π Knitters! These are arriving just in time for Christmas...
Published 13 days agoΒ β’Β 4 min read
Hey Reader!
Back in May I came up with an idea to take our Yarnist community on a journey through different types of colorwork knitting.
We would spend the summer exploring each colorwork style and what could be done with it.
This ended up becoming our Summer Knitting Weekend which we held in August (and again in October).
Over 4 days we showed how each of the 10 colorwork methods highlighted boiled down to ONE simple technique.
If you can master that ONE technique you can knit that type of colorwork.
But knitting with multiple colors is only half of the story.
You also have to pair colors together that look nice.
So we also held sessions on color theory, picking colors for your skin type, AND different yarn dyeing methods.
There are a surprising number of ways to add color to yarn.
And rather than just talk about those, I wanted our community to be able to experience them with their own hands.
Maybe we could make some hand dyed yarn to compliment the Summer of Colorwork?
Luckily I just so happened to have such a yarn we could use...
Back in 2015 we hosted a crowdfunding campaign to launch our own private yarn label.
Our flagship yarn was specifically designed to be used for sweaters; a DK weight combination of wool (55%) and cotton (45%).
The cotton gave it moisture management and cooling properties, while the wool made it softer and springy.
On top of that, we used a woolen spun mill in Wisconsin, which gave the yarn a light, bouncy feel you don't find in more common worsted spun yarns.
I was pretty proud of that project.
We created a yarn that was uncommon at the time and sourced, milled, and dyed it all in the USA.
Unfortunately running a yarn company was more challenging than I anticipated, so we sold most of the dyed stock we had on hand, and moved on to other projects.
But we didn't sell ALL the stock we had...
Original yarn colorways dyed by Saco River Dye House
For years we've had hundreds of skeins worth of undyed yarn sitting in storage.
The dyehouse we used to work with didn't survive covid, and I was hesitant to get back into the yarn business.
But as I developed The Summer of Colorwork concept I got to thinking.
What we could do with this yarn just sitting on the shelf?
What if we used this yarn to explore different yarn dyeing methods?
Because it's a combination of plant and animal fibers, it was going to dye differently than anything out there.
So I started looking for partners to work with.
Our dye partners: Melissa Renfrey, Abby Spolar, and Vanessa Ewing
I knew I wanted each dyer we partnered with to take a different approach to the project.
They were free to do whatever they wanted with a colorway that represented summertime to them.
Vanessa Ewing of Cape May Fiber Co was the first person I contacted.
Not only is she a prolific designer who's worked for yarn companies like Plymouth and Premier, she's also experienced with natural dyes.
She took our yarn base and combined it with some unique botanicals to create a lovely light blue (which is quite difficult to do).
Vanessa dyed this yarn with Cape Jasmine and Marigold
Next was Abby Spolar of Poppy and Spruce Fibers, who happened to be a family friend.
Her dad was actually my youth pastor when I was a teenager.
It turns out she's a very talented hand dyer who has only been doing this professionally for about a year.
I loved her aesthetic and pitched her on doing a variegated version of the yarn.
She came up with a gorgeous colorway inspired by her favorite summertime memory, eating ice cream.
This yarn is an interpretation of her favorite ice cream flavor, Strawberry Balsamic.
Abby's Strawberry Balsamic variegated yarn
Finally, Melissa Renfrey of Storyteller Stitchery was referred to me by Mini-Minder creator Vanessa Van.
She's an Arizona transplant from Northern England and also recently started her dyeing business.
Her background includes some computer stuff that's way above my understanding, and she uses AI to help generate her mood boards.
We worked on a more tonal approach to the yarn and ended up with a colorway that is inspired by those dreamy days at the lakeside.
The result has a subtle depth to it that I absolutely love.
Melissa's tonally dyed yarn has layers of lavender and blue
Finally I wanted this box to be extra special, so I asked Veronica to make a limited edition Mini-Minder just for us.
They loved the idea and came up with a design that totally blew me away.
It's inspired by the national butterfly of Estonia, the Swallowtail, which happens to have the colors of the Estonian flag.
The result is not only beautiful, but incredibly useful for all knitters who want a better way to keep their projects nearby.
The only way to get this exclusive Mini-Minder is in this YarnCrate
This was such a fun project to work on and I'm incredibly impressed with what each of these artisans was able to create.
The flecks of cotton give the yarn an interesting look that you don't often find with hand dyed yarns.
And the exclusive mini-minder design has a very special meaning for me, as I have made Estonian my home.
I can't wait to get my hands on all of them.
And if this has got you curious about how you can do the same, there's good news and bad news...
The good news is you can get them all as part of our Summer of Colorwork YarnCrate.
OR
We've set aside a small number of individual skeins you can purchase on their own (or add to your YarnCrate).
The bad newsis we only ordered a small number of skeins from each of these dyers.
This is a unique, one time experience.
We don't make this yarn anymore, and they'll never be dyed again.
But I do have more good news!
Actually 3 more pieces of good news:
β¬οΈ I've dropped the price on these for this week only!
πΈ You can also take an extra 15% off your first order.β Just use the coupon code FIRST15 at checkout.
π We're guaranteeing these will arrive BEFORE Christmas!!
So if you want an extra special gift this holiday season, order your YarnCrate before they're all gone.