Meet the Maker is an ongoing series in which I introduce you to some of my favorite indie makers — or rather, let them introduce themselves! You can see all the posts in the series here.

Today I’d like you to meet Cheryl Ham of Hypnotic Yarn. My first exposure to Cheryl’s yarn was a custom vintage Christmas colorway she created for me for a holiday Sockhead Slouch Hat. I knew from the moment I opened the package I wanted to collaborate with her on a design, and the Concentra Cowl is the result. She has such a fun and unique eye for color that I always look forward to seeing what she’ll create next.

Without further ado…here’s Cheryl!

Introduce us to your business!

Hypnotic Yarn was born at the bottom of a rabbit hole that all started when I discovered knitting podcasts were a thing. Prior to that, I had no idea that hand dyed yarn existed. But once I learned of it I couldn’t get it out of my head, and I knew I had to try it. I’d always been drawn to color and aesthetics, and my past is filled with many an attempt to find the right outlet for that passion — from an interior design degree to my first dip into the Etsy waters with handcrafted nail polish — but it wasn’t until I married knitting with my love of color that everything fell into place and I started Hypnotic Yarn mid January 2017.

Over the years, knitting has become an everyday part of my life — just like that first cup of coffee, I need to feel that yarn sliding through my fingers to get my day started off right! Hypnotic Yarn is an extension of that. There’s no better way to elevate your craft than working with the luxury fibers you love in all your favorite colors. It became important to me very early on to do more than just apply color to yarn. My true goal with Hypnotic Yarn is to provide knitters and crocheters a tool they can use to create their own masterpieces, finished objects they will love, wear, and cherish for many, many years.

What’s one of your favorite aspects of your business?

There’s a lot to love in this biz of mine, for sure! First and foremost, my favorite aspect is seeing what my customers create with their yarn. Their amazing creations are why I do what I do, so any time I see a “hypnotic Knit” pop up in my Facebook or Instagram feed, or when a customer emails me to share something they’ve just finished, it’s lights up my world and fuels my creative spirit. Knowing that I have this connection with another creative out there in the world, that they made something amazing and one of my colorways played a small role… well, it’s everything to me.

As far as creating goes, I’m really enjoying my new Mystery Yarn Club. It allows me to flex my color-muscles in new ways, and I absolutely love seeing club members reactions when they get their package each month. It’s just so darn fun! I also like that the club is mystery optional. There’s a link in the club section of the website that’ll take you to a secret page where you can see the upcoming club colorway if you don’t want to be surprised. I really enjoy hearing from club members who’re determined not to peek vs. those who love that they can see what’s coming. All around, the club is a good time and has quickly become one of my favorite parts of the business.

What do you find most challenging about dyeing?

My number one challenge is the time is takes to physically create each colorway. There are many ways to dye yarn and every dyer has their own process. The techniques I use to layer colors can take several hours to produce a single small batch. I work a full time 8 to 5 day job aside from Hypnotic Yarn, so my dye time is limited to early mornings, nights, and weekends, and trust me, I’m busy dyeing during all those times. It’s hard knowing that people want certain colorways restocked, and I just don’t have the bandwidth to get everything done as quickly as I wish I could. It’s something I’m definitely working on though.

When you find yourself in a creative slump, how do you get through it?

I actually have a little trick for kickstarting my creativity. A ‘slump’ for me usually comes in the form of every color combo I think of I’ve already dyed and I just can’t think up something fresh. So, I take the thought out of it. I close my eyes and dig into my dye jars and pull out two or three or colors without looking. Admittedly, sometimes I think ‘Yuck!’ but other times, it’s inspired some really great combinations. Even I don’t use the exact colors I pull out, the process gets me thinking differently about color and how different colors might work together. It’s a fun exercise.

What advice would you give to someone who also wants to sell their handmade items?

