The Project

Last March we embarked upon a project to further our understanding of colour theory and how it applies to our fibre work, specifically blending colour for spinning. The works of Deb Menz and others inspired this project. Two of our members, Teal and Rose, were the planners, the rest of us followed along. We all expected that this to be a BIG PROJECT that would take us the Spring and maybe the Summer to finish. BIG MISTAKE! 11 months and counting we are maybe half to three quarters finished.

We got underway one Saturday. We arrived at the Art Centre, as we often do, in convoy, laden down with 8 lbs of Perendale fleece, Ciba (washfast acid) Dyes, dye pots, hot plates, butane stoves, acetic acid, gloves, masks, etc.

About seven hours later we emerged with one pound each of wet fleece in each of the following colours: scarlet, blue, turquoise, magenta, yellow, golden yellow, and black. One pound was left undyed white. In the process we practically emptied the Art Centre. Apparently some people don't have the same affection for the aroma of seven acid dye pots full of wet wool as we do.

Then we started carding, and carding and carding. Do you know how long it takes to pick and card a pound of dyed roving? A lonnnng time.

Once we had bags of carded bats of each of our original colours, the blending and the MATH started. Through the summer and the fall we produced bags of bats of our warm and cool blended primaries; blue, red and yellow.

Next we embarked upon blending our secondaries:

Orange(Golden yellow and Scarlet)
Green(Yellow and Turquoise)
Violet(Magenta and blue) (this one via Saskatchewan)

And now on to the tertiaries! And we thought the math was hard before.

Now we just nodded confidentially as Teal told us how much of each secondary to weigh out on the scale.

Here is where we are at today; finished all but two tertiaries.


Red-Orange(BlendedRed-Orange)Yellow-Orange (Blended Yellow-Orange)
Red-Violet (Blended Red-Violet) Yellow-Green (Blended Yellow-Green) Blue-Violet (Blended Blue-Violet)Blue-Green (Blended Blue-Green)

Jade