We are very excited to announce our 2020 Pop-Up Shop series! Each month, we will be featuring an indie yarn dyer or company, showcasing their yarn, and highlighting perfect patterns to go with them! We'll also share an interview with the owners and designers here on the blog. All photos courtesy of Martin's Lab.

For our very last (but most certainly not least!) Pop-Up Shop of 2020, we have one of our favorite dyers in the world - Martin's Lab! Hand-dyed by Marcin in Poland, Martin's Lab has striking colors and unique bases!

1. How did Martin’s Lab start?

Many times I went to festivals and took photos for my wife as "an Instagram husband”. 

During one of the festivals in Edinburgh, I bought a couple of undyed skeins for me to play with. 

As the time flew by and the more skeins I colored I realized this is what I’d like to do in life. 

It was such a great change that I gave up my PhD studies for the knitting world.

Inspirations surround us every day. I find them in my garden, on the street, in the museum and during my trips. 

For example, when I drive back from the festival and notice beautiful bushes on the side of the road, I feel the need to create a yarn in such colors. 

Recently, I dyed a small batch of colors inspired by what I see around my house: deep red like the tulips in my garden, speckled skeins like a meadow with poppies and cornflowers or a green combination like the ravine nearby.

Sometimes I dyed colors that match the season, such as summer or fall, or my current mood.

3. Is there any particular colorway that has special meaning to you?

These are the colors created at the request of my children: Aga's Wish, Caterpillar, Agnieszka, Wojtek. Colors that evoke pleasant memories from a trip also mean a lot to me: Memories, Warsaw Flamingo, Beach.

I am still learning how to knit or crochet. In elementary school, I did crochet lessons, but I never made anything big. 

I am currently learning knitting but I have nothing to show. I don't have much time to knit, but my test scarf is growing.

5. And just for fun: If you could design a parade float that was fiber themed, what would it look like?

Definitely a colorful parrot or dragon on a black base. When I started dyeing the knitting world was filled with love, not politics. I would like this project to remind people that we are different but knitting connects us.

Dear Mr. Claus,

May we call you Santa? We're very sorry, but we are quite overwhelmed! There are so many things we would like to take part in and have our needles and hooks dug into that we don't even know where to start! Our friends and family know that we love our craft, but not as much as you do - so we've curated a list of things we would really like this season and will hopefully be seeing stuffed into our stockings or wrapped beneath the tree. 

Now, we don't expect all of these gifts, that's just silly, but if you feel so inclined to treat us to some fabulous fibers, we certainly won't mind!

Left: Tidings to Yew (Knit Craftvent) in Cinnamon Sugar and Northern Lights Right: Gingersnap Wrap (Crochet Craftvent) in Northern Lights and Cinnamon Sugar.

Okay, Santa, this one is a given. Ever since we laid eyes on this beauty, we've been lusting after it. We have to admit, we've gotten a little envious of those who have received theirs already while we remain empty-handed - what gives?! We've spent countless nights now laying awake in bed agonizing over the fact that we haven't been able to cast on yet. The color changes and lace sections have us daydreaming day in and day out, especially since we know what good work Amy Gunderson and CocoCrochetLee are capable of! Both the knit and crochet Craftvent Calendars feature vibrant, wintery colorways like Cinnamon Sugar and Northern Lights, so we totally get it - you just didn't know which one to get us. It's a simple mistake! Craftvent also grants us access to groups on Facebook and Ravelry to chat with other people who are working on it, so gifting us Craftvent gifts us friendship, which is the gift that keeps on giving when you think about it!

Top Left: Madelinetosh Shawl Club in Chiwei's Choice. Bottom Left: Madelinetosh Shawl Club in Brittany's Choice. Middle Top: Malabrigo Blanket Club in Jenise's Choice. Middle Bottom: Malabrigo Blanket Club in Shelley's Choice. Right: Accessory Club (Note: This image is only an example and does not show the actual product.