Austin Kleon says in his book Steal Like An Artist: “All advice is autobiographical.” Meaning that any advice given is what the giver would do in your situation. It is advice colored by what that person has experienced in their life and filtered through the lens of how they currently see the world. It is not necessarily what everyone would do, or what you should do. So I’d caution that much well meaning advice may not be relevant to your business, so use only what resonates with you and ignore the rest. There is no one right way of doing something and heck, you don’t want to do what everyone else is doing anyway! Forge your own path and create a business that you love for the people that you can best serve and you’ll do just fine.

How do you unwind from your work?

Oh geez. Honestly, I don’t have a lot of non-fiber time. I do love to read, and am a giant Audible addict, so nine times out of ten it’s likely I have a book playing in the background of my life.

What’s something most people don’t know about you?

Hmmm, let’s see. I was a competitive gymnast for the entirety of my childhood and teenage years. Unfortunately, a fractured vertebrae nearly paralyzed me and landed me in a brace for nearly a year, effectively ending my gymnastics career. In my heyday, I could do a full twisting backflip with the best of them.

If you were a superhero, what would you want your superpower be?

It’s so hard to choose just one! It’s really a toss up between invisibility and flying. If I’m really forced to choose, ugh, I’d have to go with invisibility — it’s just too tempting.

Lighting round! Share some favorites with us:

• Book or show? The Name Of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
• Podcast (knitting or otherwise)? Periscoping Sisters
• Dish or cuisine? Sushi
• Musician? James Taylor
• Fellow maker? My good friend Jess (@jessgasyarncafe) just launched her Etsy shop, where she sells some amazing crocheted items and gorgeous faux-fur pompoms.

And of course…what’s on your needles right now?

I have a serious case of castonitis. I’m pretty sure I have at least 12 (maybe more) project bags with WiPs at the moment. Shawls, Sweaters, Hats, Fingerless Mitts… the better questions might be what’s NOT on my needles right not!

Erin here again! Thanks to Cheryl for taking the time to share a little about herself. Take a moment to visit her on your platform of choice: Instagram, Facebook, Ravelry, or the Hypnotic Yarn website. I think you’ll be glad you did!

Meet the Maker is an ongoing series in which I introduce you to some of my favorite indie makers — or rather, let them introduce themselves! You can see all the posts in the series here.

Today I’d like you to meet Kate Frank of Kathryn Frank Fiber Arts. Kate was the first indie dyer I worked with, and the experience definitely cemented my love for hand-dyed yarns and working with other small-scale makers. We’ve collaborated on a handful of patterns (so far!): the Envined Shawl, the Chandelic Shawl, the Frostbright Wrap, and now the Cascadial Wrap. Kate’s color sense is right up my alley, and I can honestly say her yarns would be on my “desert island” list.

Without further ado…here’s Kate!

Introduce us to your business!

Hi! I’m Kate of Kathryn Frank Fiber Arts. I started knitting a few years ago after I walked into my local yarn shop with a friend and fell in love with a skein of multicolored art yarn. I bought it even though I had no idea what I was going to do with it. First I tried macramé, which was something I did when I was small (remember friendship bracelets?). But what I really wanted to do was make garments. My mom is a knitter and I had been accompanying her to sheep and wool festivals for years, so I knew it was time to learn fiber arts. My friend showed me the basic crochet chain stitch, and I was off and running. I taught myself to knit soon after and I’ve been addicted ever since.

Like many people, I quickly fell in love with hand dyed yarns. I started dyeing for myself because I would see a colorway in my mind’s eye, but I could never find an exact replica of what I wanted. I never intended to start a small business, but I love dyeing and I cannot possibly knit everything that I dye (though I’m going to try!).

I choose bases and dye with the intention of providing heirloom-quality materials for other fiber artists. I find my inspiration mostly in nature: rocks and minerals, precious metals, something growing (or landing) in my garden. I’m currently planning a colorway inspired by the smooth stones you find on the bottom of a small stream.

What’s one of your favorite aspects of your business?

