{Luna Grey Fiber Arts Giveaway}

Today I am thrilled to host a giveaway from my very favorite yarn shop, Luna Grey Fiber Arts! Really her gorgeous yarn speaks for itself, but Jackie was kind enough to do a little Q&A so that you can get to know her too! She is just the sweetest lady, and the fact that she dyes yarn too makes her one of my top reasons to be grateful for the internet. 

What got you started?  How long have you been dyeing yarn?  

On a whim, I picked up a couple jars of dye at the Wool Market in Taos, New Mexico several years ago.  I promptly scoured my stash to find every skein of natural/undyed yarn I owned.  I really had no idea what I was doing and admittedly ruined a few skeins of yarn during my trial runs.  Over time my yarn became more consistent.  People began asking where I got the yarn.  When they heard I had dyed it myself, they asked if I could dye some for them.  Everything sort of took off from there.

Do you have a favorite colorway?

You know, I think I have a new favorite colorway every week!  I am partial to blues and greens, so those combinations tend to be my favorites.  My latest favorite is "Tidepool". {Pictured to the right}  It's an eerie mix of teal green, olive, and gray.  It reminds me of the tidal pools we saw on a trip to Cape Ann, MA years ago.  I am not a big fan of pink or purple.  Probably due to the fact that I have two boys and am always knitting things for them in shades of brown, gray, blue and green.  

What do you do when a colorway doesn't work out the way you had thought?

Sometimes the most popular colorways are "accidents".  The beauty of hand dyed yarn is that you can over dye the yarn if you do not care for the color you have created on the first try.  Really great, interesting colorways can be creating by "layering" color - - gray layered over red or purple layered over blue are both beautiful combinations.     

I have learned a lot during my first year of dyeing.  I never had formal training in understanding the color wheel.  Some colors always work well together, like blue and green.  While others....Well, not so much.  Living in Colorado means that I am surrounded by Denver Broncos fans.  My first attempt at dyeing orange and navy blue yarn (Broncos team colors) was a total flop.  Who knew that when blue and orange overlap they make a muddy brown?    

What is your favorite part about operating Luna Grey Fiber Arts?

While my background is not in art, I have found that I am happiest when I am working on some type of creative endeavor.  Dyeing yarn is deeply satisfying as it allows for so much freedom of expression.  And, as a knitter, I love being surrounded by beautiful yarn!  

I also love that I have so much flexibility with my business.  As an at-home mom of two young boys, this is a must.  While my eight year old is in school most days, my four year old attends a pre-K program four mornings each week.  It's just enough time for me to dye up some yarn, package up sold orders and market my business a little.  I am still able to drop off and pick up my kids from school, volunteer in the classroom, chaperon field trips, be home with them when they're ill, etc.  It works really well for our family.  

What's next for Luna Grey? 

My business started in my kitchen.  Which was fine - - for a while. However, for safety reasons, it really wasn't ideal.  A few months after I opened my Etsy shop, my parents bought the house directly across the street from ours.  Their new house had a huge, unfinished walk-out basement.  While touring the home, I had a lightbulb moment.  The space was absolutely perfect for a permanent dye studio. They ended up purchasing the home and my new studio was born.  It's a great space filled with lots of natural light and high ceilings.  I really am so lucky that everything worked out the way it did.  The space has really allowed me to grow my business faster than I ever imagined!  

While I have been selling Luna Grey yarn on consignment at my local yarn shop, I just established my first wholesale account with Jen of www.woolgirl.com.  She creates the cutest knitting kits and has quite a following.  She pairs an indie yarn dyer with an indie pattern designer.  Along with a seamstress who sews hand-made knitting project bags and a jewelry designer who creates stitch markers. It's a really clever idea.  I look forward to establishing more wholesale accounts in the future.  

To keep up with Jackie's knitting adventures (and to keep drooling over yarn pictures) you can check out the Luna Grey Blog!

For today's giveaway, Jackie is kindly offering one lucky reader this gorgeous skein of her yummy Orion yarn! Here is Jackie's description: 

Saturated shades of emerald, deep blue and gold hand-dyed onto my "Orion" base yarn.  A silky soft, durable, DK / Sport weight yarn.  100% Superwash Merino Wool. etc.  Machine washes/dries beautifully and is next-to-the-skin soft.  Approx. 289 yds (100g/3.5 oz)

Gauge: 6 stitches/inch on U.S. # 3 - 5 needles 

And if like me you find the yarn at Luna Grey completely irresistible, Jackie is sweetly offering us free shipping on domestic orders with the coupon code "YarnLove" through the end of the month!

To enter today's giveaway, just leave a comment in today's post! 

For up to four additional entries please leave additional comments letting me know you:

Follow along here at While the Water Boils

"Like" Luna Grey over on facebook

Follow the Luna Grey Blog

"Favorite" Luna Grey on etsy

I will close this giveaway and announce a winner on Monday, January 28th. Good luck, and happy knitting!