Collaborative Blog with the Skein Queen!

Well last week I was trawling around the net looking for an artist/designer to feature on my blog and here we are - all done and ready for you to drool over!

When I was little I was taught to knit and well remember my grandad teasing me by suggesting I was knitting a waistcoat for a flea as my knitting never seemed to grow much!! My mum is a fabulous knitter (no cable design too difficult for her!) with a mega yarn stash, but it was my nan who taught me and like her, I knit in her style with the right hand needle tucked under my arm! I'm an occasional knitter only now as most of my free time is spent making jewellery but I love the colours and textures to be seen in a good wool shop.

This brings me to the mouth-watering hand dyed yarns of Debbie Orr aka the Skein Queen.

I asked Debbie a few questions and this is what she shared with me.

Blush

1. Where do you get the inspiration for your designs? For yarn colourways, inspiration comes from fairytales, birds, the sky, botany, food, literature and images in my head of rich, luxurious European palaces. For knitting designs, I always think of what the finished item will be used for, hence Lazy Sunday bedsocks and Day Trip mitts or how the finished item will make the wearer feel ie Cloud Nine socks.

Day Trip Mitts

2. Is there a craft medium you’ve always had a hankering to try your hand at? Two years ago, I learnt to spin and don't feel that I've truly mastered that yet, but if you're talking a brand new craft from scratch, I think weaving would be top of my list. Anything textile-related.

 

Delectable

 

3. If you could see one famous person owning one of your designs, who would it be? For yarn ownership, I guess it would be one of the famous knit designers I admire rather than an out-and-out celebrity, someone like Stephanie Dosen of tinyowlknits or Ysolda Teague. That would be cool.

Squash

4. Where can fans buy your work? My yarn and patterns are available on www.skeinqueen.co.uk. I have shop updates every couple of weeks adding more hand-dyed to the shop. Or to be guaranteed of a monthly delivery of SQ yarn, you can sign up for the Queen's Surprise Club to get colourways inspired by books or film. I also have stands at Unravel in Farnham Maltings on 25th and 26th Feb. and at Fibre East in Thurleigh 14th and 15th July this year. And limited stock is available at yarn stores such as Loop, All the Fun of the Fair, Cornwall Yarn Shop, Lighthouse Yarns and Yarn Cafe.

Desire

As you can see Debbie's yarns are just gorgeous, and as knitting is now trendy and cool once more, why not treat yourself to something very very special? If you knit a garment in one of these yarns you will always love it!

Like Debbie Orr I am motivated by colour and texture and just looking at these fabulous yarns makes me want to dye some aluminium!

Lavaflow Cuff and Necklace

This piece is available from the Signature Collection on my website at http://www.slicksilverjewellery.co.uk



So that's all from me this week, apart from saying a massive thank you to Debbie Orr, Skein Queen, for sharing her thoughts and yarns with us.