I wanted to share some of the talented people that I have met along with way in my fibery journey by asking them some questions.
May I introduce, Cheryl, the talented indie yarn dyer of Hypnotic Yarn!
She is also so generous and has a 10% coupon code for all of you! Read on!
1. How did your fiber journey begin?
I’ve always been a color fanatic, and way back before I knew the difference between a knit and purl, I made handcrafted nail polish. While vending at a local craft fair, the woman running the booth beside mine had hand knit fingerless mitts for sale. I’d been a big fan of store-bought mitts up to that point, so I absolutely needed a pair of the handmade variety.
It didn’t take long before I knew I needed even more of these mitts in my life. Since I already knew how to crochet a little, that was the path of least resistance, so I decided to crochet myself a pair (or twenty). But what I found was that all the stitches I was doing were faux ribbing, faux cables, and the like, so I decided enough of this faux everything, I’m going to learn how to knit.
…And down the rabbit hole I went.
YouTube became my best friend as I taught myself on a very large and sort of bent pair of 9 inch straights (because I had no clue about different types of needles or sizes at that time). And once I discovered podcasts, well, if you’re reading this, you probably know how that goes. I thought I went down a rabbit hole before, but this was an entirely new level of awesomeness. When I learned that dyeing my own yarn could be *a thing* I knew immediately that it was for me.
I dyed my very first skeins January 10th 2017 and never looked back.
2. Do you knit, crochet, spin, weave as well as dye yarn?
Knitting is my jam! It’s become part of my everyday routine and as AMEX would say, I never leave home without it. (I may have just dated myself there.) I would love to learn to spin and weave. If I’m ever lucky enough to make dyeing my full time career, both are at the top of my bucket list.
3. Where do you get your color inspiration?
EVERYWHERE. It sounds cliché, I know, but it’s the truth. I can see two cars parked beside each other in a lot and think, now that would make a great colorway! Of course, nature is an endless fount of inspiration, as are fabric prints, artworks,
4. What kind of fiber do you use?
While this could change in the future, currently I dye only animal fiber and tend to stick with superwash as much as possible. Most of my bases are either 100% Merino or Merino blends, including silk, cashmere, and possibly coming soon, Yak.
5. What is your favorite colorway you have dyed so far?
Geesh! That’s like asking me to pick a favorite child. Is it cheating to say that every new colorway becomes my favorite?
If you were to twist my arm, I’d probably have to say Leaf Peeping. Being a New England girl born and raised, this particular colorway embodies me in a way and it’s a great over all representation of my dyeing style.
6. What fiber project are you working on at this moment?
I just released my TaraDiddle Fingerless Mitts pattern on Ravelry and am super excited about that.
Currently on my needles is the Oranjestad Shawl by Lavanya Patricella and The Weekender sweater by Andrea Mowry.
7. Do you have any special events going on?
I have a collaboration with the amazing indie bag makes Amber and Carol of A Single Strand Studio going on right now for our Victorian Museum yarn and project bag kits. The sample I knit is the Moving To The Country Shawl by Christy Houghton and is a Free pattern on Ravelry.
I love working with other creatives and have some wonderful collaborations coming up with a few indie makers and designers, so stay tuned for those announcements
I have trunk shows going on through May at two amazing shops: Lila and Claudine’s in MN and The Yarn Attic in NJ. And if you’re in the California area, I have a month long trunk show coming up at Yarn Del Sol in Mission Viejo in June.
8. Where can people find out all about you.
You can find my hand dyed yarn at www.hypnoticyarn.com
(She is so generously offering a 10% off coupon for anything in her shop with NO LIMITS on how many times it can be used until 7/31/18! Code is AnnTudor)
I’m HypnoticYarn all around the interwebs. You can find me on IG as @Hypnoticyarn
I can also be reached through the Hypnotic Yarn FB page and in the Hypnotic Yarn Ravelry group
Bonus Question - Do you pick the pattern or yarn first?