Inspiration
The Thing About Spincycle
Dear Kay,
Out of nowhere I’m making a hat.
It started when I made one of my regular detours these days, down the aisle where Spincycle lives.
The bins of Spincycle Dyed in the Wool are usually empty—but we got a mother lode in recently. It’s not easy to keep this stuff around, given the way this yarn is made. Labor intensive, for sure. The Spinsters, Rachel Price and Kate Burge, figured out a while back how to make yarn that looks like it’s handspun. They dye it before it’s spun—that’s the “dyed in the wool” part of this yarn’s name. Then they millspin this festive/vibrant/bonkers color into yarn that is then plied into two-ply barberpole amazingness.
No two skeins are alike. At all. It’s incredible. It’s the cure for boredom, I tell you.
All sorts of crazy colors in there. Up top you can stroll the gallery of colors we’ve got on hand, though we don’t have a ton of any of it.
I’m about to head out for some time off from MDK, and I’m taking Dyed in the Wool with me. I think hats are going to be my Dyed in the Wool projects. Simple multiples are great when you have a yarn like this being all wacky and stuff.
See how it starts out murky? I am knitting like a fiend to get to the red part. This color is called Mississippi Marsala, and I promise you that the other two skeins of this in my possession look really different from this one. I love that.
The pattern here is Fatimah Hinds’s Stellar Dendrite (Ravelry link) hat. She’s a total math whiz, so I’m seeing her mind at work on these cables that look fancy but are actually easy to remember—such a good little mindbender. Stellar Dendrite is a one-skein wonder using Dyed in the Wool, though Fatimah cautions that the Medium size uses every yard of the yarn. Two skeins gets you the Large size for sure.
We have a list of excellent little projects for Dyed in the Wool—just scroll down the product page for ideas.
As for those giant paint chips in the background? I’m thinking about painting. We’ve been in this house a long time, and maybe a little perk up is in order. I had no idea that you can order up big ol’ stickers of paint colors, removable so you can try them out on various walls. So easy! Who knew? I got these from ColorShop and also from Samplize, a company down the road in Chattanooga. (Not affiliate links—I’m just impressed!)
Wishing you a freshened-up whatever needs freshening.
Love,
Ann
I, too, livelovelove Spincycle yarns! So fun! So imaginative! So beautiful and lush! Also that they are (at least much if them) are actually spun by Abundant Earth Fibers on Whidbey Island — some wonderful folks who buy fibers only from local PNW women farmers. Yay for them! And lucky us! They also offer their own yarns online too, which are always a treat to work with.
Uncanny coincidence! I’m also knitting a hat in SpinCycle and living every minute! Drew Renee Knits Shift Along stranded knitting hat using Melancholia and Keep Out of the Forest by SpinCycle. Wonderful pattern. Fantastic yarns!
Me, too! Ditto to every sentence above!
I used Spincycle yarns both for my Stonecrop cardigan (Robin’s Egg – yum) and my daughter-in-law’s (at the time I knit, to be) Humulus (Salty Dog). That was fun knitting!
Oh my gosh! I was just lamenting the fact that I’m on the last section of my Shift cowl using three color ways of dyed in the wool!!! I have really enjoyed watching this yarn unfold and highly recommend this pattern to show off its beauty. Will be buying more for sure.
I knit a couple of the Shift cowls using Spincycle yarns and one other plain one, and really enjoyed the process. It is a brilliant pattern, and especially with these gorgeous yarns. Yes, watching the color shifts take place was mesmerizing and soooo fuuuuun.
Giant paint chips!!!! Oh, the 21st century!
I love Samplize. I have ordered from them twice and the large paint swatches make it so much easier to choose a color.