Category Archives: Yarn

Interview: Apothecary Yarns

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Apothecary Yarns, Wall Street Jumper

I must confess, Apothecary Yarns was my gateway drug into the world of independently hand-dyed yarns, with their wild colorways and catchy names… Which is why I’m super excited about this week’s interview with Sarah and Jennifer, the awesome sisters behind it all!

While they both knit, Jennifer is the mastermind behind the dyeing process, and Sarah is responsible for the business end of things and taking photos of their delicious yarn!

I would really love to meet them for a knit some day because they seem like so much fun! I hope you agree when you hear what they had to say.

 

For those who haven’t had the pleasure of meeting you, please tell us a little about yourself and your hand dyed yarn line, Apothecary Yarns!

We are a small yarn company, run by two sisters dedicated to enhancing knitter’s stash with fun, delicious yarn. Our dyeing headquarters is located in N. Florida and Jennifer is the dye master. I (Sarah) live in S. Florida and I handle the business and photography end of the company – no worries though, Jennifer lets me give plenty of input on the dyeing end AND I get the fun task of picking out the yarn bases!

What makes Apothecary Yarns Unique?

You get two great masterminds for the price of one! Ok, seriously, we are both hopelessly devoted to making yarn we would buy, knit and stash. Everything we put into the shop gets both of our approval – if we don’t like it or wouldn’t want to knit with it, it gets the ax. Also, Jennifer lives in the country near several cool water springs so the water we dye our yarn with is fresh, untreated spring water and we always set our yarns out in the open air – free range yarn!

What inspired you to start dying yarn?

We are both slightly fiber obsessed and we were intrigued by the process of hand dyeing our own yarn. The idea came to us that instead of searching for the perfect color combinations for our projects or waiting on yarn updates, why not create our own colorways on the yarn bases we want.


How did you decide to go into business together? What’s the best part?… and the most challenging?

It seemed the natural progression for us to do business together. We both had the idea to start up our company once we realized how much we loved dyeing yarn. We were so excited and both had so much to offer – there was never any question that we would go into this together.

The best part for us is just how much fun we have together! We both put in 110% towards making this business succeed so the rest is just fun.

The most challenging is living 5 hours apart from each other. All of our business is conducted via phone/Skype/email and snail mail. It has its challenges but the separation also allows us our own creative freedom and gives us our space. Plus it gives us a great excuse to take ‘business trips’ whenever we can ;)

I love how one of you does the dying and the other takes care of business for Apothecary Yarns… But you both knit! Sounds like a great sitch! Please tell us how you fell into the world of fiber:

Sarah: I fell into the world of fiber by chance. I was poking around a bookstore one day and saw Debbie Stoller’s first Stitch N’ Bitch book and flipped through it – I thought it was the coolest thing! I bought it, went to the craft store that day and bought yarn and needles. I wasn’t very successful learning on my own so I signed up for a beginner’s class at my LYS and that was all it took! I was completely hooked.

Jennifer: Well, for me it was gradual process. My mother-in-law was a master at knitting and crochet and she taught me how to crochet.  I had a lot of fun crocheting initially, but as my kids got older I stopped crocheting as much – I guess from boredom. Then Sarah started knitting. She came up to visit one Thanksgiving, taught me how to knit, and we sat at the dining room table and knit a tissue cover – that was all it took! It was also Sarah who opened my eyes to the wonderful world of yarn-y goodness…. I had no idea there were so many amazing yarns and different fibers out there.

List some patterns you think Apothecary Yarns would be perfect for:

Some of our yarn is heavily variegated so we think the best patterns are those that can break up the colorway throughout the pattern. We love Cookie A’s Monkey Socks and Erica Lueder’s (Dreams in Fiber) Hermoine’s Everyday Socks. Our yarns look great in shawl patterns also, most recently we’ve seen a Multnomah (by Kate Ray) and Orient Express (by Ashcroft-Hempsall) made and they look fabulous!


What inspires your colorways and their names?

