a naturally dyed Fibershed line of yarn to my store offerings. So I have got to work this into my practice.

Here’s the epiphany that I had this week. In this class I am taking, I am totally responsible for EVERY part of it. If I make mistakes, they are mine to fix. If I have a question, of course I can ask the instructors or my fellow students. But ultimately I am doing all the work. It isn’t divvied up between all the members of the class. So this time I am really learning it. I’m learning it all.

So in this past year, I have developed 2 dyeing e-classes for people who want to learn to dye. These classes are each 4 weeks. Dyeability 1 is about dyeing yarn with an emphasis on self striping socks and Dyeability 2 is about dyeing roving for spinning or felting. Each class is on sale for $49 (regular price is $99). You can find more information here about both courses.

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Have you always?

I love to learn new things. Have you always wanted to learn how to dye or how to spin or how to knit socks two at a time? During this time of social distancing, I’ve turned my popular dyeing classes into an online course. And because I have the luxury of time, I’ve added a lot of extra lessons that are available only in the online class.

Dye Self Striping Yarn

My online classes are rich with lessons that will develop your dyeing skills and also your color confidence. You will be able to tune in at a time that makes sense to you. You can view and review the lessons as many times as you wish.  But you aren’t doing this completely in a vacuum, there are weekly Q&A sessions and a discussion board to communicate with me and other students in the class.  You will end up with colorful skeins that you can use to knit socks, shawls or anything really.

Yes, you can dye yarn like this!!

The next 4 week Dyeability class will be starting on April 5th. This is Dyeability 1: Self Striping Yarn for Socks or Shawls. Click here to find out more about it. The class is usually $99. But, I am currently offering a $20 discount with the coupon code iheartyarn. Sign up and and gather your materials and we will have a great time dyeing yarn in April!!

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Holiday Gifting: Experiences

For the last few years, I’ve enjoyed giving experiences rather than gifts. And some of my favorite gifts to receive have been experiences too. We’ve give tickets to plays and concerts. And these gifts have included spending that time with the recipients, like a double date. One year, Bill and I did nothing but experiences: a Holiday train ride, a scavenger hunt, a visit to an orchid show and tickets to a play. It was so much fun. A family member found a food tour in our own city, here in Frederick. We learned so much about our downtown area in food and also history.

Dye up sock yarn like this!!

I’m offering an experience for you to give or receive….I have been teaching dyeing in person for many, many years. I now have my classes available as an ecourse. Courses available now are two 4-week courses: Dyeing Self Striping Sock Yarn and Dyeing Wool Roving to Spin or Felt. These classes will begin at the start of 2021.

You could make dyed roving like this!

I also have a knitting class: Knitting Socks Two at a Time. This class is 4 parts and is self paced as you work through your socks.

I’ll be offering Black Friday-Cyber Monday deals on these classes. Interested? Sign up for my special Learn with Lisa email list to be the first to find out about these great offers on fun classes. Click here!!

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Back to School

As most of you know I was a public school teacher up until the end of the 2019 school year. I am feeling all the love for my dear teacher friends as schools here in Maryland open.  The public schools are starting our virtually.  That is hard. Really hard for families, teachers, administration and kids.  It is a whole different kind of school and a whole different kind of learning. So if you are a teacher or a parent of little ones, know that I’m thinking about you.  

More than January 1st, my year has always started when school started.  This started when I was a kid, new clothes, new subjects, new friends and new opportunities.  Do you feel this way too? 

Click here to register for class

What is on your list this time of year? Do you want to learn a new technique? Do you want to learn to dye? Are you willing to do some online learning? I’ve got 2 classes up and running right now and working on 2 more.  You can learn how to dye yarn. You can learn to knit socks 2 at a time.  Coming soon you can learn to dye roving to spin or use in felting and if you are a weaver, I’m also working on a warp painting class. 

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what are you doing this summer?

States are beginning to open up, they are. But life is still so different.  Will you go on a plane to a summer vacation? Will you drive somewhere instead? Will you go someplace really crowded like an amusement park or will you look to a more remote place like a National Park?  

I think we are staying home.  We are lucky in that we have 25 acres to roam around. We have Netflix and Podcasts. We have a nice garden and orchard so we don’t really have to go to a pick your own place.  

Throughout all of this time, I’ve been working on taking my in-person dye class and making it something that is totally online. It is filled with short classes that breaks down the process of dyeing self striping yarn and kettle dyed yarn. You will learn the two techniques. You will also build your color confidence with color exercises and experiences. There will be live Q and A sessions and a facebook group so that you can share your great yarn and swatches. And you can get all your questions answered.  

I’ll be opening registration in the next 2 weeks.  The class is $149 with an early bird discount for those of you who are quick to sign up.  

The class will start near the end of June so that those of you who have been home schooling do have something of a break. And speaking of home schooling. This class is definitely one you can take with your child.  There does need to be adult supervision. 

So express your colorful self and learn a new skill.  You can learn more about the class here.  And you can sign up for the class list on that page as well. The members pf this list get first crack at registration.  

Vaccine Colorway on Sparkly yarn
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A few crafty things to do while in quarantine

Free Blueprint classes here https://shop.mybluprint.com/a/shop/free-preview

Good Housekeeping magazine has a nice list of museums, zoos and even theme parks offering virtual tours here: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/travel/a31784720/best-virtual-tours/

Our own Kitchen Studio in Frederick has great recipe videos that you can follow along with here: https://kitchenstudiofrederick.com/grab-the-kiddos-and-lets-make-french-toast/

Are you or your children fascinated by origami? Here is a great video to follow along with: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScbyB8XxX1I

Making a sketchbook journal of this time of quarantine? Frederick Book Arts has a few great videos showing really creative journals here: https://www.frederickbookarts.org/post/the-sketchbook-project

Happy Making!!

This class is almost ready to be released. Want to know more and be the first to be able to register? Click here
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color inspiration in a book

Palette Perfect by Lauren Wager is a book all about color. It’s really more of a lookbook. I think it took me less than 30 minutes to read, but I have spent a long time studying the palettes that Lauren has put together.

The book concentrates on the moods of your life. Colors that represent those emotions and moods. She then makes palettes of 3-5 colors that represent the mood.

She presents 15 different emotions such as tranquility, curiosity and trendy. Within each chapter she gives images such as paintings, photographs and textiles. Each of these has a “color wheel” of colors shown in that image. The size of the pieces of the wheel represent the amount of color in that image. And then for each color she gives the CMYK percentages and the RBG percentages.

CMYK is used for printed materials. Dyeing can use the CMYK numbers too. But the numbers aren’t a direct % of each color, as the numbers add up to more than 100. But lets say that if the number is 14/0/35/80 You would have a color that is mostly black with about half as much yellow, no magenta and a small amount of cyan. So the color is a deep green color. If you aren’t a math nerd, that’s OK.

I love this book for it’s pure inspiration. Looking through it you can find some combinations that you may not have thought about before. Get yourself a copy here on Amazon. This is just a link, I haven’t received a fee for reviewing or promoting this book. It is merely a good book for those who want to hone their color sense and widen their creative use of color.

If you’ve always wanted to learn to dye, I’m working on a dyeing ecourse that is almost ready to be released in the world. You can find out more here .