After many requests from you all, I am excited to have brought in Highland Handmades! The company is owned by Heather Monroe Kinne, who dyes all of the yarns in the Highlands of Maine. Many of her colorways are inspired by the beauty of the Appalachian Mountains and the North Maine Woods, both of which surround Heather’s home. The yarns are dyed using Maine-produced dyes and are dried in the cool mountain air for much of the year.
Our first yarn delivery is Sugar Maple Sock, a fingering weight blend of 75% Superwash Wool and 25% Nylon. Each skein is 425 yards and 100 grams. It is machine washable and dryable, but you may want to wash by hand and line dry in order to extend the life of your knit object. $20 per skein.
We got in 22 colorways! These are just a few of them:
About Highland Handmade
Heather Kinne began dyeing in 2008 after learning to spin. Many of the colors she saw available for purchase back then were either too dull, too solid, or too busy for her. So she bought some undyed fiber and a few packets of Cushing Dyes, and an obsession with color began. Over time she realized that dyeing was more fun than knitting or even spinning was and that in order to keep fueling her passion, she needed to do something with the colorways she created. Highland Handmades was launched in 2009.
Many of the colorways Heather dyes are inspired by the natural beauty that surrounds her home in the Highlands of Maine. Still others reference her love of literature (she was a High School English teacher before taking HH full time), or her love of geek culture. 80’s movies, sci fi tv shows and pop culture have all made appearances in her yarn names. Any time a customer gets one of her references, she is thrilled. Naming colorways is definitely one of her favorite aspects of dyeing.
Highland Handmades bases are selected with two qualities in mind; utility and comfort. Yarns should be usable and durable while still being pleasant to touch. Our Sugar Maple Sock base is as durable as they come and is a true work horse yarn. It takes dye wonderfully and will stay rich in color without fading or washing away for years. Our DK and worsted yarns are selected for warmth, drape, memory, durability and sheen to provide knitters with a truly joyful knitting experience. The Black Ash Worsted base (60% merino, 40% bamboo) is a wonderful example of these features.
For now, the HH shop is online only, with several excursions into the real world for shows and retreats. 2016 will see the building of the first ever HH studio which will hold not only our complete selection of yarns and fibers, but will also be a gathering place for knit nights and even classes.
To follow along with Heather’s adventures with HH, to see new colorways before they are available for purchase and to get updates on when orders are shipping to fibre space, consider watching her podcast. The Fiberista Files is available on YouTube and iTunes as well as at www.thefiberistafiles.com.
Project inspiration:
Don’t Cage Me In
The traveling vine pattern on these socks is perfect for the variegated colorways in this yarn. The pattern is designed by the hand dyer herself!
Favorite Scarf Ever
This simple and free pattern is a great one for using one skein of sock yarn.
