April 23, 2008

Upcoming Shows!

Color_flyer739421_2 A couple of shows that you should know about:

First up is Color Fiber Festival on April 26th from 10am-5pm in Berkeley.  We are co-hosting this event with Kristine from A Verb for Keeping Warm.  Also there as vendors will be Pigeonroof Studios and Girl on the Rocks.  We will be having classes, fiber tastings, and an area both indoors and out to hang out and spin and knit. 

Next we will be at two shows simultaneously (5/3 & 5/4).  We will be at CNCH and Maker's Faire both!  We will be sharing a booth will Verb at both events.  Apparently Stephanie will be at the Maker's Faire on Saturday at 11am giving a talk.

Two great weekends of fun with fiber!  I hope we see you at one or all events.
Happy crafting!  -Brooke

January 30, 2008

In Defense of Natural Dyes

There are a lot of misconceptions about natural dyes.  We hear them all the time.  Here are a few of the things we hear:

Myth:  Natural dyes are not light fast.

We use high quality dye extracts from Earthues.  They have been rigorously tested for lightfastness and are comparable or better than commercially available synthetic dyes.  Additionally, they are  EU certified organic (US certification is in the works) and Fair Trade.   Read more on their About Us page.

Natural dyes typically fall into one of three categories: fugitive (meaning the color will fade or wash out), substantive (meaning the dye does not require a mordant to be fast - more on mordants later), and adjective (meaning the dye does require a mordant to be fast).  We use only substantive and adjective dyes.  We will not sell a yarn or fiber dyed with a fugitive dye.

Myth: Natural Dyes are toxic.

Natural Dyes are not toxic.  There are some mordants that are dangerous to use, like tin and chrome.  We do not use any dangerous mordants.  We use alum (potassium aluminum sulfate), a food grade ingredient used in making pickles and as a component of baking powder.  We use precautions when handling powdered dyes and mordants as all powders can harm the lungs when inhaled.  Spent alum mordant water can be safely disposed in septic and city wastewater systems.  In fact, alum is commonly used by municipal wastewater treatment facilities to extract excess nutrients such as phosphates that can cause algae bloom.

What is a mordant?  Simply, it is the glue that bonds the dye to the fiber.  We pre-treat the yarn or fiber in a mordant bath to adhere the mordant.  The yarn or fiber then rests for at least a week.  This resting period gives stronger colors.  We dye only after the mordanting process is complete.

Myth: Natural Dyes are harmful to the environment.

We use organic and Fair Trade dyes from Earthues.  We are thrilled to have access to such high quality natural dyes.  Part of why we use natural dyes (along with the fabulous colors they make) is because they are gentler to the environment than synthetic dyes.  The dyes we use have been ethically collected and manufactured.

Myth: Natural Dyes can't make bright colors.

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A picture is worth a thousand words.

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Not only can natural dyes be bright, they are very rich.  Each dye is comprised of many compounds that together make the color we perceive.  It is like blending many colors together to get one heathered and complex color.

In upcoming posts we will explain more about the natural dye process.  If you have any questions or topics you would like to see covered, drop us a line.

January 22, 2008

Upcoming Events

February will be a busy and exciting month!  We will be vendors at:

Madrona Fiber Arts in Tacoma, Washington from February 14-17, 2008 and

Stitches West in Santa Clara, California from February 21-24, 2008 with our friend Kristine of A Verb for Keeping Warm.  Look for us in booth 840.

Both of these events have a marketplace that is open to the public.  Stop by and say hello.

We will also be teaching Beginning Spinning on the Drop Spindle at Knit One One's new space in Berkeley.  The class is February 3 & 10 from 11-1.

Our online shopping cart is scheduled to go live on March 3, 2008 (assuming we survive February in one piece).

To hear the latest news about Tactile, sign up for our email newsletter by sending us an email.

Welcome!

Welcome to the store blog for Tactile.  While we are busy getting the online store together we are also making luscious product, all dyed with organic and earth-friendly natural dyes.

Merinosilk_2 Yummy Merino-Tussah roving.

Merinotencel_2 Shiny Merino-Tencel roving.

We have so much more to show you.  There are five different sock yarns, organic merino yarn, alpaca-wool yarn, and organic cotton yarns.  For the spinners we have wonderful fibers like tussah silk, camel, blue faced leicester, alpaca, yak, bamboo, organic merino, and much, much more.  Pardon my enthusiasm, but it is like working in a candy store.

We also have books, spinning wheels, patterns, kits, and tutorials coming.

If you want to join our email list, please send an email.   Folks in the  San Francisco Bay Area can join our regular Spin & Knit groups; join our Google group for more information.  We will keep our upcoming events at the top of the page.

For those of you who don't know us already, we are Brooke and Maia.  You will find links to our personal blogs (fiber oriented of course!) in the side bar.  We started Tactile almost a year ago and have been selling at fiber festivals and through our local get-togethers .  We are spinners and knitters, dyers and weavers, wives and dog lovers.  Did I mention the love of fiber?  We are so lucky to be Tactile and to work with yarn and fiber every day.  It is by far the best job I have ever, ever had.  May this be a long and wonderful ride!

 

January 18, 2008

Happy Birthday Maia

A very happy birthday Maia!  I look forward to many more years of being up to our elbows in dye pots and fueled by Vietnamese food.

Your partner in dye, Brooke.

P.S.  Maybe this year we will get a raise?