Sarah: For me, I’m a very visual person. I love photography and am often inspired by colors and patterns around me. It’s not uncommon for me to call up Jennifer and tell her to check her email for some photo I want her to recreate into a colorway. We also look to our favorite books and movies – fun, kitchy stuff :) I love silly names but try not to go overboard and name them as I see them. A lot of times Jennifer surprises me with colors she came up with and I let them name themselves, sometimes it takes days but they eventually all get named.

Jennifer: I like to let Sarah come up with the names, I am really more interested in the colorways. I love just pulling something from a photo, book, or even movies and just running with it. I also like to just “wing it” – most of the time those turn out best! I find if I over think it, it doesn’t always turn out as well.

After interviewing several hand dyers, I must admit… I’m tempted to give dying yarn ago! Do you have any words of wisdom or encouragement for newbies?

Sarah: This is Jennifer’s area of expertise. My advice? Go for it! I love being inspired by color and seeing it replicated in yarn.

Jennifer: I say go for it! It is the best feeling to see our yarn turn into beautiful pieces. I love to see how the yarn worked up, and patterned. Dyeing yarn for yourself is an extremely rewarding thing to do. And if you have fun doing it, why not create a job out of something that you love?

When at home, please describe where you knit? What is it about the space that makes it yours?

Sarah: I usually plop on my corner of the couch in the family room, put in my earbuds or watch TV and go to town. I have a little table next to my side of the couch that has a small basket of yarn with all my notions in it (hooks, scissors, etc) and that’s usually where my knitting bag sits. I also use my formal living room for when my knitting friends come over – it’s filled with books, comfy couches and lots of light (and no TV or husband distractions are allowed)!

Jennifer: My daughter takes 4 dance classes a week so I am usually knitting in the car! But when I do get a free moment to knit at home, my daughter and I love to knit together in my bedroom. I have a bookcase in my room with all my yarn on it. My daughter and I both have nice big Thirty-One bags that we use as knitting bags – we need our notions to stay portable so keep everything we need in them.

Describe your dream knitting nook:

Sarah: I’d love to be set free at Ikea with no dollar limit! There would be great lighting, comfy chairs and glass front cabinets full of yarn!

Jennifer: For me, it is a room that is ONLY for knitting…. where I can calmly knit without hearing my husband and son playing Modern Warfare on the Xbox in surround sound! You know, just 2 comfy chairs, a cozy fireplace, walls lined with books and yarn. A peaceful place for me and my daughter to knit.

… What about a dream Apothecary Yarns office / headquarters / bat cave?

Sarah: I’d love a headquarters that’s large enough to house both the dye studio and Apothecary Yarns business office. I imagine it full of undyed yarn and large inspiration photos hanging on the wall. Of course there would be big comfy chairs to sit in and never ending baskets of yarn to knit with. I’m thinking there wouldn’t be a whole lot of working going on if we got our wish ;)

Jennifer: I would second Sarah’s thought here. It would be a wonderful place, cozy and intimate – maybe with a little café. I’d love to have a place where you can get a coffee and a muffin and sit and knit with your friends.

Please let us know how we can enhance our stash with your delicious yarn:

We are currently setting up our shop at www.apothecaryyarns.com but right now you can find us on Etsy at www.etsy.com/apothecaryyarns.

The stage is yours! Is there anything you’d like to add?

We have a group on Ravelry called The Apothecary where we post previews for upcoming updates and you can share your projects made with Apothecary Yarn. We also have a Facebook page and Twitter account (althought those aren’t nearly as active as the Ravelry group).

Super big thanks to Sarah and Jennifer for taking the time to do this interview! Sarah is QueSarah and Jennifer is Flachk on Ravelry. Be sure to check out the Apothecary Yarns Etsy shop!

Yarn Envy: Roman Hills

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Roman Hills, “Sybil” 420 yd Superwash Merino/Cashmere/Nylon

The magnificent ladies behind Roman Hills Yarn have done it! They immortalized the characters of Downton Abbey within their luxurious skeins!

If catching up with the Crawleys once a week is just not enough, check out the Roman Hill’s Etsy shop; Lisa and Amy channel the likes of Mary, Sybil, Matthew, Bates, Anna and yes, even the scheming Thomas & O’Brien! But hurry up, because they’re going like hotcakes!

