Shibori on Handwoven Silk and Linen
ABOUT THE DESIGNER:
Drawing on a lengthy background in weaving, knitting, crochet, and sewing, Catherine van Laake, textile designer, chose to research natural dyes in order to dye the yarns necessary for her hand weaving and knitting projects. With the use of natural dyes and natural fibers, she continues to discover the creative inspiration nature offers the textile artist. Her interest in natural dyes led her to the study of Shibori as seen in some of the samples above. She has a deep and abiding love of land and nature and finds her passion for applying natural dyes to her yarns and fabrics in an ecological manner an essential part of her life.
THE ATELIER
Catherine van Laake offers private and group hand knitting classes in her atelier, as well as natural dye workshops in the summer months. The content of the classes revolve around the specific skill level and interests of the attendees, but the focus is given to providing good foundational skills so that the participant can further their individual projects independently. In the summer, natural dye workshops are offered outside in a peaceful garden setting. Our house/atelier is ecologically designed so that we have natural sunlight to work by, we use 100 percent green energy, 100% rain water for the dyeing process, and we dye seasonally to use the sun’s warmth to reduce energy consumption. Although most of the raw materials and yarns cannot be purchased locally, the yarn is dyed locally at the fijnKNIT atelier in De Pinte.
Drawing on a lengthy background in weaving, knitting, crochet, and sewing, Catherine van Laake, textile designer, chose to research natural dyes in order to dye the yarns necessary for her hand weaving and knitting projects. With the use of natural dyes and natural fibers, she continues to discover the creative inspiration nature offers the textile artist. Her interest in natural dyes led her to the study of Shibori as seen in some of the samples above. She has a deep and abiding love of land and nature and finds her passion for applying natural dyes to her yarns and fabrics in an ecological manner an essential part of her life.
THE ATELIER
Catherine van Laake offers private and group hand knitting classes in her atelier, as well as natural dye workshops in the summer months. The content of the classes revolve around the specific skill level and interests of the attendees, but the focus is given to providing good foundational skills so that the participant can further their individual projects independently. In the summer, natural dye workshops are offered outside in a peaceful garden setting. Our house/atelier is ecologically designed so that we have natural sunlight to work by, we use 100 percent green energy, 100% rain water for the dyeing process, and we dye seasonally to use the sun’s warmth to reduce energy consumption. Although most of the raw materials and yarns cannot be purchased locally, the yarn is dyed locally at the fijnKNIT atelier in De Pinte.