Even though customer service is a challenge because I want everyone to be 110% happy, I love hearing from my customers before they place an order. Sometimes people will email me with a project in mind and we will figure out together if particular base or colorway is going to work for them. And while custom dyeing is hard — I like to say that it’s 50% mindreading and 50% shooting in the dark — I also get a lot of gratification from it. My favorite moments have been when I’ve helped a maker to realize the finished object they’re envisioning.

Erin’s note: I know from personal experience that Kate is completely amazing at this. Seriously, go ahead and test her!

What do you find most challenging about dyeing?

Consistently replicating colorways. That’s the one thing that’s currently slowing me down. If you change one small variable in the dye process, you can get an entirely different effect. Which is how new colorways can be born and one of the most fun parts of dyeing, but also my biggest challenge so far in having a business.

When you find yourself in a creative slump, how do you get through it?

I’m actually coming out of one right now (see #3). When normal life stress piles up, the first thing that suffers is my creativity. So I try to make it a priority to address what’s stressing me out, even if that means putting the creative stuff aside for a while. I also give myself permission to take the pressure completely off and just ride the slump out. Sometimes you need to do that to let the creative energy build back up. Switching mediums for a while can help, too.

What advice would you give to someone who also wants to sell their handmade items?

Join groups and talk with others who are also selling their items. It’s been invaluable to me.

How do you unwind from your work?

I have a full-time job and two small children, so my fiber time is how I unwind.

What’s something most people don’t know about you?

I never ever know how to answer this question!

If you were a superhero, what would you want your superpower be?

Flying!

Lighting round! Share some favorites with us:

• Book or show?  Outlander.
• Podcast (knitting or otherwise)? Skeindeer Knits.
• Dish or cuisine? Chocolate, which I believe should be its own food group.
• Musician?  Morcheeba.
• Fellow maker? I want to get my hands on some jewelry by Jutta Green of @greendesignscs.

And of course…what’s on your needles right now?

Bubblish! And I’m loving it.

Erin here again! Thanks to Kate for taking the time to share a little about herself. Please do yourself a favor and go pay her a visit on Instagram and Etsy. I promise you’ll be glad you did! And while you’re there, use the code REMADEBYHAND for 10% off your yarn purchase.

Meet the Maker is an ongoing series in which I introduce you to some of my favorite indie makers — or rather, let them introduce themselves! You can see all the posts in the series here.

Today I’d like you to meet Ash Christine of Vessel Yarn Co. I met Ash via Instagram early in my designing journey, and we’ve kept in touch since then. When she told me she was adding a MCN base to her line, I was thrilled we could work together on a pattern! We collaborated on the Bubblish Shawl.

Without further ado…here’s Ash!

Introduce us to your business!

Hi, I’m Ash Christine. I first started dyeing yarn in October of 2016 as a fun way to let some of my creativity out. I quickly realized that dyeing yarn was more of a passion than a creative hobby. So, in May of 2017, I launched my hand-dyed yarn company: Vessel Yarn Co.

It took me a long time to decide on the name for the shop — I went through so many changes! The final name didn’t come to me immediately but it was one of those moments where a light just went off as soon as I thought of it.

The name I chose is based off a story I read as a child. It was a story set in a small village, and it talked of magical beings that looked to seek justice on behalf of the innocent. These creatures were seen as protectors and would use the strongest of the villagers as their vessels in order to set things right again. Any injustices or terrible tragedies were made right by these protectors. They sought nothing in return — only existing to right the wrongs that were made in the village.

There was something so fascinating about the story to me and I’d completely forgotten all about it. Until I was trying to decide on the name and it came to me again, like a flash of brilliance. I’ve since lost the story book it was in and I can’t find any mention of it online anywhere — but I know I’ll always remember it and it’ll live on in my business!

What’s one of your favorite aspects of your business?

What I love most about my job as a yarn dyer is getting the chance to explore new colorways and colorway combinations that I might not have thought of before. When I first started knitting, I wanted to add color to everything. Plain scarves were knit with stripes and a simple hat was adorned with a colorful pom-pom.

Playing with color is key to yarn dyeing and it’s when I feel the happiest — I guess I grew up and traded my coloring books and crayons for yarn and dye!

