Nomination for the Creative Blog Hop

Aloha all! I was nominated by the incomparable Debra Garner on her blog for the creative Blog Hop. I will be answering 4 questions about crafting and then nominate fabulous individuals to do the same.

What am I working on?

I’m currently working on a pair of FLAG SOCKS: USA for fiber friend, Alison’s mom. I’m a bit farther along than this photo and should be done very soon!

Of course I have many projects in progress as well and below is a photo of projects that I switch back and forth.

The front sock is being made from my self-striping “Zinnia” colorway yarn. The black yarn is Knitpicks’ Stroll and the pattern is called “Diamonds In the Rough” and is not yet available.

The top left sock is one of my very first designs, though I originally designed it for non-colorwork. Since I LOVE colorwork so much, I’m adapting the pattern using my hand-dyed gray/purple as the base and a beautiful Pagewood Farms yarn as the accent. The pattern is called “Tango Swerve” and is not yet available.

Top right sock is being knitted using my hand-dyed yarn both in a merino/bamboo base, I believe. The pattern is called “Smocked Socks” and is not yet available.

I started my very first shawl project this summer! The pattern is by Emily Ross, called “Biltmore“, and after visiting the Biltmore Estate a few years ago I fell in love with it just as Emily had. It is a rectangular shawl which is perfect and the yarn is my hand-dyed “Monet’s House” colorway. This colorway was a custom request from a Facebook group called Yet Another Shawl. I just love seeing the different shawls all the ladies are making with Monet’s House – such talented knitters and crocheters in that group!

I’m also working on dyeing up custom yarn orders and will have more on the shoppe soon!

 Question 2: How does my work differ from others of its genre?

One of the great things about being passionate about yarn and fiber is that I’m also a fan of other indie dyers, designers and creators. We all have a different ‘eye’ for design or color and I am amazed at how everyone expresses themselves in different ways.

When I started dyeing yarn and wool, I needed inspiration and decided that all those vacation photos that I took might be the ticket! So, I scoured my files – some digital, some real paper photos – and practiced replicating those colors in wool.  I found I really enjoyed it, and having a hubby who is a professional artist is great for asking questions about mixing colors, combinations, etc. I try my best to impress him with my creations!

Here are a few of my photos and the yarn/wool I created from the image.

 

 Question 3: Why do I create what I do?

At first I started knitting as a stress reliever from a high-paced, high-stress (but equally fun) career. I found I enjoyed knitting and once I learned how to knit socks, the passion for yarn escalated. I joined the KnitPicks Community and was soon learning about yarn spinning and yarn dyeing. Funny enough, my first thoughts were “Why on earth would someone want to dye their own yarn when you can buy it already dyed?” . . . followed by “Why on earth would someone want to spin their own yarn when you can buy it already spun?”.

The answer is of course: because you love it. I create because I absolutely love it. After finding the passion for yarn I have found that I love sharing my passion with others, and the fiber friends I’ve met in person and online are kindred spirits that never cease to amaze me with their constant support and kind-hearted generosity.

Question 4: How does my creative process work?

I am inspired by everything around me. Whether that be the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremonies, walking to lunch and seeing vibrant flowers, vacation photos or other photos that fiber friends send me, I’m always thinking of the next colorway or design.

Once I have a colorway in mind, I write down the dye colors I think would match what I have envisioned in my mind and let it marinate in my head for about a week. After a week, I come back to the written ‘formula’ and see if any changes need to be made. Then the experimenting begins.

I can usually get the colors close the first time around (since it’s been marinating in my head for a week) though I have had to make some adjustments on the fly if the dye doesn’t turn out the way I want. The photo above is a colorway that will be on the shoppe soon, called Kai’s Dragon, which I created based on a drawing my godson Kai did for my birthday card.

Here’s my original colorway:

 

I hope you’ve enjoyed learning a little bit about me.  I can’t wait to learn more about my nominees, Sue of soobeeart,  Jenny of Marigoldjen (Marigoldjen on Ravelry) and Susanne of SussesSpindehjrne (SmilendeSusse on Ravelry).

Mahalo nui loa,

christina