I’ve always been in awe of Indie Yarn Dyers. As a creative, I love starting with nothing and ending up with something unique, but dying yarn is a whole different ball game in my eyes. I’ve watch countless videos of yarn being dyed and it always has me mesmerised. It’s a true artform.

If you haven’t seen it yet, I put together a directory of the most recommended (BY YOU) Indie Dyers! Please be sure to check it out and support, whether you can afford to purchase a product or simply follow and interact with their social content, I’m sure they would all be super grateful!

I’m delighted to invite a very talented Indie Yarn Dyer for a little Q&A to find out more about life creating scrumptious yarn and also get some hints and tips!

Welcome Verity from Truly Hooked

How did your yarn dying journey start? 

Entirely by accident! I lost my Dad to suicide when I was 24, part way through a PhD and with a 6 month old baby. A couple days later I found myself in my local yarn shop, Knit Nottingham, buying a hook and some yarn and after a lot of swearing at online videos, I crocheted a terrible, terrible scarf. From then, I haven’t really stopped. I learned to knit (again, after learning originally as a child), began selling things I’d made to family and friends & fell into yarn dyeing somewhere along the way. That was just over a decade ago now & I honestly cannot imagine my life without yarn in it! I didn’t finish the PhD by the way, no regrets at all, and although I wish I still had my Dad, every day I’m thankful for the positive things that have come from loosing him & I’m so proud of what TH has achieved in its fundraising & awareness for mental health over the years. 

Where do you look for inspiration?

Literally everywhere. Music, film, nature, things from my childhood, something someone says. Sometimes I just randomly pick pots of dye and see what happens. Sometimes the colour way comes first and the name comes afterwards, sometimes I have ideas when I’m knitting or walking and have to stop to jot them down. 

What are your favourite projects to make with yarn? 

The very first things I ever sold were BooBeanies – little crocheted baby hats that looked like Boobs, aimed at breast-feeding mothers to wear. I made hundreds of them in all different skin colours and shades and they will always be my most favourite thing. I’ve also been through sock knitting obsession (56 pairs in a year and then I wrote 2 books) but now its mostly jumpers that I enjoy making the most. 

What’s your favourite yarn weight to work with? 

I don’t really have a favourite to be honest. All yarn weights have their purpose so it very much depends on the pattern and what I want to make! Most of my jumpers are 4ply or 4ply held with an alpaca lace, giving a Dk weight overall, so I guess those are my most commonly used. 

Can you give any tips for people working with indie dyed yarn? 

Buy enough for your project!! or make sure you have a contingency plan incase you run out, such as striping a contrast solid or fading into another yarn. Indie yarns are usually dyed on small scales and every batch is different – every skein is different for that matter – often dyers don’t repeat a colour way to keep things unique and interesting so please please make sure you have what you need before you start your project. I’m always happy to dye custom quantities for you to make sure you have enough. 

Do you plan on showing at any events this year?

Yes! Absolutely. I work alone, as do most indie dyers, so shows are our chance to be with friends and be very social for a couple of days before going back to our dye sheds. We’re currently booked in to around 1 show per month throughout the year including East Anglia Yarn Festival, Spring into Wool, The Wool Monty and Summer Wool Festival. Please do check my website and socials regularly for details of where we will be throughout the year, and do come & visit!

www.trulyhooked.com

Instagram: @trulyhooked

Facebook: @trulyhooked

What can we expect from Truly Yarns this year? What are your plans? 

Truly Hooked is 10 years old this April and I’m delighted to be collaborating with lots of my peers across the year to maximise the celebrations! I’m working with over 20 different dyers, makers and designers to curate a series of 10 limited edition yarn boxes (roughly 1 a month) and I’m honestly so thrilled and humbled that they all said yes 🙂 2021 was really tough for a lot of us in the industry so I’m really hoping that we can all pull together and support one another to make things better this year and keep our wonderful small businesses thriving. 

I’ll also be continuing my popular Blanket Club for another year (more info can be found on my socials) with options ranging from 10g to 100g allowing customer to opt for smaller projects like scarves and wraps rather than full blankets.

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Thank you for stopping by the blog Verity! I can’t wait to get this yarn on my hook! I already know what I’m going to make with it….keep your eyes peeled for that!

Please go and take a look at Verity’s social media and show your support!

www.trulyhooked.com

Instagram: @trulyhooked

Facebook: @trulyhooked

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