Creativity Stinks!

Sorbet Mini Skein Set - Click to View in Shop 

The smell of boiled wool and vinegar permeates my house. It is the smell of joy and creativity. It is the smell of a dyeing day.

My husband hates this smell. He understands and encourages my dyeing - he knows it is part of the process. It is truly just the smell that gets to him. He often goes out and works in the garage when I'm dyeing to escape it, but only after closing the doors to all other rooms, throwing open windows and setting all the fans in the house to high.

The irony is I hate foods that contain vinegar (pickles being the one and only exception), and he loves vinegar. Add wool, and the tables turn. Yes, I know I could use citric acid and avoid the smell altogether... but I like it.

It's okay. I'm not particularly fond of the smell of exhaust and two-stroke oil and it is a great excuse for him to go do the things he love.

What does your creativity smell like?

Mini Madness

Boardwalk - Set of 6 mini skeins
available at Dye Monkey Yarns on Etsy.

I completely understand the madness for mini skeins. They are cute, adorable even. I have the need to collect them ALL. It's like having a taste of everything on the dessert tray and still staying true to a diet. There is pleasure in owning ALL the colors.

But then, I get stuck.

I have them. Now what?

Yes, endless hours of petting and admiration, playfully stacking them with each other have been spent, but I want something more. I want the "perfect project" to highlight my hoard.

And so I search.

I've spent hours on Ravelry and Pinterest combing through knit projects and patterns looking for "the" project. I've favorited and pinned.

Why not just jump in? Why not simply add a stripe? I'm sure you think I'm foolish. Sure, I could do this. It's that I have a fear of the colors looking like a jumbled mess.  I also have a serious case of "not good enough for this yarn".  I'm sure you've been there at least once before. It's that overwhelming feeling that the project is somehow less than the yarn deserves.

Do you have a favorite mini skein project? What pattern would you recommend?

Use coupon code "MADNESS35" to get 35% OFF any order now until 03/31/16.

Too Close to See

There are some colors I just can't manage to capture the glory of. I think it's because I'm trying too hard.

It's like the more I focus on a particular shade/tone, the more it alludes me. I get too close to the project analyzing undertones and hues, and like zooming into a photo and seeing individual pixels, the more the math/science/formal becomes to complex and the result is mud.

And yet, when I back away and let the dye work its magic - well, there it is. Magic happens and glorious surprises await.

What accidentally came together in your projects when you stepped back?

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.