Interview: Cakewalk Yarns

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A few months ago, I was browsing Etsy (like I do) and stumbled on Cakewalk Yarns. Dare I say, it was love at first sight? Rosie’s multicolor, speckled colorways may be out of some knitters’ comfort zone, but her palettes for each skein definitely trigger a sweet tooth. (Case in point, I splurged on a yummy skein of Weenie!)

I posted about Cakewalk Yarns before, but couldn’t resist contacting Rosie for an interview– and I’m glad I did! She’s witty, inspiring, in LOVE with color and settles any qualms you might have with outrageous colorways.

She explains, Cakewalk Yarns look “wild” but [once knit] they “tone down quite nicely”. Also, speckles add a “heavily tweeded” effect.

As a thank you, Rosie would like to offer you a coupon code to use in her Etsy shop through January 31st.  Please use the code knitnook15 which is good for 15% off the order!

I hope you enjoy the interview!

 

For those who haven’t had the pleasure of meeting you, please tell us a little about yourself and your hand dyed yarn line, Cakewalk Yarns! 

I’m Rose; Confessed Yarn Snob and owner of Cakewalk Yarns on Etsy.  My background is in a string of soul-sucking jobs that I loathed; so I decided to make a change that would feed my creative side! I opened my Etsy shop almost a year ago from my home here in Michigan.    My goal is to create hand-dyed yarns for people like me who can’t live without color; and maybe convert a few people into speckled yarn lovers. (I actually have another goal… keep reading.)



What makes Cakewalk Yarns unique?

Cakewalk Yarns carries seven lush yarn bases ranging from lace weight to aran. I hand dye a rainbow of variegated & tonal colorways in the traditional manner. But, the ones that really sing to me are my signature speckled yarns.  I have a very unconventional multi-step process to layer on the colors. I absolutely love to experiment with the dyes to create a little skein of art and I think the results are worth it.  They stitch up just beautifully & the results are a bit different from the look of a traditional variegated yarn.
What inspired you to start hand dying yarn?

I love to work with beautiful fibers but I got bored with the traditional colorways out there pretty quickly.  I’m a born do-er.  One thing led to another; and I and started dyeing my own yarns.


In your Etsy profile, you say you received two turkey roasters as wedding gifts, but because you’re a vegetarian, you have no use for them. Instead, you use them to dye yarn…Very cool! How did you decide to turn them into dying tools? Do you still use them? 

My husband is responsible for this.  For whatever reason, he was not on board with turning the kitchen into a dyeing studio (something about the smell of wet wool being unappetizing…I don’t know…).  So, I set up the turkey roaster in the guest room and started dyeing for myself.  The turkey roasters were a good way to start, but they aren’t meant for the kind of volume I’m producing now.


Many of your colorways feature speckles and splatters. What inspired that kind of dye quality / technique?

I absolutely love color!  I can’t get into the Stale Bread colorways that a lot of people go for; it’s just not me.  Having said that, I have a closet-full of traditional space-dyed variegated yarns and I totally get why the ‘Stale Bread Yarn Brigade’ is scared of them.  They don’t always look the way you imagined they would when knit up.  So, I wanted to add another option to variegated colorways.  Knit up, the colors are much more random than most traditional space dyed yarns.  It’s almost a heavily tweeded effect.

The fun thing about my speckled yarns is that the skeins look WILD; but knit up they tone down quite nicely.  You aren’t going to have to endure snarky comments from that little gnat in the cubicle next to you when you wear your new socks to work.  There you have it; that’s my real goal as a dyer.  Silence the gnats and serve as a counter-balance to the Stale Bread.

