Yesterday, after giving myself a stern talking to, we set off on our tour of exclusive colorways. We visited Minneapolis and Washington, DC, and today, we're visiting two new places on opposite ends of the country.
Remember, I've chosen these at random, so as not to play favorites.
Wild Strawberries
Summer is short in Alaska, and so is the berry season. So it's no wonder that when the wild berries are ripe, locals head to their favorite secret spots to pick as many as they can before they're gone again. I created this colorway for The Net Loft in Cordova, inspired by a picture much like this one.
This colorway was a technical challenge for me, and I think represented a turning point for me in terms of my skill level. How to get tiny spots of bright red scattered randomly throughout a skein of variegated green yarn? Red and green together make brown, and I couldn't leave any white.
Dotty, the absolutely amazing owner of The Net Loft (and if you are from Cordova or have visited there, you know I'm speaking the truth) kept feeding me ideas and her unique manner of gentle encouragement. She kept describing what this place, Boswell Bay, looked like, kept sending me the photos that family and friends had taken, kept telling me what those strawberries tasted like, what a welcome sight they were every year, how delighted people would be if I could make this happen. I wanted to see and taste the strawberries. But how to engineer the final result? The best answer I can give you is "fall down 91 times, get up 92."
The answer to this yarn dyeing conundrum is probably not what you think. But I'm glad I kept with it, because I love this colorway. So much so that I used it in my blog header, above you. This is one of the few handpainted yarns I've ever met that knits up exactly like it looks in the skein. Gently textured greens with tiny flecks of strawberry red.
The people from Cordova are kind, generous, and community-oriented, and the town itself is one of the prettiest on earth. I think about it all the time, and can't wait to go back. I talk about it at nearly every workshop or speaking engagement I have. I think I've dedicated more posts to my trip there than nearly any other topic -- except for colorways in general -- in four years of blogging. You can read more about this amazing place here, here, here, here, and here.
Has Cordova been on your local news lately, as it has mine? I must admit I was quite surprised to open my Northern Minnesota newspaper to a story about a tiny town in remote Alaska. And there has been one every day for the past few days as well.
In case you missed, Cordova has had the unfortunate (or fortunate, depending on your perspective) recipient of more than eighteen feet of snow since November. The city has had to declare a state of emergency, because they just cannot physically remove it all, and the National Guard has sent troops to help residents dig out. And the snow doesn't appear to be stopping, with another 7 inches in the forecast today. The problem is not just that people can't get out of their driveways. The real danger is in avalanches -- the town is immediately at the base of the mountains -- and roof collapse.
Here are a few pictures of Cordova now:
Meanwhile here in Duluth, MN, I have zero inches of snow in my yard. We've had record high temperatures for January (42 Fahrenheit? Unheard of!), and what tiny amount we did have has melted. Cordova, I would happily take a few feet of your snow off your hands. I have no use for dead grass, no leaves on trees, and no snow. If I have to watch the leaves crumble, they might as well be replaced with the white stuff. It's hard to send kids out to play in frozen mud.
The people at the Net Loft are amazingly helpful, and they quite possibly have the biggest selection of Three Irish Girls yarn of any shop in the world. They will arrange a time to do a phone consult with you, and are more than happy to do mail order. You can call them at (907) 424-7337, or email them at thenetloft3 AT yahoo DOT com.
And next: Gulf of Mexico
If mountains and snow aren't your style, maybe beaches are.
We work with an amazing store in Sarasota, FL, called A Good Yarn.
This was the first of an entire line of colorways we've collaborated on that are based on the beautiful photography of Murray Post, the husband of the owner, Susan. Susan and Murray are hilarious and gracious, and the studio is lucky enough to have several of Murray's prints, taken from his dives around the world.
We tried to capture the water of the Gulf of Mexico, as viewed from Sarasota: clear turquoises with hints of greens and deeper blues.
Shortly after the release of this colorway, the terrible oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico happened, and Susan and I decided to donate a portion of the sales of this colorway to the World Wildlife Federation to aid in cleanup efforts. This yarn ended up on the front page of the Sarasota newspaper, which I also have prominently displayed in the studio.
One of the things I love about this colorway is the sense of relaxation you get from looking at it and working with it, much like sitting on the beach, staring at the water. And I love the interesting color variation that perks up even the most dull of complexions.
I used Gulf of Mexico in this knitting project, and am totally enamored with it.
I also had the good fortune to visit Sarasota about a year ago, and fell in love with the beautiful beaches and sweet seaside town. You can read more about it here and here.
A Good Yarn has a nifty online store set up, where you can order Gulf of Mexico from if you'd like to add it to your collection. You can visit it here.
I think stop two on the tour has been a success. I've enjoyed this trip down memory lane, but I still have lots left to show you over the next few days. Stop three: coming right up!