Lately when I've had a moment that hasn't been taken by knitting, dyeing, spinning, sewing, weaving, or one of my numerous other crafty passions, I've been playing a wonderful game called Night in the Woods.  It follows the story of a 20 year old woman finding her footing in her life and how things change when you're technically no longer a kid.  It's based in a small town, and having so much in common with this delightful feline protagonist, I wanted to start a series of hand dyed yarns that encapsulates some of the lovely scenery that the artists of this game so lovingly created. 

Night in the Woods Developed by Infinite Fall (2017)

The first of this series is an homage to a song you're able to play in the game called "Weird Autumn" and the colour palette the landscape is painted when this moment comes up.  

I used a lot of stark orange stretches and then mixed varying shades of brown and black in so that it got the feeling of a bright autumn in a woodsy town.  

For this dye lot I also tried squishing the yarn more so that the colours would blend into each other more, giving some nice fades in and out of each colour.

I'm thrilled with the results too, it made the orange and brown far more rich and complex, making a single colour of orange (pumpkin) look like I used several different kinds of orange and the brown mute the white enough that it wasn't too much of a contrast to the earthy tones.

In total, I used 2 brown dyes (chestnut and brown), 1 black dye (jet black), and then the Pumpkin Orange I mentioned previously.  

As I continue to dye yarn I am working towards honing my skills enough to make sure that when I start selling my yarn it will be the quality you deserve and something I can be proud of, it's taking a little time to make sure I'm there- but it is coming and will be showing up on this site, so as always...

Stay sweet, stay crafty, and stay tuned.

I'm back with more adventures in dyeing yarn and deciding what the colours mean.  

The colours for this were, as the title might lead you to believe, inspired by spiraling depths and mysteries unknown lying within the vastness of the ocean.  

I imagined sirens with sinister secrets, giant squids with long histories of destroying magnificent ships that stranded too far off written paths, mermaids with longing and fanciful dreams, and spectacular scales of creatures never witnessed by human eyes.   

Even though last week i said I wanted to work more on the pastel range in future projects (which I still do), I wanted these colours to be rich and vibrant.  Colours that make you want to live a life at sea.  

Overall, I think it turned out delightfully sinister and magical all at once.  There are areas that are illuminated by the white contrast to the colours, and there are stretches that are dark where I squished the colour into the entire section so that no light could escape through.  

I have no idea what it's going to be yet, but I love that it holds potential along with the mystery.  Full of adventures and secrets.

Stay sweet, stay crafty, and stay tuned.

In full acceptance that this outs me as a crazy cat lady, this colour palette is only coming around because I'm madly in love with calico cats- especially my family's cat.  I could give you some magnificent story like I did with the Great Unagi, but honestly I just miss my cat.  She stays with my parents, and there isn't a day I'm not lonesome for her.  So here I am, making a tribute to her lovely colours and delightful soul. 

That being said, I did add some colours inspired by other calicos I've encountered that reminded me of my dear cat.  I figured if I go out of my way to pet them whenever I get the chance, they should probably feel this fibery love and appreciation.

Other than giving you sappy feelings about my cat, I also thought it was worth while to talk about what I've been learning with the more frequent hand painted yarns I've been doing.

This yarn in particular showcased how less can be more.  I was going for a far more light yellow that would blend well, and instead ended up with an electric yellow that quite clearly stands out.  For anyone getting into the dyeing game, I would highly recommend trusting that the colour will show even if there is only a little bit of dye powder getting mixed in (if you're going for less intense colours).  

The colours do fade a bit after being washed, but not too much (as long as the fiber was prepped properly).  

Here's the part where I get sentimental again.  I love this yarn even though it's not what I expected at all, which reminds me even of the very feline this represents.

My dad, brother, and I brought her home in a cricket box from a very small pet store in the town I grew up in.  She was the runt of the litter and terrified of everything.  My mother told me years later that she feared this little fraidy-cat wouldn't last if for no other reason that her heart would give out from being startled by the slightest sound.  

She changed though, she got braver and started to warm up to the family we brought her into.  She's 15 years old, 13 pounds, and the most delightful creature I've ever met, and even from a thousand miles away she makes my heart melt and want to be more.  

I think of her because she reminds of why it's nice to take chances even if you're not sure things are going to work out, especially if what motivates you is love.  

You'll be noticing some changes around the site in the next couple of months.  I'm filling out the website a little more, I've added a link to where you can donate if you so feel inclined (don't worry, blog posts and adventures will keep coming no matter what), and I'm taking further steps to making the Sweet Crafterlife a permanent fixture of my life, and hopefully yours.  

I'll keep you updated, but until then-

Stay sweet, stay crafty, and stay tuned.

Dyeing has quickly become an obsession.  I thought that I would just do this for fun here and there and now I'm daydreaming about what new and fun colours to put together and taking pictures of inspiring colour combinations in the world wherever I go.  

Despite the fierce passion though, I'm still working out the kinks with how much dye to add to water to get the colour I'm picturing and coming to grips with the fact that I need to start ignoring the little voice in my head that always insists to add "just a few more dashes" to a bottle, even though it's supposed to be a light and subtle colour.  

When I first started adding the blue to this yarn, I realised I had definitely indulged that little voice far too much.  This was supposed to be a very light turquoise (practically pastel) and then I was going to do small hints of the green with proper spatters of the cherry red.  After I added the blue and red, and it looked like an aggressive fourth of July decorations, I decided that the green needed to swoop in and save the day.  

Even though it wasn't what I was originally going for, it did start to capture my heart and eventually my brain took to the new input and started conjuring strange and mystical scenes where this yarn would belong.

My favourite tale for this was the story of the Great Unagi, an eel of colossal proportion that makes its home in a vast lake that fishermen attempt to trek and fish on.  It would be a magnificent creature with mostly blue and white scales with the occasional red and green- as if it were calico like a koi fish.  

If the fishermen on this lake didn't 

If the fishermen on this lake didn't show respect to the waters or to the upkeep of their boats or fished in a reckless or greedy way, the Great Unagi would awaken from its slumber and rise to attack their ships, leaving them stranded with their only option for survival being to try to swim ashore.  

I imagine these people who fished going home to their families, and reminding their partners and children to be mindful of how they treat the lake and to always be cautious when going out onto its waters.  They would gather around the table to eat, and tell stories of the most exquisite and sturdy ships being pulled into the depths, never to be seen again.    

Then of course, you would have the old fishers of a forgotten age that would know to share their biggest fish with the Great Unagi, and so long as they stayed kind and humble in the face of this magnificent being, they knew they would go unharmed.

Someone then would of course have a story about how a bad storm came one night when they were trying to get home, and the waves caused the ship to capsize.  Frightened and struggling to stay above the crashing waves, they called out for help.  It would be then that they feel a strong yet slightly ridged form underneath their feet, and before they realise what is happening, they find themselves held slightly above the rough water's surface and being taken to land.  

The person would tell the story with a wistful tone, as if in that moment this fearsome creature had become a friend they knew they would never lose.  

At least, that's the story I hear when I see this.  Maybe it says something different to you.

Stay sweet, stay crafty, and stay tuned.