List some patterns you think Cakewalk Yarns would be perfect for:

This is the big question people ask me about my speckled yarns.  I have seen people knit the Lacy Batkus scarf and Hitchiker shawl – the speckled yarn looks fantastic in anything garter stitch.  But, don’t be afraid to try a stitch pattern.  You can absolutely knit a bold cable or simple lace pattern.  I recently knit two items for myself that I love using the speckled yarns.  I knit a Shaelyn shawl using the Stash fingering yarn and love it!  It’s got a fairly simple lace pattern that looks fantastic in the hand-painted yarn.  Then, because I have a weakness for anything cabled, I knit my new favorite hat Claudia using the Footsie fingering yarn.  It has twisted stitches and lattice cables that look so much fun covered in speckles.  I’ve even seen some Cookie A socks knit using the speckled yarns. Don’t limit yourself; try knitting a swatch in a stitch pattern and see what happens.

What inspires your colourways and their names?

My most popular colorways are inspired by my favorite TV show Arrested Development.  Evidently, I’m not the only one who longs for the return of the Bluths.  The colorway names are all references that amused me.  Die-hard fans will quite often write me requesting more – but honestly I don’t know how well people would react to seeing “Hot Ham Water” in my shop.

Arrested Development aside, I have a new collection that I am in love with right now.  I added an MCN fingering base this fall called Stash.  They are so special and unique that I decided to name each of the colorways after the places we go to enhance our stash. Each is named for a city that hosts annual wool and sheep festivals just for us fiber enthusiasts.

Do you have any words of wisdom or encouragement for newbie hand dyers?

Get yourself organized ahead of time. You don’t have to follow anyone’s step-by-step instructions when you are dyeing; but you are going to want to know where the rags are when a yogurt container full of turquoise dye tips over.
And make sure you take copious notes as you go along.  It stinks to fall in love with your hand-dyed yarn but not have enough of it actually create something.

What is it about a knitting pattern that makes you want to cast it on?

I am a recovering process knitter. I am usually attracted by the details of the object and want to try it out myself. Such as cables, I’m a sucker for cables.  I see a fresh cabled project and I am tempted to jump right in. But, I’ve made enough Michelin Man sweaters and too-tight socks by now to know better than to cast on right away.  I usually leave a picture of the project on my idea board; think about how the finished object will actually fit me, and what mods I would need to make for it to be realistic. Sometimes, I wind up just knitting myself a little coffee cozy using the stitch pattern and that’s enough to satisfy the Cable Urge.

When at home, please describe where you knit and/or dye your fiber.  What is it about the space that makes it yours?

Out of necessity, Cakewalk Yarns has moved.   I started out dyeing for myself in what was supposed to be a guest room.  After an incident with the aforementioned turquoise dye, it was suggested that perhaps I might be more comfortable if I set up a studio in the basement.  This is an improvement in terms of functionality; and thanks to the addition of a lovely area rug, we now have our guest room back.

Describe your dream knitting nook / room:

Lighting is my big thing.  My poor, tired eyes have got to have good natural light or a nice bright lamp near me since I usually knit .  And a comfortable chair.  And a TV.  And while we are at it, a nice glass of Barolo.

Please let us know how we can enhance our stash with Cakewalk Yarns:

Easy, add some Stash!  It’s a fingering weight MCN that is dyed in the most unconventional manner of all my yarns. My process for layering the color onto Stash involves four steps; and no two skeins are ever exactly the same. I love it so much; I am planning to add an MCN in worsted weight this winter in the same colorways.

The stage is yours! Is there anything you’d like to add?

Thanks so much for inviting me to share Cakewalk Yarns with the readers.  I strive to make sure that there are always goodies available in my shop when you go yarn-gazing.  I don’t do big weekly updates; instead I add yarn all the time so that there’s plenty to choose from when you have time to shop.   If you missed one that you liked, just send me a note.   And thanks so much for supporting indie dyers – we love you for it!

Big thanks to Rosie for taking the time to do the interview. You can find more Cakewalk yarn over in her Etsy shop. She’s also Cakewalk on Ravelry and blogs over at Cakewalkyarns.blogspot.com.

Interview: Gynx Yarns

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Laura Jinks is the indie hand dyer behind Gynx Yarns, which seems to have something for every knitter! Her Etsy shop is more like a candy shop, offering a rainbow of colors ranging from semi-solids to high-contrasted variegates but all of her bases are made from eco-friendly materials– something we can all get behind!

