I have to say that I am pleased that we are finally having some proper Autumn weather – I love the blustery colourfulness of this season. The drive to work lifts me up, even as the rain comes down because the trees are turning really fast and putting on a glorious show of oranges and yellows.
Now that I am hand dyeing yarn, I find that I think about colour all the time and I have generally taken my inspiration from the landscape around me. My garden, the Norfolk coast, the woods where we walk the dogs, the sunsets, have all found their way into the yarn that I have dyed. I even find myself wondering if I can translate the varied clouds on a blustery day into a colourway.
I now have a new source of inspiration, however. I have been spending a lot of time in the car with my daughter who is escaping home by coming into the shop with me. The other day we were talking about poetry because something had triggered a memory and we found ourselves remembering The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes. This is a ballad about love and tragedy, with a very strong rhythm and some vivid imagery and it ends with a couple of spooky stanzas. We thought it would make an excellent Halloween theme and I was particularly struck by the colours referenced in it – purples and reds and black were predominant. Just like that we came up with the idea of Poetry in a Box – colourways inspired by poetry. We have had a lot of fun pulling it together although it took longer than expected. I had to find a suitable base for the dark colours (I have used Yak Sock) and Charlie had to do some illustrations for me in between trying to find a job. We now have a box with four skeins of Yak Sock (a lovely soft blend of merino and yak with a bit of nylon for strength), and an illustrated copy of the poem. We hope you might enjoy it as much as we have. I am already considering what will be next.
In the meantime, we are finding that it is the Autumn colours that are doing best in the shop at the moment. We have had to order in some more Snefnug because all the rich, dark colours have already gone and we are left with colours that we think might do better in Spring and Summer. It will, I hope, be arriving next week along with a new fluffy yarn, Midnatssol – a blend of alpaca, wool and lyocell. I am very excited.
Best of all, Mandy and I are delighted that Charlie has agreed to work in the shop on a part time basis while she builds her portfolio. She will make a fabulous addition to the team.
