giveaway #112

The two winners of the Toil & Trouble giveaway are:

Kate A. & Tia

Congratulations! Please contact me at yarnonthehouse@gmail.com to collect your prizes.

Summer is fast approaching and all the bright colors of not only the flowers, but peoples' wardrobes are starting to pop up everywhere. I love lively colors! Now don't get me wrong, neutrals and especially tones in the gray scale are definitely my thing, but eye catching colors that shine do make me happy after our season of wet and dreary here in the PNW. Our guest and lovely sponsor today is an indie hand dyer with just the right touch to create those happy colors. Meet Sunrise Fiber Co.! Wren, is the sweet lady behind this brand and doesn't she dye up the happiest colors ever?! I'm not sure whether I want to reach through the computer screen and lick them, knit them, or just plain hug them! This would be the point in my blog post where I would point you to some of my favorites, but I honestly can't pick. I'm loving the variegated as much as the semi solids! Just go check out the whole shop and all 12 pages of skeins and you'll understand what I'm talking about. I had the opportunity to do a written interview with Wren for you. Enjoy!




1. Please start by telling us a little bit about yourself and what you do?

My name is Wren and I own Sunrise Fiber Co- a hand dyed indie yarn business. I'm a full-time creative entrepreneur, a maker, a wife, and a new momma. Right now I work and live just outside of Denver, Colorado. I love lots of color, knitting, traveling, baking, and great books.

2. Your hand dyed yarns are bright and beautiful! Can you talk a little bit about what inspires you?

Thank you! My inspiration comes from the beautiful world around us- everything from a dragonfly I saw on a hike, to a cupcake I baked in my kitchen, to a street I walked on in another country. I notice color everywhere and take inspiration from that.

3. Do you have a favorite colorway or yarn that you offer?

My favorite colorway right now is Lipgloss. It's an awesome bright pink that makes me happy. My favorite yarn base to knit with is Vintage DK- it has amazing stitch definition and is great for quickly knitting up sweaters and baby stuff.

4. For budding new yarnies out there, what's the one piece of advice you have?

If you want to try hand dyeing I recommend starting with a semisolid on the stove (kettle-dying). Hand painting is fun, but it's hard to keep things from getting muddy. Also, make sure you're using a dye that's made for the type of yarn you have, don't forget the Citric Acid, and don't let the water get too hot. Oh, and write down what you do so that you can do it again if you want to!

5. What will be next for you? Do you have yarns or colorways in the works that you can share with us?

Right now I'm working on bringing in a new high-twist MCN sock yarn in regular and shawl-length skeins, and plan to offer a Superwash Merino bulky weight starting in the fall. I'd love to expand my line of semisolid colorways this summer. I'm also busy working on a website that will eventually replace my Etsy shop, and expanding into more local yarn stores around the country (my yarns will be available this summer at Happy Knits in Portland).

6. I always like to ask, why do you knit?

Because it keeps me sane! I'm naturally an introverted person and taking the time to knit every day helps me recenter and relax. Plus I think it's awesome to make a beautiful item out of simple materials.

7. When did you learn to knit and who taught you?

I learned about 6 years ago from an ex-boyfriend's mom. She taught me to knit and purl and I've taught myself everything else since then, mostly through YouTube videos and just slowly pushing outside my comfort level.

8. If you were to knit and live anywhere in the world, where would you knit and live?

Ooh that's hard! There are many places I'd love to travel to and knit, but I'd really love to knit and live in western Oregon (where I'm from) or the Pacific Northwest. Sitting in the sand and knitting while I watch the ocean sounds pretty good right now.

9. What's been your worst knitting or in your case it could be a yarn dyeing disaster?

Luckily I can turn most dyeing disasters into something good. I've come up with some pretty great colorways by accidentally adding the wrong color or too much of something. The main disasters happen when the yarn comes out of the pot in a giant knotted mess that can't be unwound. That happens more often than I like.

10. And last but not least, if you were enjoying a favorite drink while reading my blog, what would it be?

Either a cold glass of champagne after I've put the baby to bed, or a big mug of coffee with soy creamer in the morning.


Wren is offering one grand prize winner a chance to win a beautiful, big skein of a brand new MCN yarn that she will be debuting in her shop in the next couple of weeks. It has yet to be named. It's a high twist MCN in a shawl length (80/10/10 SW Merino/Cashmere/Nylon, 600yards/150grams). The colorway is called Aquamarine. It's a brand new colorway that she just designed for the Tropical Shawl K/CAL. It won't be available to the general public until the end of August. That means this giveaway is the only way to get this colorway if you are not participating in the K/CAL already!







I would like you to do the following if you would like to be entered into this week's giveaway:


1. Read over the rules if you have not done so already.

2. Leave a comment on this blog post by the end of Sunday, 6/16/13. I thought it would be fun for everyone to offer suggestions for what Wren could name her new MCN yarn base (the actual yarn, not the colorway). Check out her shop or Ravelry yarn page for ideas.


I'll randomly pick the winners in 2 weeks and post the results along with the new giveaway, so be sure to check back. Good luck everyone.

Sincerely,

Ve