What do you find most challenging about dyeing?

Honestly, the space and time. Once I’m set up to dye, I can usually get a lot done in one go. But my current dyeing situation is out of my home kitchen — meaning I have to set up and take down all of my dyeing supplies every time I have a dye session. It can get frustrating sometimes, but the end result is always worth it to me. And like they say — no pain, no gain!

When you find yourself in a creative slump, how do you get through it?

Oh jeez…that’s quite the question to unpack here. So, confession time: I have so many creative pursuits, but I tend to deal with slumps in each of them pretty much the same way. I’m queen of having multiple projects on the go no matter what outlet I’m pursuing at the moment.

If I’m stuck with a certain dye job, I’ll move on to a different formula I’m working on and give that a try while the other one sits on the back burner. I do the same thing with my knitting and writing — take a break from one project and move on to the other. It’s almost like hitting a refresh button. It’s incredibly rejuvenating to see progress being made on something else when I’m feeling stuck. It makes returning to that difficult project so much easier.

What advice would you give to someone who also wants to sell their handmade items?

Study what other makers in your line of products are doing — not what kind of products but everything else. How do they handle their social media? What do their listing photos look like? How are they interacting with customers? What kind of sales or deals do they run?

You can create anything you want to and find a niche of customers that want that thing — you just have to know how to market yourself and your business right.

How do you unwind from your work?

I love working, honestly. First and foremost, I love what I do — I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t. But everybody loves their down time and I’m no different!

I spend my down-time writing, knitting on non-work-related projects, and spending time with my family. Of course, coffee is involved during all of those activities!

What’s something most people don’t know about you?

To those close to me, this is no secret, but singing is second nature to me. Music means so much to me – it’s such a big part of my life — and I plan on recording some of my own one day!

If you were a superhero, what would you want your superpower be?

The power to wind yarn from hanks to cakes just by looking at them, haha! I think as far as traditional super powers go, I’d love to be able to fly!

Lighting round! Share some favorites with us:

• Book or show? My favorite book is The Only Alien On The Planet by Kristen D. Randle – though I’m almost finished with a fantastic one called We Are The Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson… I’m completely hooked on it!!
• Podcast (knitting or otherwise)? My favorite knitting podcast is The Knitting Expat Podcast with the lovely Mina Philipp — she inspires me so much! Non-knitting fav podcast is Welcome To Nightvale — I’m severely behind but I love it so much.
• Dish or cuisine? I’m a sucker for a good lasagna!
• Musician? This is so tough for me! Like I said earlier, music is such a big part of who I am. My favorite is probably The Wonder Years — they formed their band in 2005 so I’ve practically grown up on their music!
• Fellow maker? A good friend of mine is actually one of my favorites. Kelli Small of theredpansy — she designs patterns, dyes yarn, and has recently launched her first pin! Everything she puts out there is just stunning and if I could give a shout-out to anyone, it’d be her! She’s one of those people that I get super excited about her success because the work she puts in behind the scenes is so dedicated and incredible.

And of course…what’s on your needles right now?

As of right now, the WIP pile is a little high! I’ve got a design sweater on the go (my first!!), my Clark socks (pattern by Jaclyn Salem), a Reyna shawl (pattern by Noora Laivola), a pair of mitts for charity, and a few blanket projects. What can I say — I like options in my knitting!

Erin here again! Thanks to Ash for taking the time to share a little about herself. She always has something fun on the needles over on Instagram, not to mention her lovely yarn and adorable stitch markers on Etsy!

Meet the Maker is an ongoing series in which I introduce you to some of my favorite indie makers — or rather, let them introduce themselves! You can see all the posts in the series here.

Today I’d like you to meet Debi Martin of Blue Skin Yarns. She actually found me and reached out about collaborating — and boy, am I glad she did! Her bases are exquisite (and I say that as someone sensitive to wool), her colors are richly complex, and she is an incredibly kind and sweet person. We collaborated on the Quillful Cowl and Quillful Wrap as well as the Graceling Collection.

