Friday, January 17, 2020

The Biggest Announcement of 2020

This announcement has been several months in the works, but I'm so pleased and proud to inform you that I've opened an Etsy shop selling my very own hand dyed yarns!

As many of you know, I've enjoyed dyeing yarn with Kool Aid and other food dyes for many years. This fall, I expanded by skills to include commercial acid dyes and absolutely fell in love with the process. Color is my jam, and being able to create exactly the yarn I want in exactly the colors I imagine is more fun than I can tell you.

I'm starting off small with only three yarn bases and twelve colorways. Dye batches are small--three skeins per pan is pretty manageable. I know some dyers who say they do four per pan, but I'm always happy with the results if I have no more than three. So, you'll see small quantities for now. I'm happy to accept special orders for larger quantities, though! Just email me!

How often the shop is updated with new stock or new colorways or new bases depends on you! Orders--including special orders and requests--drive development!

The Bases

These are all deliciously soft merino blends that take the dye beautifully! I tested many different yarns before deciding to carry this bases. I hope you love them as much as I do! 

Tori Sock (yes, named after my daughter.)
75% Superwash Merino / 25% Nylon
4-ply
463 yds / 100 g

Elaine Sock (named after my grandma. Y'all know how much I love sparkle? I got that from her.)
75% Superwash Merino / 20% Nylon / 5% Stellina
2-ply
438 yds / 100 g

Christine Worsted (named after my mom who, by example, taught me how to be a maker.)
100% Superwash Merino
4-ply
218 yds / 100 g

The Colors

Remember: These yarns are dyed by hand in small batches, and even skeins dyed in the same pot will differ a bit. If you're using more than one skein in a project, I recommend alternating skeins every few rows to balance out any color differences.

Now for what you've been waiting for! The colors!!

Apple Pickin' is a pale green background speckles of red, orange, and yellow. 
https://www.etsy.com/listing/770019139/hand-dyed-yarn-merino-fingering?ref=shop_home_active_4

Beauregard Blue is a wonderful semi-sold with shades from bright blue to deep navy. And yes, the name comes from THAT Beauregard. This color on the Elaine base is absolutely stunning!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/756146828/hand-dyed-yarn-merino-fingering?ref=shop_home_active_5

Dance Party is just fun. It's an aqua base with speckles of violet, magenta, and yellow. To me, it looks like a really fun party. 
https://www.etsy.com/listing/770202915/dance-party-hand-dyed-yarn-merino?ref=shop_home_active_1

Embers. Need I say more? With a range from brilliant yellow to orange to fiery red and even some bright pink, this knits up almost like a semi-solid.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/756322674/embers-hand-dyed-yarn-merino-fingering?ref=shop_home_active_8

Funfetti Cupcake is inspired by the colors I always associated with my Grandma Martin. She LOVED pink and purple. I tossed a little bit of mint green in there for good measure. Also: she was a great cook and always had sweets on hand for the grandkids.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/756324424/funfetti-cupcake-hand-dyed-yarn-merino?ref=shop_home_active_7

Hydrangea was actually inspired  by a specific photo of a hydrangea (of course). I love the way the leaf green and bright blue fade into the white that separates them. 

Jupiter is my daughter's signature colorway. She sent me the photo below, enhanced with colors we don't usually see in Jupiter pics. I think it's lovely! And it also looks particularly amazing on the Elaine base.


Lilac-Breasted Roller is a bird that's native to sub-Saharan Africa. I've had this photo on my "Colors" board on Pinterest for years, without ever knowing what kind of bird it was.When I decided to make it a colorway, I figured I needed to find out! Of course, this photo has been enhanced at some point to make him look a bit more neon than the birds really are, but I love it!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/770221029/lilac-breasted-roller-hand-dyed-yarn?ref=shop_home_active_11

 Macaw is inspired by macaw feathers, of course!

Mango is inspired by my mom. I honestly don't know how she feels about mangos. My son picked the name. BUT, when I asked my sisters what colors they thought of for Mom, they said, "Deep red, orange, gold." I also realize that, if you're into that kind of thing, the colors match those used in a certain magical house. Also a certain local high school. 
https://www.etsy.com/listing/770224671/mango-hand-dyed-yarn-merino-fingering?ref=shop_home_active_9


Nebula. I came up with this color just by playing around and experimenting with pink and purple color combinations. When my son saw it, he instantly said, "Nebula." I think he's right. On the Elaine base, the sparkles look like stars!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/770226641/nebula-hand-dyed-yarn-merino-fingering?ref=shop_home_active_3&sca=1

Pastel Pop is probably my favorite. As I was dyeing it, my husband said, "Bomb pop!" and I said, "No! It's pink and white and aqua, not red, white, and blue!" But, I could see where he was coming from. So we agreed on Pastel Pop as the name of the color.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/770227825/pastel-pop-hand-dyed-yarn-merino?ref=shop_home_active_12


Don't see a color that does it for you? Contact me at amanda AT gaeacreations DOT com! I'd love to work with you to develop a color you love.