HRYC
The Indie Shelf: Fibre 2 Go
June sees us with Fibre 2 Go on the Indie Shelf - Lyn is based in Auckland and dyes jewel tones on both fibre and yarn. They simply glow with vibrancy - and we love being able to treat our spinners with some special indie dyed goodness!
When you aren't busy dyeing yarn, what do you do?
Spin, knit, housework (when absolutely necessary), cook meals, visit my 96 year old Mum, browse Ravelry and Craftsy and I also have a keen interest in netball so I volunteer on the official scoring and timing bench at ANZ netball games and tournaments.
What is your number one favourite part of being an indie dyer?
Seeing the reaction of my customers (both regular and new) when they see my stock. The smiles often followed by jaw-dropping amazement. Then I know I have them in my trap!
How did you get into knitting? Are you a process or a product knitter?
My mum taught me during a three week drive around NZ on a family holiday. I was 8. I love to try new techniques so often my projects don't get finished. They get tinked and reinvented. Having said that I do love that sense of achievement when I remove a finished shawl from the blocking pins, or give a special piece to a friend.Do you have a particular fibre or fibre blend you love to dye more than any other?
Hmmm, let's see. Probably the 20%silk 80% merino. But I also love the Luxury blend which is silk/cria alpaca/fine merino. The colours migrate in a very special way and look incredible.
We all have colour tendencies - what's yours? Do you find this comes through in your dyeing?
Blues and purples but I get most of my inspiration from nature. Millions of years of product development already for me to use. But I do study colour theory and have a sense of what will work with fibres because you have to understand how to spin or knit to create the best starting materials for other crafters to work with. This is especially important for fibre as opposed to yarn. Yes, I hope my colour sense comes through in my dyeing. But I am always happy to work with customers to create something special with their own colour suggestions.If you could go on holiday anywhere in the world, where would it be? Why?
Tahiti for the underwater colour bonanza or India, I have heard that vibrant colours are everywhere and not to be missed.
Anything else you want to share with us?
I produce mainly highly colour-saturated fibre blends. When using coloured fibres for spinning or felting it is important to realise that after dyeing, each process the fibre goes through can cause the colours to optically blend and may result in muddy browns. Of course this may be your goal. But knowing how to use highly saturated colours for maximum effect is an art in itself. Your projects will look breathtakingly beautiful as much from a distance as up close. And when you do get close the feel of the merino-based garment will add to the magic.Summary of 2015 Blanket CAL patterns
Although links to each month's patterns are still available in the Ravelry forum, the older ones can take awhile to find. Here is a handy list of the CAL patterns to date:
(To see all our participant versions of these squares, check out our Facebook album)
February (patterns using only basic stitches)
March (patterns include back loop only and/or cluster stitches)
April (patterns include post stitches)
May (more patterns with post stitches or with slightly complicated/unusual constructions)
Bonus square (pattern includes spike stitches; original pattern in French):
June (patterns include crochet diagrams)
July (patterns include stitches worked multiple rounds below)
August (patterns include spike stitches and picots)
September (patterns include puff stitches and more advanced construction)
October (patterns may involve more complicated color work)
November (generally advanced patterns or patterns that were published mid-year and didn't fit anywhere else)
This last option is a bit of a challenge. The pattern is no longer available, but between the notes on Kate33wlu's project page & the other project photos you could still make it:
Cosy hats for chilly days
The Southern hemisphere has well and truly arrived - our warmest and dryest wishes are with all those who have suffered from the heavy rain and flooding over the recent weeks.
Days like today, with hail and wind, make me want to pull on the warmest, cosiest hat possible. Here's a few that i'm loving lately:
Classic cuffed hat from the Purl Bee (we have one knit up in Zealana Heron in the Grand Arcade shop)
Puck is a super cute kids hat by Dani Sunshine - it would be great knit up in Vintage DK
Gather comes in a full size range from tiny to full-grown, from Tincanknits
Basic baby hat is a free pattern by Heather Tucker - perfect for using up odds and ends of 8ply.
The trouble I always have, especially with kids' hats, is figuring out what size to make. Here's a really handy chart from Tot Toppers:
Happy hat knitting, and stay warm!
Downside Up: A yarn club
With the Indie Shelf Project came a lot of requests from our not-so-local customers: could we somehow share the love?
Which sparked an idea. For a long time i've wanted to take part in amazing yarn clubs but found the international shipping to be a bit crazy. And so, just for our NZ & Australian yarnies: our very own.
It goes on sale at 10am Thursday 9 July. There are strictly limited spaces, so be sure to put a reminder in your calendar!
The details:
Downside Up is a very special yarn club. We've recruited three amazing dyers from North America to kick things off. To follow, three special NZ dyers, all with exclusive colour ways just for us. You can sign up for either the Northern dyers or the local ones, or go all in and register for both. Each parcel will contain:
- 100g approx of 4ply / fingering weight yarn dyed especially for us in an exclusive colour way
- special treats worth at least $10
Sign up options & prices:
North
NZ - $150 including shipping
Australia - $154 including shipping
North & South
NZ - $300 including shipping
Australia - $308 including shipping
Any leftover spots for South will go on sale in late September.
The shipping dates are:
North
(the North American yarns)
- late July / early August
- first week of September
- first week of October
South
(the NZ yarns)
- first week of November
- first week of December
- second week of January
Here's that link again. We wanted to give you lots of notice so you can start saving. If you have any questions, just give us a shout.
New Arrivals: Quince & Co
Ok, so it may not be super new, but I still want to share some amazing colour combos with you. Whenever new yarn turns up, I spend ages putting colours next to each other. Quince & Co lends itself beautifully to colour work and stripes, and i'm daydreaming of a fair isle jersey knit with as many colours as possible against a neutral background.
Chickadee in Egret, Iceland and Bird's Egg
Chickadee in Gingerbread (top) and Pea Coat
Chickadee in Snap Pea (top), Parsley and Cypress
Quince & Co Owl in Amethyst (top), Cielo and Cilantro
Quince & Co Piper in Sweetwater (left), Rock Springs and Guadelupe
Here's some pattern thoughts for you:
Anna by Pam Allen (Adult garment, Piper)
Lus by Mer Stevens (Adult garment, Piper)
Ella Funt by Pamela Wynne (Kid garment, Chickadee)
I heart you by Mandy Powers (Kid garment, Chickadee)
Foxy Sweater by Natalia Moreva (Adult garment, Chickadee)
Willard Fair Isle pullover by Hannah Fettig (Adult garment, Owl)
