Meet The Indie Dyer: Seth of Hate The Cold
Keeley Richardson
Founder and Chief Fiber Officer
Enticingly vibrant colors in ethically sourced yarns, that’s what you will find in this wonderful range of yarns that are hand dyed by Seth in Seattle. Here at The Woolpack, we have been following Hate the Cold on social media for a while now, so it was great to connect with Seth for a Q&A to discover what inspires and motivates him.
How long have you been dyeing yarn and can you tell us about your journey?
I’ve been dyeing for two years and I got started in fiber arts about four years ago with machine knitting. I tried knitting and crochet a few times growing up and it never really clicked for me, but then I stumbled across knitting machines during Covid. I got a little Sentro (circular knitting machine), started learning how to make beanies, and got the feeling I was onto something. I started checking out all the different types of yarn that were available, discovered the world of indie dyeing, and decided to give it a try.
I found I really enjoy making things colorful and having a different way of customizing my knits. The more I played around and dug into it, the more interested I became in sourcing yarn bases that are ethically and sustainably produced and developing my own line of yarn.
What kind of fibers do you enjoy dyeing and why?
I enjoy dyeing all kinds of fibers. I have both plant and protein fibers in my lineup, so I’m not picky in that regard, but I do have strong opinions about how the fiber is prepared. The baseline I aim for when selecting my bases is: 1. No animals harmed, 2.No workers mistreated, 3. Everything’s reasonably sustainable. I’d love to get to the point where I can travel around to mills and ensure that everything follows these guidelines, but for now, this means I try to understand how different materials are sourced and prepared and stay away from bases that don’t meet that criteria or just seem questionable.
Silk and silk blends are a perfect example. Sure, silk feels nice, but does it feel nice enough to ignore the fact that someone’s just growing and murdering thousands upon thousands of silkworms to make a bit of silk? As the kids might say, it’s giving Holocaust. It’s unethical, and it’s not for me.
I get the most excited when I find a base that meets my criteria and offers qualities that are well suited to a particular type of project.
What is it that you love about your craft?
I just love making stuff. My grandmother made quilts and gave them away to everybody and worked with a group at her church to make quilts for donation, and at some point while I was growing up, it struck me that on any given night, there are probably a lot of people I don’t even know who are warm thanks to one of Grandma’s quilts. I always thought that was pretty cool, and I like the idea of making things that give people the warm fuzzies…especially if they’re also warm and fuzzy.
Where do you find your color inspiration?
Starting out, I focused on colors I thought I could use to make some nice knitwear for myself, but I quickly realized that the colors that look good on me don’t necessarily look good on people with different skin tones, so I try to maintain a mix of primaries, muted colors, and neons. Everybody likes different colors for different reasons and there are so many different ways to combine colors and make them interesting, I’m more interested in offering a lot of colors so people can combine them in the ways they like than I am in creating a specific colorway I think a lot of people would like. I really enjoy seeing the different ways people approach and combine the colors I create.
What advice do you have for someone thinking about dyeing their own yarn?
I love how accessible dyeing is and would encourage anyone who’s interested to give it a try. The way I like to put it is: if you can bake a cake, you can dye a skein. It does take a bit of work to decide what you want to do and figure out your recipe, and that’s not for everybody, but if it sounds like fun, give it a try! Worst-case scenario: if you don’t like the way something is dyed, you can always dye it darker or just dye it black. Everybody knows somebody who’ll like something in black.
Which shows will you be attending in 2026?
My yarn is available online at hatethecold.shop, and you can reach me via email at ilovebeingwarm@gmail.com or through Instagram @hatethecold_.
I will be at Pike Place as a guest vendor on the corner of 1st and Pike from December 17-23 and Acorn Street Yarn Shop January 16-18.
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