HRYC
Moving right along
TL; DR*: We're shifting Petone into town!
There are times when I can't quite believe how far Holland Road Yarn Co has come. It started off as a daydream, a wishful thought of having a local yarn store I actually wanted to shop at, and has grown to encompass Knitsch Yarns, 2 bricks and mortar stores and a busy online shop.
Two years ago, as I signed the lease for the town shop, I thought to myself 'let's see how this goes.'
Mulling things over back when the Grand Arcade was a big empty space, waiting to be filled with yarn.
And wow, has it gone. The Grand Arcade store is busy busy busy and it is so wonderful. We see how convenient it is for those who work in town and having all the extra space means we don't feel quite so crammed in. There are plenty of things I don't like about the space - the lack of natural light, for one thing. It just isn't quite so lovely as the wooden floors and high ceilings in Petone.
As time has gone by, one thing has become quite clear: the convenience of town wins out over the loveliness of the Petone store. Now, as happens in business, we've had to take stock and look at what works best, change some things, shuffle, adjust, and make sure everything balances.
It took a long time come to the decision, and I really didn't want to. If we don't shuffle and adjust, then we risk staying in the same mindset for too long and don't move forward.
Sadly, we are going to say farewell to the Petone store.
Holland Road Yarn Co is going to be around for the long run. We want to continue providing you, our wonderful customers, with the most beautiful yarns we can find. So we shall, except in just one single brick and mortar store, in the Grand Arcade.
Things i'm looking forward to:
- Having all our stock in one place! Which means faster online order shipping, and greater options if you need a decent quantity of yarn
- Freeing up some funds in our budget so we can order more and expand our range of lovely stuff
- Rearranging the town space so it works better
- Not having to shift stock between stores all the time
- Freeing Kate up on Saturdays so we can have more weekend crochet classes
- Having Claire join us in the town shop
- Seeing what Craft Central are going to do with the Petone space - they're going to take over and run a pop-up shop in the lead up to Christmas!
Things i'm super sad about:
- Losing our wonderful Saturday Sit & Knit sessions from Petone (we will hold these in town, and i'm working to see if we can organise a Hutt-based meet-up as well)
- Knowing the move will be super inconvenient for some of our lovely regulars who have supported us from the beginning
- Saying goodbye to the space that started it all, that has been like a second home to me over the last 4.5 years.
As of today we have one month left in Petone. Our last day will be the 11th of October, before we close the doors and hand the keys to the excellent women behind Craft Central who will take over and delight you with a pop-up shop of handmade goodness. More on that to come.
For now, thank you. From the very bottom of my heart: Holland Road Yarn Co wouldn't be what it is today without you. I honestly can't wait to see what this next change will bring and see what you continue to create and share with us.
We'll keep you posted over the next month with more about the upcoming pop-up shop, and our plans for a farewell to Petone party.
xx Tash (and Claire, Kate, Jen & Sonja)
*TL; DR - too long; didn't read.
Indie Shelf: Doe Arnot
During August we've welcomed Doe Arnot's beautiful yarns on to the indie shelf. I've always been inspired by how much Doe manages to accomplish - and what a beautiful weaver and spinner she is. I caught up with Doe to talk a bit more about what motivates her.
When you aren't busy dyeing what else do you do?
I look after my husband’s Osteopathic Practice 4 days a week and I work in The Oamaru Textile Emporium every Sunday.
I also weave, handspin and crochet. I actually spin nearly every day for at least an hour in the evening if I can. I love to go out and select my fleeces off the back of the animals and process completely from raw fleece to yarn. I custom spin yarns for individuals and small companies.
What is your number one favourite part of being an indie dyer?
Hearing how people react when my husband tells them I’m busy ‘dyeing in the shed’.
My favourite part is still being inspired and learning from the craft after more than 30 years of doing it. I enjoy both natural dyes and synthetic dyes. Natural dyeing is challenging and takes a lot more patience but it is how I first got into dyeing by using plants from my garden and it has a very different colour range to synthetic dyes.
How did you get into spinning and weaving? Are you a process or a product crafter?
I worked as an art therapist in a very large hospital in the UK and discovered some unused weaving looms in the Occupational Therapy department. So I taught myself the basics and was offered a spinning wheel by another member of the staff. I became particularly hooked on spinning as it was a relaxing thing to do in the evening after work when I was too tired to think. I’ve dyed fabric and yarns to knit with since I was a teenager.
