Interview: Kathy Dixon of Despondent Dyes

Three cakes of pink and gray yarn.

What inspires your beautiful colorways? 

I’m very inspired by what I see around me; therefore, lots of bright pastels in the spring, more saturated colors in the summer, crisp, earthy colors in the autumn, and muted, icy colors in the winter.

How do you select the perfectly despondent names for your colorways? 

I listen to people’s conversations (yes, I did hear you say that, and it’s going to end up a name!); I get in the zone with my daughter JulieAnne, or with Hannah, and the names start rolling - so I’ve got an ongoing list.  Then it’s a matter of going through the list to find the name that fits perfectly with what the color is saying to me.

How do you dream up your yarn clubs/kits?

To an outsider, it might look like an ‘overnight success.’ You know - the type of overnight success that was a decade in the making? I think about things (probably overthink, actually) for a good long time, considering all the options and what my goal is, then I sit down with paper and pen and just let the ideas start flowing. Then I revise. I’m trying to provide something that I would love to receive. That’s how I know when I’ve got something good - when I know I can’t live without it being a reality!

What is your favorite method or style of dyeing?

I’m primarily a kettle dyer. I mix my colors and put them in the pot then add the yarn dry so that I get the most variegation. I do like to speckle, but right now I’m struggling with how much plastic wrap that uses, so I’ve been experimenting with other methods.

In learning how to dye yarn, what did you find the most interesting? Any surprises?

The most interesting is how you can over dye ugly yarn so that it becomes beautiful and useful!  The surprises are self-induced. I am the WORST note taker, so I really struggle with repeatability and consistency.

Spilled fuchsia dye on a white table with a paper towel and cup of the same dye.
Pink yarn being held over a full dyepot.
A red and orange sock blank being dyed.

Are you a knitter, crocheter, or bistitchual?

I started as a crocheter and still do it occasionally, but when I finally took to knitting, I took HARD!  

What do you most enjoy about stitching?

The quiet contemplation while I’m knitting. I don’t watch TV; I don’t listen to music or podcasts. I just knit. And think. And I love it!

How/why did you choose the name "Despondent Dyes?"

Hmm. I’ll try to get this right; it was a while ago. I remember being extremely amused when the Yarn Harlot wrote on her blog about a wildly colorful yarn and it’s name was “Beige”. That got me thinking about fun names for yarn, and for some reason my idea of funny names took on a really self-deprecating, failed romance vibe.  And I love alliteration, so Despondent Dyes just fit.

Could you tell us a little bit about what inspired you to create your own yarn business? 

Since learning to knit, spin, weave, etc., I’ve wanted to be an integral part of the fiber community. Working in my LYS (Stash in Corvallis, sadly closed since January) filled that need pretty well, but I still felt an urge to contribute. I’ve dabbled in button making and pattern writing (I still write the occasional pattern), but dyeing yarn! Wow! All those colors - finally feeling like my years studying art in college were paying off? It was the best, and then people liked my colors and laughed at the names and that was all the encouragement I needed!

Kathy and Hannah next to each other, standing in the Despondent Dyes booth.
Kathy sitting in a yellow chair while knitting.

Who's on the Despondent Dyes Team? What do they do?

It’s Hannah and me! Hannah joined me at the beginning of the year when the yarn shop closed, but really she’s the one who pointed me toward the dye workshop that got the whole ball rolling. She’s always listened when I go on and on and on...  I dye the yarn, take the photos, and write the blog (thank you to the two people who have been reading it! I see you and appreciate you!). Hannah completely handles the newsletter, does most of the Instagram stories, and gets me out of technological trouble when I’m in deep. But probably her most important roles are having great ideas and knowing when I need to be pulled out of fantasyland and back to reality! After that we both just do whatever needs doing to promote and run a business.

What does a normal dye week look like for you?

I go out to the studio one or two days a week (depends on what’s coming up) and dye for around six hours. Then I take everything home and rinse, spin in the washer (except for the one memorable disaster when I didn’t spin; I washed and ended up tangling 18 skeins of yarn together…) and hang the skeins to dry. Once dry I spend more time twisting, labeling, and in the case of self-striping sock yarn, re-skeining.

When you partner with a yarn shop to do a trunk show, what qualities do you look for?

I’m glad you asked! We just developed a policy about that! When we are contacted by a shop or reach out on our own we include the following: “We are very interested in having our yarn in the most welcoming yarn shops; we feel that those shops make the most sales! To this end, we have a policy of asking about your BIPOC indie dyer/designer/customer relationships. Do you reach out to and invite BIPOC dyers and designers to have trunk shows or sell wholesale? Do you make every effort to create a welcoming atmosphere in your shop so that BIPOC customers know that their business is wanted?” And then we wait to see what their answers are. We’ve even had an opportunity to educate a yarn shop owner about the ongoing inclusivity conversations in the fiber community. 

If you were to suggest a yarn base for a beginning stitcher who has fallen in love with your yarn like we have, which base would you recommend? Why?

I know I’ve been going on and on about our new base “Vintage Vixen”, but there’s a really good reason for it! It’s bouncy, so easy on the hands while working with it. It’s really round, which gives great stitch definition. It’s non-superwash, so your garment doesn’t surprise you with a growth spurt after washing. And the colors all go so well together; there are no wrong choices if you are just beginning to experiment with colorwork.

Four skeins of purple and teal yarn sitting over an antler.

What advice would you give to others wanting to follow their creative dreams?

If it’s something you really want, then do it!! It doesn’t have to be wildly successful, just satisfying to you!  

Do you ever experience creative blocks? If yes, how do you overcome this?

Yes, I do experience creative blocks. I used to try to power through, and that’s how I know you can over dye ugly yarn! The best thing to do when I’m having a bad day is just clean up, put everything away, and try it another day.

There are a lot of changes happening in the fiber arts industry right now; what positive change do you hope to see happen in the fiber community?

I was so ignorant about the lack of diversity in the fiber arts world, so I’ve been educating myself and trying to make choices that are more diverse and inclusive; I just hope that this movement doesn’t fizzle out! It broke my heart to realize this thing that I love and thought was so positive and uplifting was leaving people out and causing harm.

What positive impact do you hope to have in the world through Despondent Dyes?

It just makes me so happy when people discover my yarn names and go through the entire selection, reading the names out loud and laughing! I appreciate that people love the colors, but it’s being able to make them laugh that really makes my day!

How does dyeing add happiness to your daily life?

Well, first - I happen to really love yarn. I am a color fanatic, so being able to put the colors I want onto the yarn is amazingly fulfilling! And I love the evenings when I’m sitting in a chair knitting and I’m surrounded by the drying racks filled with all the colors I dyed that day; it’s just the most cheerful sight!

INTERVIEWSJeananne Atthoweinterview, Yarn, Despondent Dyes, indie dyer, creative life, crochet, knit, yarn club, colorways, inspiration, Handmade, hand dyed yarn1 Comment