This week I had the pleasure of interviewing her and I hope you enjoy what she had to say!

 

For those who haven’t had the pleasure of meeting you, please tell us a little about yourself! How and when did you learn to dye yarn?

I’ve lived in Texas my whole life. I started knitting in 2005 and have been addicted ever since. I’m currently in Denton, but I will be moving in with my fiance and two cats in Fort Worth at the end of January when we’re married. I just graduated from the University of North Texas with a major in Fiber Arts, which is where I learned several dyeing techniques and fell in love with the process. At home I tried dyeing a few batches of yarn with Kool-Aid one day and enjoyed it, and jumped straight into the professional dyes from there.

Please tell us about Gynx Yarns and what makes it unique?

Gynx Yarns (pronounced like “jinx”) is an independent yarn dyeing company that is solely operated by myself, which I started at the beginning of 2011. Gynx Yarns are made from 100% organic merino wool, because it is important to me that my product comes from ethical sources. I also have a small line of recycled wools that come from unraveled sweaters that are then hand dyed. There are several different colorways, ranging from muted semi-solids to bolder, high-contrast variegateds, so there is something for every taste.

What inspires your colorways and their names?

I draw inspiration from everywhere. A lot of times when I’m creating a new color, I don’t know what inspires me until after I pull it out of the dye pot. I’ll look at the yarn and realize I got the colors from a show I had watched the night before, a painting I had seen recently, something I saw in nature, or was influenced by what was playing on my iPod while I was mixing colors. Normally I’ll name my colors after those things.

Many of your colorways feature semi-solids and multi-tones. What is it about those dye techniques that you love?

While I love heavily-variegated yarns, I really love subtle shifts in color that can be used for complicated patterns like lace and not overwhelm, but still have a lot more movement and personality than commercial, solid yarns. Semi-solids have so much depth when knitted up and have a very natural feel to them that I’m obsessed with.

Which patterns do you think Gynx Yarns would be perfect for:

I’m working on a pair of basic ribbed socks with my Fullmetal colorway and because of the width of the sock and the length of the color repeats, the socks are getting these cool, thick diagonal stripes. Some of my more subtle colorways would be perfect for lacework. I’ve been wanting to steal a skein of Oil Slick from myself to make a shawl.

What is your favorite part of the dying process?

The best part is putting the paintbrush to white yarn or dipping the yarn into a pot and seeing the yarn soak up the colors. I am meticulous about note-keeping so I can repeat colorways, but when I’m creating a new one, I don’t go in with a plan. I work very experimentally, and 99% of the time it is something that I love. Second, I also love seeing the dyed yarn come out of the pot and seeing my work become something tangible!

Do you have any words of wisdom or encouragement for newbie hand dyers?

Play around and experiment! If it turns out badly, you can always overdye. I’ve gotten some really beautiful yarns from mistake batches.

When at home, please describe where you knit and/or dye your fiber. What is it about the space that makes it yours?

Currently, in my tiny studio apartment I mostly knit in my bed in front of my laptop. I do all the dyeing in my tiny kitchen (with food and the like safely put away!). I don’t exactly love my set-up right now, and I am very excited to have my own studio soon.

Describe your dream knitting nook / room:

This is something that’s been on my mind lately because I’m moving and need to plan my room! The top priority for knitting is finding an over-sized, squishy armchair for me to lounge around with my knitting in. For my dyeing, I’ll have a wall full of shelves and cubbie holes to store supplies and yarn to keep them organized. And of course I’ll have a bunch of my fiber undergrad artwork up for decoration!

Please let us know how we can enhance our stash with Gynx Yarns:

Gynx Yarns is currently available through my Etsy shop: http://gynx.etsy.com You can also follow me on Twitter to find out about shop updates: http://twitter.com/gynxyarns


Finally, the stage is yours! Is there anything you’d like to add?

Even though I dye for business, for pleasure I still knit and do other forms of crafts. I blog about those things at http://gynx.blogspot.com

Many thanks to Laura for taking the time to do this interview!