I think I’m a mixture of both, once the project is near completion I’m already planning the next thing. I can let the finished item move on to its next life quite often with somebody else.
We all have colour tendencies - what's yours? Do you find this comes through in your dyeing?
I adore blue and in particular indigo. It is difficult to capture the colour with synthetic dyes but real indigo blue from the plant has many nuances and subtleties and I never tire of the colour. Plus you have to work at it and be patient and the indigo goddess then blesses you with a colour.
Blue features heavily in both my work and my clothes.
If you could go on holiday anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
It’s probably a bit of a cliché but I love Scotland. Particularly the Highlands and Islands. My husband’s family live in Argyll and I have spent many summers and autumns there. His family has a holiday park looking across the sounds to Jura and we came close to moving permanently to the Isle of Mull. In the end New Zealand won and we came here instead. No midges to bite you but equally stunning scenery.
Anything else you would like to share with us?
I love tweed, both the fabric and yarn. I like that you have to get up close to view the complexities of colour and tone. So I dye my yarn and fibres blending with different colours mixed together. Whilst I enjoy working with yarns in bright saturated colours from other dyers I seem incapable of not muteing and mixing the shades I dye. I like soft changes in value and yarns that have pinpoints of different colours in them that merge together from a distance.
I also love overdyeing natural animal colours such as moorits, greys and browns.
Yarns that inspire me are Jamieson’s of Shetland, Alice Starmore and Brooklyn Tweed.
If I could afford it I would commission a mill to produce my own tweed yarn line from NZ grown fleeces in colours dyed in the fleece and blended that reflect the colours of New Zealand.
To celebrate my Tweed love and my pleasure in having my yarns feature on the indie shelf for August there are a very limited number of my handspun heathered yarn packs in the Holland Road Yarns Wellington shop this month.
August KAL: yellow!
It's no secret that yellow is my favourite colour, so I needed no convincing to have a yellow knit-along! At this point of winter yellow is the perfect antidote to all the grey, cold days - it speaks of the Spring shortly to come, and warms the soul. You can join in on the conversation on Ravelry, and sign up at the bottom of this post (taking part in a KAL sometimes means prizes, always means a special treat at the end of the year).
All you need to join in is knit with yellow! And of course yellow isn't only sunshine bright, it can be anywhere from soft lemon through to mustard.
Here's a few sunny patterns to add a touch of bright to your knitting:
Beeswax hat by Amy van de Laar
Dawlish socks by Rachel Coopey
Rattan by Libby Jonson
or, if you'd like just a hint of yellow, Joji Locatelli's 3 Color Cashmere cowl is perfect:
Join in by signing up below:
Pilling: some thoughts.
I have some rather strong opinions on the matter of pilling, and inspired by a conversation with Libby over at Truly Myrtle, we agreed to both put some words down and blog about it.
‘I’m looking for yarn that isn’t going to pill.’ is a phrase repeated often in the shop. More often than not it leaves me floundering, because that’s a fairly difficult stipulation to make when it comes to yarn.
There are some basic rules I follow as to if a yarn will end up with those little bobbles all over it, but as with any rules there are always exceptions.
- A single ply yarn will pill. There’s no two ways about it - being plied helps to hold all the fibre in place, and if you’re missing that component, you’re going to get some fluff popping out. This fluff then joins up with other fluff, has a party and makes for pilling.
- Soft yarns are also at a greater risk of pilling. They tend to have finer fibres (indicated by a small micron count) and a shorter staple, which means the fibre is more likely to pull itself out of the twist, and do the party thing.
- If you’re making a garment, the places where the fabric will rub against itself or other surfaces will pill: under the arms, on the cuffs, wherever your bag rubs against your body as you move around.
My best advice is: accept you will have some pilling, especially if super-soft is your game. If it is something that makes you crazy, save those soft or single ply yarns for special accessories, ones that won’t be subjected to a lot of friction. Invest in a good de-pilling device. This is where I admit I don’t own one. There are so many options with such mixed results that i’ve left the hunt for one off my to-do list, and have chosen to live with the fuzz.
A couple years ago I knit a garment with Malabrigo Lace knowing full well it would pill and felt - and accepted that from the outset. I was much too in love with the colour and the feel of the yarn to worry about how it will look after a few wears. I think of it as a child would of a favourite toy - it may look a little rough around the edges from use, but it is still much loved.
