I’m currently dyeing up a fade kit over on my YouTube channel and I’ve been looking to the viewers to influence how the skein will be dyed next. I think it’s been pretty successful and last week, I posted the Skein #2 Dye with Me.
The event itself has certainly been a learning experience for me as a dyer. Yarn dyeing is certainly an art form and the way I see the skeins is certainly going to be different than how you might see it. The vision of the next skein may be so clear for both of us but if we said it out loud on the count of 3, what are the chances what we blurt out would match?
Whenever I sell a skein of yarn, I make sure that I like it personally. If I don’t like, why should I think a customer will? If I try to dye to the masses, I end up with less successful colorways than when I dye for me. I think we all have our own style and your best work is when you’re excited about what you’re doing. If I love a colorway, it’s going to show through in the yarn.
So try to match up that concept with asking viewers to tell you how to dye a skein! It’s been a challenge for me to dye up a skein that I want represented by my brand and also to make sure I’m not taking control of the process.
Now don’t get me wrong. I still dye what I think should be done, but would these skeins be what they are without you, the viewers? NO WAY! You are really are influencing this and I can’t wait to see how this fade ends in skein #3. I’ll be dyeing up the skein this weekend and I seriously could not tell you today what it will look like.
All that being said, skein #2 took me 3 tries to get it right. Yup! 3! I dyed up (and filmed) 3 skeins before uploading the dye with me. So what happened? In attempt #1, I dove in without much planning. I had the comments of the viewers in my mind, but I went with what I thought would work. It ended up not fitting in with what I imagined based on the comments or with skein #1. I have to say, I love how the skein turned out (hint hint Autumn Vibes hint hint), but it just didn’t fit in with this fade. You’ll have to wait and see why another day.
In attempt #2, I had a better idea of what to do, but I took the comments too literally. I was trying to make too many people happy and the end result was not something I loved. Do you see what happened? Attempt #1 – too me. Attempt #2 – too everyone else. Attempt #3 – just right.
I plan to post a video at the end of the series with these missed attempts. In the meantime, check out how skein #2 turned out in this video here. The kits are still available in my shop at 10% off and Autumn Vibes is also available.