Interview: Lisa Roman of Roman Hills Handpainted Yarn

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‘Frankie’, Roman Hills handpainted fingering

I first met Lisa Roman when Maria (from the Subway Knits Podcast) introduced us at Rhinebeck. Before then, I knew her on Ravelry as one of the [very] few people in my neighborhood looking to start a knitting group.

Aside from creating gorgeous handpainted yarns with her friend Amy, Lisa is the host of ‘No Sheep ‘Til Brooklyn’, a bi-monthly knitting group held at our local bookshop, Word. (How great are those names?!)

I wish I had checked NSTB sooner because it’s so much fun, great company… Not to mention steps away from my apartment! (I’m also psyched and relieved to know I’m not the only fibre head in my hood)

For the record, Lisa is charming, witty and super talented! When she told me about her handpainted yarn line, Roman Hills, I could tell she’s incredibly passionate about her work… And it shows! I’ve seen her colourways in person; they have lots of character (literally) and they knit up beautifully! Not to mention, Roman Hills offers a multitude of bases.

Bottom line: I’m excited to share her interview with you. Enjoy!

 

‘Toasted Marshmallow’, Roman Hills worsted

For those who haven’t had the pleasure of meeting you, please tell us a little about yourself.

I’ve lived in Greenpoint, Brooklyn for about 6 or 7 years now and love it. Love it with the passion of a thousand suns love it. It’s home to me, my partner, and our two sons. Oh, and our cat Frankie who rules the roost, really. I enjoy doing crafty things, music, art, cooking & baking (yes, I know! I like both! Anomaly!), really geeky movies and tv, and a wide range of literature.

Now tell us all about Roman Hills!

We are an independent fiber dyer from Brooklyn, NY, bourne of
an enthusiasm for colour, craft, chemistry, the Oxford comma, and extraneous u’s. We opened October 2011 after eight months of industry research and process testing. Festina lente is a philosophy held most dearly to our hearts – we don’t need to be the first, but we will be the best we can be.

What makes Roman Hills unique?

We are meticulous, and our yarn is a direct reflection of us. Details like the tags are handwritten, and every inch of yarn has been touched by our hands, likely many times, show a deep connection that we have to our own product. We specialize in higher-end blends and pay close attention to the dyeing process so we’re confident in the quality of every skein we send out.

Who or what inspired you to launch your own line of hand-dyed yarns?

Roman Hills started because my best friend Amy and I needed a vehicle to work on together. We were co-workers in another life, and have always worked extraordinarily well together. I had started knitting several years ago at the bequest of my eldest son for a Gryffindor scarf and had been knitting like a demon ever since. Amy, also of crafty mind and interest, developed a finer appreciation for fibre and we started talking about the processes involved in getting the colors that we coveted. Roman Hills kind of grew from that interest.

List 3 patterns Roman Hills yarn would be perfect for:

Our self striping is ideal for socks. And i mean, for thick striped socks. I’ve seen it also used in hand warmers and a very cool, VERY creative designer will be using it for a shawl that is just GORGEOUS. I can’t give you the pattern as it’s yet unpublished, but we’ll be sure to let you know when it’s out!
I’ve used Frankie for the Live Oak Shawlette and I loved the results.

‘Miss Kitty’, Roman Hills DK

What inspires your colorways colourways?

New York City/Brooklyn – our city, our home. Also, you must remember, and this very important. Amy and I are nerds. We read a LOT of silly things. And watch a LOT of movies. Speaking for both of us, we’re kind of intense about the things that we love. So say we like an actor who will remain unnamed. It wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility to throw a colourway or two up that he or one of his roles influenced. Often our colourways are the equivalent of us scribbling hearts on our notebooks and writing “Lisa insert surname of fancy here.”
We get inspiration from so many things – most of them not socially acceptable interests for women in their 30s… well at least not with the intensity that we’re interested. Films, books, tv, bands, food, smells…An appealing aspect of this is incorporating a crossover of senses. A goal is to be able to taste/smell our yarn.

What is your favorite part of the dye process?