Aforementioned yellow cardigan, as a WIP (and already getting a bit fuzzy).
There is a time and place for super soft, as there is a time and place for work-horse yarns. The more I knit, the greater my appreciation for a good, robust yarn. You may not get that ‘ooooh’ factor when you touch it, but it’s usually reliable, predictable and the fabric is less likely to do surprising things when blocked and worn.
When you’re selecting yarn for your next project, i’d like to challenge you. Take a few extra minutes deciding. Think about your vision of the finished item:
- Could you sacrifice the super soft touch for better wear?
- Will it get lots of use or will it be an occasional item?
- Could you adjust your expectations as to which colour to go for in order to obtain a better fabric?
- Do you love the yarn so much that you’re prepared for a little more work to maintain a nice finish?
Of course, sometimes, a yarn simply calls to you in a way that can’t be ignored. I know the song well. However, armed with a bit of knowledge, you’ll be better able to anticipate how it will wear, and that’s the most important thing.
Happy knitting!
The Indie Shelf: Nunnaba
When you aren't busy dyeing yarn, what do you do?
Anything yarn related fits around 4 kidlets, so they take up most of the non-dyeing time, but I do like to sneak in a bit of knitting, sewing and cooking too. My eldest is a very keen cook, so that gives me a great excuse to hang out in the kitchen…. and eat lots of tasty food…
What is your number one favourite part of being an indie dyer?
Can I have a couple of number one favourites? I don’t think I could choose just one! It would have to be a toss up between experimenting and playing with different blends of colours, and the relationships that you get to form being part of such a close knit (pun totally intended) online community. The experimenting is what keeps me loving what I do so much, seeing the ways that different combinations play off against each other or discovering new colourways through happy accidents is just a whole lot of fun! I just love it! When I am planning the preorders each month, the best part is developing the colourways because there is that freedom to play and let accidents happen and enjoy the results. And the friendship that I have been blessed with as a result of people working with my yarn are just an extra special icing on the cake, there are so many wonderfully talented (and lovely)people in the world!
How did you get into knitting? Are you a process or a product knitter?
I was taught as child, but have been pretty hit and miss up until a few years ago when I was pregnant with my second. No wait, that was six and a half years ago! Oops! Whenever it was, I was too big to get down to the floor to make the quilt I had planned for him (actually that’s a lie, I could get on the floor, just not back up again), and knitting seemed a much more accessible and friendly option. I still very much consider myself a beginner though as I am ridiculously slow. And I’m a little bit of a process and product knitter, probably more so a product knitter, but being unable to sit still for very long means that I enjoy just have something to do with my hands when I am knitting.
Do you have a particular fibre or fibre blend you love to dye more than any other?
It probably comes as no surprise, but I really love White Gum Wool. The kindness and care that Nan gives her sheep comes out so clearly in the beautiful, fine yarn that they produce. It really is such a deliciously soft, squishy yarn! I’ve enjoyed playing with some exotic blends too, but I do keep coming back to White Gum Wool as my favourite.
We all have colour tendencies - what's yours? Do you find this comes through in your dyeing?
It’s quite funny really, the colours that I go for naturally are not the colours I go to when I am dyeing, which I hadn’t even realised until you asked this question! My wardrobe and my home are filled with blues, greys and neutrals, very soft, homely colours, and I suppose dyeing gives an outlet to all the other colours that I like, but wouldn’t necessarily call a colour tendency. As a result of dyeing I now have a thing for golden mustard and deep, rich reds, so perhaps my colour tendencies are more fluid than I would have thought they were.
If you could go on holiday anywhere in the world, where would it be? Why?
Iceland. In a heartbeat. I’ve seen some absolutely amazing photos of the landscape there, so would love to see that in person one day. But I don’t like the cold at all, so would have to invest in some seriously hardcore woollies before setting off on that adventure!
Anything else you want to share with us?
Absolutely! I’d love to say a big mushy thank you to everyone who has ever bought a Nunnaba yarn and a just-as-big mushy thank you to Holland Road for letting Nunnaba come for a visit this month. It is such an amazing privilege to be able to call my creative outlet, my job, and I can only do that thanks to everyone who has encouraged me along the way. Naww! You guys are the best!! :) And come say hi if you are going to KAN, I’d love to meet you!
