The Challenge to Bloom

Crocus on Tap Monkey fingering weight yarn
Available at DyeMonkeyYarns.Etsy.com

Ever feel like there aren't enough colors in the rainbow?

Maybe not, but today, I do. I have this same phenomenon hit me in the grocery produce department where I find myself wishing there were new and exciting vegetables to try. Maybe this is a consequence of boredom. Perhaps the cage necessary to force creativity?

Now there is a concept...

When we are given limits, we are prone to testing them, are we not? Or perhaps the test isn't put upon the limits, but in fact, ourselves.

Currently I'm pushing myself to reproduce colors found in nature - flowers to be specific.Often I gravitate to food for inspiration - that is my culinary background desperately trying to make itself useful beyond my daily three squares. but I don't see a huge market for yarns named "Shrimp Scampi". Maybe I'm wrong, but I digress.

Spring is upon us and soon life will be thrusting forth from gardens and pavement cracks alike. The palette seems virtually limitless, and yet, it's all made from that same handful of colors I find so confining. The trick is in the shade, hue, value and combination. Add Mother Nature and suddenly there are more colors, or rather combinations, than you can wag a willow at.

Challenge accepted.

Homeless Yarns Available for Adoption - Placement Fees Waived

This has been a wild weekend.

I dyed. I dyed a lot. Over 60 skeins of yarn went through the dye pots in my kitchen and fantastic things came out. I'm exhausted but I LOVE what I do. Dyeing yarn, creating new colors and shipping beautiful things out to wonderful people who will make even more beautiful things from my yarn is so much fun. I only wish I could do this all day long and skip the "real job" thing.

So now that I have all this wonderful yarn, I need to find homes for it. How about you? I'll sweeten the deal. Use coupon code FREE2EWE in my Etsy Shop between now and Leap Years Day (02/29/16) on your order of $35 or more and I'll ship it to your US address for FREE!

Studio Renovations Done-ish...and back to work!

I'm proud and excited to announce the studio renovations are done(ish). We still have a couple of projects to finish before it will be truly complete, but the work on the space itself is finished, right down to the trim work. Now I have a functional, peaceful space to knit and design in.

So, no more excuses, right?

Well, I don't have any grand new designs for you right now, but I have recently released a couple of designs that had previously only been available via the Signature Series Kits. The Ebbenflow Cowl became available for individual pattern purchase in January, and as of today, the Ferndale Shawl is also available. You can find each of these patterns on Ravelry.

Part of the studio upgrade included an upgrade to my product photography via a photobox. If you pop into my Etsy shop Dye Monkey Yarns anytime in the next couple of days, you'll notice a number of products have new photos. I'm working hard to provide the absolute best color representation possible. And just for you, I'm adding new colors too!

Oh, and if you read the whole blog post you win! Use "LOYAL15" in either my Ravelry or Etsy shops until February 14th and get 15% off your purchase. Coupon code is good in BOTH shops.

Inspiration & Holiday Colors Sale

What inspires color?

Sometimes a sound or music.
Sometimes a thought or ideal.
Often a memory or emotion.

I hope you love the colors my memories of holidays past inspired for you.

Coupon Code "HappyHolidays" gets you 25% OFF until December 20th in my Etsy shop.

Color Friday

Here I sit contemplating my day over a mug of coffee while my husband prepares to go to work.  It's "Black Friday" - I really hate black friday. Why, you ask? Because I don't like the crowds and pressure. For me the holidays are about getting away from the crowds and pressure. They're about taking in the season, enjoying the sights and smells and sounds, about pulling back from it all and appreciating what you have, not what you want. The very thought of having to leave my house for as much as a trip to the grocery for aspirin brings me out in a sweat. I used to love shopping for friends and family, but over the years the crowds and pressure have just gotten to be too much for me. I've already (it's 6am) heard multiple sirens off in the distance, presumably rescuing an auto accident victim or headed out to control a retail issue, it doesn't matter; I don't want to get in the way.

And so, I plan my day.  I think today I'll dye.

What a fantastic opportunity to enjoy the season. I'll turn on some holiday music, nibble some cookies... wait - what cookies?  Okay... try again. I'll turn on some holiday music, make a couple batches of cookies to nibble on, and let the sounds and smells of the season inspire me to create some new colorways.  I'll dance, play with the dogs, get a little knitting in between dye batches, maybe do some reading/catch up on blogs. My husband reads my blogs over my shoulder and just reminded me that a glass of wine could be on my list. I can make that happen too. Whole thing sounds like a great plan.

And so, I'm off to create "Color Friday".  How do you spend your holidays?

Creating Time

The older I get, the faster the years seem to pass me by. This year certainly went quickly, but looking back on it, I think I filled it up pretty well.

2015 saw the launch of my indie-yarn line Dye Monkey Yarns, which has been a tremendous amount of fun.  I've loved developing new colorways . I've also loved developing new patterns specifically for those yarns, and had the pleasure of releasing my Signature Series Kits - pattern/yarn combos for purchase.

2015 also saw a continuation of my pattern design work. I released new patterns for two cowls, three shawls and a hat - whether as individual patterns or as part of a kit.  I have patterns for a hat and a shawl still in the tech edit process waiting for release, yet another shawl being test knit, and so many ideas for more patterns my head explodes for the possibilities! I'm so in love with the develop and design process. I wish I could dedicate more time to it.

And that is the big thing... finding more time to dedicate to what I love. I think we all struggle with that. Don't get me wrong - I don't hate my day job. In fact I really enjoy my "real job" and gain a sense of fulfillment out of it, but it does take a significant amount of time from all the other things I love - my home & family, dyeing, knitting, reading, writing, cooking...

This year, as a gift to myself, my husband and I will be renovating my studio. I talk about wanting more time to do the things I love, and sometimes the best way to make time is to remove the things that slow us down.  Right now, my studio slows me down, mentally, emotionally, even physically.

This renovation will be refining and refreshing. We'll be taking out the scruffy old, stained carpet that depresses and embarrasses me and putting in a floating vinyl "wood" floor.  We're going to paint the walls in colors I love, remove the panel doors from the closets that are always open anyway, and add a bookshelf to consolidate all the knitting and dyeing books into one area. (I currently have books tucked into six widespread locations throughout the house!) The project will be generally updating the space to provide me an organized, friendly work space.

We've got a week off from our jobs to make this happen, and although I know it's going to be a lot of work, I'm looking forward to it. Not only will I get a new workspace, I'll get a week at home, working with my husband to improve our space, an activity we really enjoy. I'm betting I can work some dyeing, knitting, reading, writing and cooking in to that week too. ;)