new: Orkney landscape inspired wool

I'm delighted (and slightly nervous!) to announce my latest creative venture: hand-dyed yarn inspired by the Orkney landscape.

Each skein is individually hand-dyed with acid dyes, resulting in one of a kind colour blends which reflect the Orkney landscape. So far I have dyed on 100% Shetland 2ply wool, although I plan to start dyeing on North Ronaldsay (Orkney) wool soon.

It's fair to say I grew up surrounded by wool. Between my Mum being a tapestry weaver and my maternal Granny knitting colourful socks and stunning Fair Isle patterned gloves, it was hard to avoid! I've always had an appreciation for wool, however since becoming a keen knitter in the last few years my interest has definitely heightened. Towards the end of last year it led me down the exciting rabbit hole of hand-dyeing.

My hand-dyes very much feel like a natural extension to my artwork as I treat the wool like a blank canvas: blending tones and colours in exactly the same way as I would when drawing or painting. Each hank becomes a little landscape reflecting the light, colours and character of Orkney. Every label is then personalised with an inspiration reference.

I have chosen to work with acid dyes for their vibrancy, colour range and mixing ability. Contrary to what the name implies, the dyes themselves are concentrated pigment/powder and the only acid involved is citric acid for the setting the dyes. Nothing harmful or dangerous :)

At present I have skeined the wool into 25g and 100g hanks. Although I am aware people are keen to have yardage amounts stated on labels I'm afraid I cannot give an accurate amount as I do not own the necessary equipment to calculate it. What I can say however is that 100g of 2ply Shetland wool is approximately 400m in length before dyeing and that you'll need to allow for a small amount of shrinkage during the dye process.

In terms of care instructions I recommend a cool, gentle hand-wash only, as with any pure wool. Due to the nature of hand-dyed wool please be aware that colours may bleed slightly after the first wash.

I really hope you like this creative development as much as I do. My wool will be available to purchase at the gallery this year. We open for the season on April 1st (this Sunday) so I'm currently busy getting all my wool and artwork organised for display. Not long now!