HRYC

January 20, 2016

The Indie Shelf Project 2016

Hello, and happy new year! It is with great pleasure I announce our Indie Shelf Project line up for 2016 - it's gonna be a good'un! In the meantime, Knitsch Sock is also back on the shelves, and will be updated online once a week. Hooray!

Each dyer's yarn will go out on the first of each month, and will be in limited quantities.

February

March

Stitchpunk yarn

April

Circus Tonic yarn

May

Doespins Yarn

June

Nunnaba Yarns

July

Rosewood Wools

August

heavenly wools

September

Spinning A Yarn

October

Happy go knitty

November

Ruataniwha dye studio

December 15, 2015

Christmas & New Year hours

Christmas! It's next week! Yikes! If you need a yarn fix, or are still planning to pick up some gifts, we're open regular hours until the 23rd of December.

For our out-of-towners (or even the locals who need needles / yarn / company), we'll be open for the first time ever between Christmas and New Year.

Here's all the stuff you need to know (dates are inclusive):

HRYC christmas hours 2015 - 16

If you'd like guaranteed NZ shipping pre-Christmas, be sure to have your order with us by Thursday 17 December. Online gift vouchers are sent by email so you can nab those anytime.

We'd also like to take the time to thank you all for your support this year - we really, seriously appreciate it. 2016 is going to be amazing - so have a wonderfully restful break, get lots of knitting done and take care!

xx Tash, Claire, Jen & Kate

November 10, 2015

Light and breezy Summer cardigans

As I made breakfast this morning, and looked out the window at the sun-filled valley I live next to, my mind was preoccupied with what cardigan to wear today. While my wardrobe is filled with cosy, winter-weight cardigans, it's a bit lacking in something light enough for warmer days.

So, here's some ideas for lighter weight cardigans, something to pull on in the morning before walking out the door to work.

Make a Wish by Joji Locatelli (perhaps in Malabrigo Sock)

Lifesavers by Tanis Lavallee (perfect for using up sock yarn scraps!)

Lineal Cardigan by Hannah Fettig (for the lovely linen yarn, Sparrow)

Laika by Ysolda

Louise Light by Carrie Bostick Hodge in Quince & Co Finch

Would it be wrong to cast on five new cardigans in one day? ....

November 09, 2015

Indie Shelf Project: Vintage Purls

Based in Dunedin, Morag McKenzie not only dyes majestic colours as Vintage Purls, she also organises the excellent Unwind retreat each March. An excellent teacher, we're chuffed to have her in-store this weekend (Friday 13th - Saturday 14th November) to host a couple of classes and hang out for knitting.

You can book online or in-store for the Crescent Shawl Wrap-Up and the Knitting Socks Upside Down class. We'd love to have you join us!

When you aren't busy dyeing yarn, what do you do?

Vintage Purls is my full-time job. So if I’m not dyeing, I’m doing other business related things during work hours. In my downtime I love to get out in the garden or head off to walk in one of the many beautiful spots around Dunedin.

I like to knit too. ;) And enjoy several nights out a week to catch up with friends and have a good knit and natter.

What is your number one favourite part of being an indie dyer?

Colour! I love colour, so getting to fling it around is really good sport. :)

How did you get into knitting? Are you a process or a product knitter?

I’ve knit all my life. I was taught when I was very small. I’ve always been a maker, you name a handcraft, I’ve had a go, but knitting is the one craft that has been a constant in my life.

I’m a process knitter normally. There are some projects that I’m only in for the end product, but because most of what I knit is my own design, it’s the act of problem solving along the way to get the desired outcome that I really enjoy.

Do you have a particular fibre or fibre blend you love to dye more than any other?

I can’t say any one is a stand-out favourite. Every fibre-blend dyes a bit differently and you have to alter your approach to get your desired effect and I enjoy that. I do like dyeing my Lace yarn, possibly because I do so much of my Sock and Max (which are the same fibre blend, just different weights), that it feel like a bit of a treat to work with Lace sometimes.

We all have colour tendencies - what's yours? Do you find this comes through in your dyeing?

I guess we all gravitate to colours we like to wear. I love a jewel tone. Super-saturated blue, red, purple, green, or pink are all “my thing”. I do dye colours I love, but it’s not my driving force, I’m afraid I’m quite mercenary - if it sells well, I dye lots of it. :)

If you could go on holiday anywhere in the world, where would it be? Why?

That’s a super tough question, the world is full of beautiful and inspiring places. Ever since I was a child, perusing the pages of National Geographic, I have wanted to see the Rose City at Petra. I have never made an effort to go though because I know the reality cannot live up to my fantasy. I think many of the iconic travel destinations we dream of are a bit like that. For a true holiday (where very little is achieved and relaxation is the name of the game), I have always desired to visit the Maldives. A wonderful place to relax and dream every day away but also a place that is disappearing due to rising water-levels and so may well not be able to be enjoyed for much longer.

Thanks so much Morag! You can find Vintage Purls yarns on the Indie Shelf until the end of November, hooray!

November 02, 2015

Indie Shelf Project: 2016 applications now open!

That's right, we're doing it all again! This time with an optional extra - the Indie Shelf Parcels. If you're an indie dyer based in NZ or Australia, we'd love to invite you to apply.

Email shop@hollandroadyarn.co.nz and we'll send you all the necessary info and the application form.

Here's the very brief run-down:

Each month the indie shelf features a different dyer. This year was the first time we ran the indie shelf and it was a great success. Our local customers loved coming in to check out the new dyer each month and being able to see things in real life.

We also had lots of requests from our not-so-local customers to list the yarns online, which wasn't really possible due to the work involved with taking photos and listing individual products. So for 2016 we are introducing the Indie Shelf Parcel. For each dyer that opts in, we'll have a unique to us colour way in a limited quantity that will go up for sale online at pre-determined time. So we can share the indie dyer love a bit further afield!

Months are allocated on a first-in, first-served basis. Not a dyer? Feel free to point your favourite indie dyer in our direction!

Email shop@hollandroadyarn.co.nz and we'll send you all the necessary info and the application form.

Applications close Friday 13 November at 5pm and successful applicants will be notified by Friday 27 November.