We are proud and excited to be offering the CWM Natural Dye Club 2019 subscription - our third annual dye club. Offered in collaboration with fibre artist, Megan Samms, The CWM Natural Dye Club is like a natural dye class and knit along all wrapped into one. The subscription includes yarn, a knitting pattern, and instructions for getting signed up to receive the club emails. Then, starting in March 2019, you'll receive email correspondence with recipes and instructions to do your yarn dyeing and complete your local fibre project!
We started the CWM Natural Dye Club because we wanted to explore and expand awareness of environmentally and socially responsible colour within our local fibre community. So much of the colour in our daily lives is taken for granted; we have the option to wear hot pink socks, but rarely do we ask how those hot pink socks got their colour. Too often, the answer is at great expense to the well-being of the environment and workers of impoverished communities where the textile industry is one of the world's worst polluters (if you are interested, you can read more about this here in our first blog on the subject). But just harping on how bad standard textile dyes are doesn't provide options for change. The natural dye club is a way for us to reconnect to old textile traditions and knowledge that offer an alternative relationship to textile colour - one that is slow, intentional, and that does not cause harm to our environment and fellow humans living on other parts of the planet.
For a fun new challenge, the 2019 project will focus on the use of invasive species, garden weeds, and common plants found across Canada as dye stuffs. It is perfect for both the beginner dyer and someone with a little bit more experience. The knitting project is The Northern Harvest Cowl designed by my mom, Fen, and myself. Knit in the round with lots of fun colourwork, the cowl highlights the different beautiful colours that can be achieved with natural dyeing. The subscription is a great project for the solo-adventurer, but it is also a lot of fun to do with a group of subscribers. It is available for a limited time only while quantities last. You can purchase the subscription from our online store, or in person here at the mill. We look forward to having you join us for the 2019 project!
