May. 26, 2016

Color Story

I recently decided to take the shop in a new direction focusing on a more narrow color palette. I thought it would be nice to share how I came to this decision and why I am excited for this new look!

When I started dyeing yarn and fiber a few years ago I experimented with a wide variety of colors and styles of dyeing. I realized that while dyeing some of the fun neon colors was exciting, I personally never wanted to knit with them. Though I appreciate watching others work with them I didn't enjoy working with colors that bright . I resisted limiting my colors for a long time because I wanted to offer EVERYTHING to my customers. I knew some people like solids, some like rainbows some like neons,some like variegated, some like more natural shades. I didn't want to leave anyone out and lose a potential customer by not offering what they liked. I also feared that people wouldn't like what I like and that I wouldn't really sell the things that resonated with me.

Vending at fiber shows has been a huge source of inspiration for me creatively. Shows have also given me the opportunity to get feedback from my awesome customers. One thing I kept hearing was that people were loving the colors of my yarns and fibers with earthy, muted tones. These were the ones I personally gravitated toward as well so it was nice to hear! In college I worked at a retail store for a year and my coworkers always called me “Earth Tone Annie” because these were the colors I was always wearing. I’ve always been drawn to subtle, fresh, natural colors. One day I came across the saying “You can’t be everything to everybody” and something clicked and I realized that we all have different styles and preferences and thats not only ok its great! Its great for knitters because they will resonate more with a brand that they feel a connection with and it is great for dyers like me because if I focus on the aesthetic that I love it will bring me a tribe that loves that vibe too!

So I decided to try something new and limit my color palette to a simple 10 shades that I would describe as earthy, fresh, understated, and simple. I wanted colors that would stand alone as well as pair beautifully. I also wanted my booth to have a more cohesive look at shows. These colors will be repeatable (something I didn't offer consistently before) so knitters can have more confidence in what I offer and can always order an extra skein if they run out during a project. I admit that I did fear this would be boring to me and my customers but thankfully its not at all! The colors I love the most I get to work with more often and the ones that turn me off just don't make their way into my day! I also heard great feedback from shoppers at the Maryland Sheep and Wool festival which was where I debuted my new look.

So heres a run down of what my shop will offer now… My hand dyed yarns will feature my new color palette. There is a bit of variety as each fiber base absorbs the dyes slightly differently with the super wash wools being more saturated and the natural fibers a bit more muted. So there is variety but still cohesion. Hand spun yarns, batts, and punis will more and more feature these colors as well but I still intend to dye these with some other colors as well. All of my yarn bases are kettle dyed as semi solids. I made this decision because I love the way a semi solid yarn knits up allowing for subtle changes in tone while not being too busy for lace and cable work. My one exception to this is my Wild Fingering and DK yarns which have a high twist making them perfect for speckle dyeing. I will occasionally offer limited edition color ways as well.