Without further ado…here’s Debi!

Introduce us to your business!

My mom taught me to crochet and knit as a child, but in my teen years I set it aside, as many do, and I didn’t really pick it up again until a couple years ago. It was only then that I realized that there was so much more to yarn than the acrylics of my childhood, and then I discovered the wonder of hand-dyed yarn. I was smitten. It took me about two months to decide to try dyeing my own yarn, and a few months after that I opened my shop on Etsy.

My shop is called Blue Skin Yarns after the poem “Masks” by Shel Silverstein, which describes the folly of hiding what makes us who we are; if we hide it, we’ll never recognize the same in those around us. Blue skin has become my life mantra as I learn to accept and even share who I am, so of course I carried it in my yarn dyeing as well. My colors are often connected to stories or poems, though not always.

 The yarns I sell are all soft, silky fiber blends, because since discovering that yarn didn’t have to be coarse or scratchy, I never want it to be! My favorite fibers are cashmere and silk, and most of my yarns contain at least one of the two.

What’s one of your favorite aspects of your business?

The yarns themselves are probably my favorite part of my business. Each fiber blend has such a special place in my heart because of its own unique qualities, and I love them all. I enjoyed the process of sampling different blends and getting to decide which ones were the ones I wanted to share with the world. They’re all “mine” for different and specific reasons, and they’re all blends that I personally enjoy creating with.

What do you find most challenging about dyeing?

Creating new colorways is probably the most challenging aspect of dyeing. It’s lots of fun, but the trial and error process can be long and frustrating. Some colors just work right from the start, and others take repeated tries, and the flops can pile up quickly. The good news is that even the flops have a welcome place in someone’s stash or in the right project.

When you find yourself in a creative slump, how do you get through it?

I knit! Even when my color-making is in a slump, I always have a knitting project going on, and as I’ve learned what type of projects I enjoy most and will wear most, having a few new patterns in mind always helps keep me excited about yarn, color combinations, and possibilities.

What advice would you give to someone who also wants to sell their handmade items?

Do it! It may take a long time to get established, and you might not be able to depend on much income at first, but if those aren’t problems, then you have nothing to lose. Etsy makes it super simple for new makers to get their creations out there; there’s no reason to not at least give it a try. And you never know what doors will open along the way.

How do you unwind from your work?

My day job is a full-time administration position I work from home, and I also have an eight-year-old daughter, so those two take most of my non-fiber time. In any remaining time, I love to read, follow other yarnies on Instagram, watch a little Netflix, and of course knit.

What’s something most people don’t know about you?

I grew up in a family of six children and was homeschooled. It was a very different childhood from most people I know, and my worldview is a bit unique because of it.

If you were a superhero, what would you want your superpower to be?

 I’d be Invisible Girl! Invisibility would come in so handy in so many situations, both for my own benefit and for others’ benefit.

Lighting round! Share some favorites with us:

• Book or show? So many! The books I’ve re-read throughout my life are John Steinbeck’s East of Eden, Eloise Jarvis McGraw’s Greensleeves, and Kathryn Worth’s They Loved to Laugh.
• Podcast (knitting or otherwise)? Invisibilia
• Dish or cuisine? Asian
• Musician? Always changing; right now I love Joshua Hyslop and a couple songs by the Script.
• Fellow maker? Erin Kurup* and Handmade by SMINE are my favorite designers, and Kline Designs is one of my favorite makers; Paige creates the coolest clutches out of books!

And of course…what’s on your needles right now?

I’ve got two projects on my needles right now: the Tilted Cowl by SweaterFreak Knits (for mindless knitting when I need it) and the Patricia Shrug by Vicky Chan Designs.

*Erin’s note: Flattered beyond belief! Thank you, Debi!

Erin here again! Thanks to Debi for taking the time to share a little about herself. If you love ultra-soft bases and complex colors, stop by Blue Skin Yarns on Etsy and spend some time getting to know Debi’s yarns. Her greys are particularly exquisite, if you ask me!