I hope all of you are keeping cool out there in this crazy heat wave! I love how somehow it’s never too hot to knit…
I recently took a break from the knitting and the heat to spend a few minutes getting to know one of the newest members to the fibre space™ hand dyer family, Chelsea Walker of Plum Street Fiber Art! Her yarns are positively scrumptious (how can you not love yarn called “Birthday Cake”?), and her colors are so sweet that it’s almost impossible to choose! Without further ado, here’s Chelsea:
Lesley: I love your company name, where did it come from?
Chelsea: Funny you should ask! I actually live on Plum street!
L: Really? That’s pretty awesome! What was it that made you decide to start dying?
C: My initial interest in dyeing came close to four years ago when I was cloth diapering my daughter. I loved to use the little wooly longies and soakers and started dyeing my own yarn to knit with. The first attempt was a beautiful semisolid blue, the next an amazing pink, purple, orange and green variegated and I was hooked! Within a year I started dyeing finer yarns and haven’t looked back since. I have always been fascinated by color, the way it blends and layers so dyeing comes very naturally to me.
L: It does seem like a really addictive hobby…Not that knitters can’t relate! Where do you find the inspiration for your colors?
C: Everywhere! Nature is a big one, food, music, fabric patterns, art, movies you name it. I am always on the lookout for ways that colors combine and texture that I could replicate with dyes and yarn. I love to look through National Geographic and other magazines with stunning photography to look for inspiration also.
L: What about the color names? Are they inspired by nature too?
C: I generally try to dye yarn with something in mind, so I go from there. Sometimes I like to just freestyle colorways and those are frequently hard to name!
L: I can imagine, though you seem to do pretty well! I know that I am not the only one to become unreasonably attached to a yarn because of a great name. You mentioned knitting wool longies, what is your favorite thing to knit?
C: I absolutely love to knit shawls and sweaters for myself and always have a couple of projects going at a time! I’m awful…. Really, I like to knit everything but have yet to knit socks. Well, I have knit one sock and 3/4 of the mate. I’m also interested in weaving and crochet (although I do not do either!)
L: Well, if you ever come visit fibre space™, we will be sure to help you out with the crochet! Do you have any other hobbies?
C: Yes! I love to paint and draw, make jewelry, garden, sew, and have a hankering for vintage everything! I spend time every week thrifting and looking for treasures. Lately my husband and I have loved watching old biker movies from the 60’s and other weird movies from the 50’s and 60’s when the kiddos are asleep (knitting time!!). There are actually a lot of those old movies!
L: I bet! I love that everything vintage is new and exciting again. How would you define your style?
C: Color-minded, mid-century and eclectic. Does that sound too cheesy? It’s hard to define!
L: Not cheesy at all. Honestly, I think it makes you a perfect match for fibre space™. Thanks so much for taking some time to get to know us…
Come in and see Chelsea’s amazing colors and super soft yarns! These are all 10% off today and tomorrow (the 4th of July). Here’s what we have for you:
Pure Silk Lace is a smooth, supple 100% silk yarn perfect for lace shawls. Each 100 gram skein contains 875 yards. $50
Creme Puff MCN DK is a fluffy DK weight blend of 80% Merino, 10% Nylon, and 10% Cashmere. Each 100 gram skein is 230 yards of this sturdy, soft blend. $28
Slinky Minx Sock is a buttery, fingering weight blend of 70% Alpaca, 20% Silk, and 10% Cashmere. With a generous 430 yards per 100 gram skein, the project options are limitless! $42