A Practically Magical Colorway from Farm Girl Fibers
Confession time: I think I knit too much.
There comes a day when you look at your pile of handknit socks and hats and you wonder if there’s too many to actually wear. Especially if you live in Texas, like I do, and there’s only two days a year cold enough to wear a Real Sweater. Maybe I’m doing this wrong.
Eh, who am I kidding? I ain’t anywhere near done. I wear handknit socks because I like the thickness and custom fit, no matter the weather. I’m learning how a scarf can totally take the place of a jacket, because keeping the neck warm somehow makes the rest of the body warm, without overheating. (It’s weird but I’m sure there’s some Science about that somewhere.) I even knit large projects in fingering weight, which means I don’t do instant gratification projects often, but this way one project keeps me entertained for a long time!
We knitters all know how relaxing and meditative our craft is. We know the satisfaction of covering our loved ones with handmade things. All the same, knitting is a practical hobby. Babies keep being born without sweaters, socks keep wearing out, and shoulders keep getting cold, either from chilly weather or summer air conditioning.
And if the day ever comes when you start thinking you have too many knitted things, well, you’re too far in to stop now. Might as well embrace it.
One thing I really like about Shauna from Farm Girl Fibers is that she appreciates the practical nature of the craft. Shauna is that perennially crafty kind of gal, her hands always making something. But she’s kept her knitting basket nearby for over ten years now, and when I asked her why this particular craft has stayed with her so long, she focused on how it’s not only enjoyable, but also fits practically into her life:
“…it is portable and I can easily take projects with me. I have always been impatient and hate to wait, so knitting makes waiting lots of fun. And I can still interact with people if I am at a family event or something. Also, the finished objects can be worn. I used to make quilts and while it is awesome to have a finished quilt to put on the bed, there’s only so many quilts you can use. And unlike quilting, knitting can be more affordable. I mean a pair of socks is way less expensive than buying fabric to make a quilt.”
I think I’ve said all of these things at some point.
I have always been interested in learning different crafts and making stuff. I just like the process of making something with my hands.
—Shauna
It’s funny that we knitters are constantly justifying what we do. Maybe it’s because of the portability—quilters don’t carry their machines around, and whittling makes a bit of a mess when you’re out and about, but we knitters can carry our projects with us just about anywhere, even some of the big ones. So we do, and people ask us about it, helpfully remind us that buying socks is much cheaper and easier than making them, and constantly imply that we knitters must have a lot of time on our hands (unlike the Very Important People who Would Love to Knit, but Don’t Have the Time or Patience.)
“You don’t knit because you are patient. You are patient because you knit.”
Perhaps we take comfort in the practicality. Handmade clothing is objectively better in many ways, and that makes sense to the Very Important People who ask us about our hobby. Making things for ourselves has become a novelty in our world, and it can feel lonely to pursue such a slow craft in a fast-fashion culture. Shauna told me that she thinks that connecting to other knitters, especially at fiber festivals, further solidified her love of knitting:
“No one in my area does crafty stuff. So when I discovered that there are so many other people who love to craft, it was like I had found where I belong. I finally didn’t feel like the oddball who is always making something. I have met several very close friends through knitting and I am so thankful that these people are a part of my life now… I get to meet so many people at yarn shows and events and to connect with others who enjoy yarn as much as I do.”
Shauna discovered the beauty of hand-dyed yarn from Andrea Mowry’s hit pattern, Find Your Fade. I think a lot of us did, actually—I recall browsing these shawls on Ravelry, blown away by the beauty of the yarn combos, finding a trove of small-batch dyers I’d never before been aware of.
I immediately fell in love with the speckles! So I knew I would have to have more.
—Shauna
I haven’t knit Find Your Fade shawl, myself, but if you’re reading this blog, you know I fell down the hand-dyed rabbit hole! Not only did Shauna actually make the shawl, but she took it a step further, wanting a more cost-efficient way to obtain all the hand-dyed yarn she wanted, and started learning to dye almost four years ago.
“And at the time I was in my third year of teaching high school chemistry and biology. A lot of the hand dyed yarn I liked was not in my budget for making the projects I really wanted to knit, like that Find Your Fade shawl and some sweaters. So I researched, read several blog posts, watched some YouTube videos, and finally talked myself into trying to dye some yarn. I figured that since I was always good at chemistry labs, dyeing yarn should be easy in comparison to a college chem lab.”
On the farm where she lives with her husband and son in the mountains of Tennessee, Shauna is surrounded by natural beauty. She says that people often comment that they wouldn’t have thought to put together the color combinations she does. “But if you look at the trees, flowers, sunsets, etc., there are many mixes of colors that look really great together in a landscape. So I figure if they work together in a field of grasses and flowers, then those colors should work well together on a skein of yarn,” says Shauna.
I like seeing the variation and imperfections in one of a kind items that really make them feel unique.
—Shauna
If I feel calm or happy when I look at the color then I know I succeeded.
—Shauna
This beautiful blend of teal and magenta featured here is “Forest Fairy,” which began as an exploration of what colors pair well with teal. Shauna found a closeup picture of a leaf online, and borrowed the rich gray, purple, and wine that nature herself combined with teal, a perfect palette for a vibrant colorway. It’s hard to believe that these colors are actually inspired by our natural world…they really do seem to come from a magical place, don’t they?
As soon as I saw the colors together on the yarn in the dye pan, I knew this would be a color I would love. And sure enough, once it dried I was in love with that color!
—Shauna
Shauna says she loves the mysterious mood this colorway has, punctuated with surprise speckles of neon. It’s unusual, and she says it’s been very popular at shows. She laments that she hasn’t had a chance to see “Forest Fairy” knit up yet, so I’m pleased to offer a view of how it works in a pair of Vanilla Socks!
I like the layers that multiple colors give to a skein of yarn.
—Shauna
This yarn has a lot going on, more than is obvious at a first glance, so it works well in plain stockinette. I love a simple, meditative knitting pattern, and watching this colorway go by was such a pleasure.
It’s “Forest Fairy,” y’all. That means it’s magic, some fairy dust for my toes!
And was dyeing actually easier than Chem Lab? The verdict is yes! “I am the crazy person who actually enjoyed chemistry, but dyeing yarn is easier and much more fun,” says Shauna.
This year, Farm Girl Fibers has some exciting monthly clubs on offer! One will be inspired by seasonal images, and the second will be inspired by birds: January’s club color is inspired by an Australian bird, the Shelduck, and will benefit WIRES in Australia. Also be aware that Farm Girl now offers sweater-quantity discounts!
If you’ve read this far, congratulations, you get a coupon code!
Use the code
YARNSCAPE10
for 10% off your order until February 15, 2020.