Putting the colour onto blank yarn. Without a doubt. Seeing the fiber
change immediately from off-white to whatever’s on the brush remains a
satisfying experience. I actually remember the first time I colored
with a marker as a child and I had the exact same reaction. The
ability to change the colours of broad swaths of canvas so immediately
and so irrevocably makes me smile every time. Also, after the dyeing
process, seeing how the color has struck and stayed in place. Our
blood splatters don’t bleed.

What bases do you offer?

We offer a multitude! And we’re till growing! We try to get new ones every couple of releases. We carry, to date, Gruber, our 100% SW Merino in worsted; Marston, our 80/20 SW Merino/Nylon in sport; Slope, 75/25 BFL/Nylon in fingering; Dane, our 80/20 alpaca/silk lace weight; Blalock, our 80/1010 SW Merino/Cashmere/Nylon in DK; and most recently Allen & Brandon, 75/20/5 SW merino/nylon/stellina and 50/50 SW merino/silk respectively and both in fingering. Watch out though, this time next month there are sure to be others.

‘GAWTH’, Roman Hills baby alpaca silk

Do you have any words of wisdom for aspiring yarn dyers?

Don’t be afraid. And try a lot of different things. Learn your color wheel and remember that practice gets you where you want to be, and don’t be bothered about mistakes. There is often very cool stuff in those too.

What is it about a pattern that makes you want to cast it on?

I am a gift knitter more often than not. Beautiful patterns, functional patterns, things that gift well. I have recently cast on the Uxbridge Cardigan but it’s my first cardigan. We’ll see how that goes.

‘Wonder’, Roman Hills Superwash Bluefaced Leicester/Nylon

What fibers and / or color-ways are you usually drawn to?

Super saturated colours. For myself, I LOVE bruisey colours. Interesting concepts and dyeing techniques. Soft fibres. I generally don’t knit with anything I don’t feel comfortable having against my son’s skin.

When at home, please describe where you knit. What is it about the space that makes it yours?

You make this sound so lovely and sweet. I knit anywhere I can – if I’m on the subway I’m normally knitting if my hands are free of children; if I have a rare evening where I can go to a bar, I’ll likely knit there as well. I normally knit when the baby goes down at night and I’m watching telly with The Mister. Probably something not very peaceful or romantic, like The Walking Dead of Boardwalk Empire.

‘Sweeny’, Roman Hills, handpainted sport

Describe your dream knitting nook / room

I want a room. A full room. With shelves and glass doors so that I can see my stash. I want a comprehensive needle storage system, and bookshelves for my patterns/books. I want a table for blocking and winding. And I want surround sound. And a Monte Luca glider and footstool (I don’t care if it’s for a nursery, sit in one and you’ll know what I mean). Also, I want a sewing table and a killer machine and a clever way to store thread/fabric. I may not do it now, but one day, I’m going to to sew like the bejaysus.

Please let us know how we can enhance our stash with Roman Hills yarn:
Find us on Etsy! romanhills.etsy.com. Favourite us.
Be our friends on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter/Google+ The rumours are true – we get around.

Use this space to say anything– anything at all! :)
Il faut bien que je supporte deux ou trois chenilles si je veux connaître les papillons.
-Saint-Exupéry

Wildcard questions:

Music currently on heavy rotation? New Florence or maybe Frightened Rabbit or Phantogram or a spotify playlist I made for my son – ask me if you want it and I’ll send. (me: Yes please!)

Favorite tasty treat or beverage? Oh, lady, I love food. If I’m not dyeing I’m in the kitchen. Oysters. Or brownies. I really want a milkshake right now.

Favorite mythical creature? Phoenix! (though part of me wants to say unicorn!)

Super big bang thanks (I may have been watching too much ‘Big Bang Theory’ during the week) to Lisa for doing this interview! I can’t wait to hang with her and the gang at the next No Sheep ‘Til Brooklyn. All are welcome! Check out her Ravelry group for more info. Lisa is DaisyDeadPetal on Ravelry and Twitter… And please DO go checkout her Etsy shop and gawk at her gorgeous, handpainted, well-loved yarn.