2.) 2021 Jimmy Beans Wool Clubs

This one is extra fun because you don't even have to lift a finger to get this one for us! Each one of the 2021 clubs is perfect to keep us busy all year long! From the breezy Shawl Club to the cozy Blanket Club and the adorable Accessories Club, this one is a hard one to decide on, so we can't blame you for not purchasing it for us yet, hehe! The Madelinetosh Shawl Club and Malabrigo Blanket Club are both year-long projects that give us a finished project by the end of the year! Lace sections and big comfy blankets are a huge undertaking for some, so the amount of pride we'll get by finishing them in December is like a gift in itself! 

- The Madelinetosh Shawl Club designs were dreamed up by Chiwei Ranck and Brittany Garber, featuring colorways that remind us of coffee and long walks in the forest, which is great for us adventurous types.

- The Malabrigo Blanket Club was designed by Jenise Hope and Shelley Husband, highlighting colorways that remind us of colorful summer fruit bowls and days spent lounging by the seaside, making it the perfect relaxation project!

- Accessories Club is a little different from the other two. Instead of a large project taking place for the year, we will be receiving a little present every month for a smaller project (but we can't give away the deets just yet because it's supposed to be a secret - shh!)

Above: della Q Maker's Canvas Backpacks in the shades Blue, Mustard, and Olive.

3.) della Q Maker's Bags

AKA new bags for the new year - gifting us this is like an omen of good luck. Going into the new year with new bags and accessories for our tools is like wishing into the sky that the year will be great (and, boy, after 2020, we seriously need that). Beautiful and practical, these bags and their marbled, waxed-canvas exterior is a maker's dream! The canvas makes it water-resistant, meaning the next time we spill our coffee, we will have a better chance at saving our stuff! Each bag is designed by makers for makers, using genuine leather accents to elevate the look and give it an overall feeling of warmth and hand-made memories. 

4.) Gift Cards

The perfect stocking stuffer! We understand that we can go a little overboard with our lists (but who can blame us, we're just really excited for Christmas), but in getting a gift card, you can open up a whole new world of possibilities when it comes to what's available! Anywhere between $5.00 to $500.00, any bit helps us decide what to get (especially when we always stalk the New tab on the website). Gift Cards are emailed to us electronically, making less waste in the process and keeping everything nice and tidy!

5.) Out of this World Kits

Okay, we aren't sure if this is presumptuous or not but we wonder every year how you get everything delivered on time. You're only one man and a team of reindeer, so delivering all of those presents must be hard work - unless, of course, you're an alien! Only an alien would be able to travel around the world at light speed to deliver people like us gifts we've been dreaming about, right?! That's why we've been pretty partial to the Out of this World Kits - inspired by aliens and the declassification of UFOs, we're in love with the neon greens and spacey blues this kit has to offer. Made entirely out of mini-skeins, this kit also comes with a pattern for a shawlette with some funky fringe, which can only mean one thing - almost no ends to weave in! Talk about a happy holiday for us!

Left: Jammy Dodger Kit in the colorway The Poached Pear Right: Jammy Dodger Kit in the colorway The Missing Raspberry

6.) Jammy Dodger Kits

The newest season of our favorite baking show started last month and we've been inspired to do some baking ourselves (when we aren't knitting, that is). And the whole time we were thinking, "Hmm, how can I marry the worlds of baking and making?" And it came to us in a flash - The Jammy Dodger Kit! Using brioche (hehe!), we can whip up a yummy cowl that will keep us nice and toasty in the coming months! Available in two colorways, we can get our sweet stitches on with the cool Peached Pear or warm Missing Raspberry!

Left: Salkantay Sweater. Right: San Camilo Scarf.

7.) Pop-Up Kits

We've been eyeing these beauties all year, but sometimes it can be hard to get into new things. Trying new yarns is always a gamble because we have to worry about color, yardage, and how it will feel on the skin. By being gifted the yarns featured throughout the year, we can safely try them out without fear! The kits using this yarn were designed by the incredible Amy Gunderson, who seemed to work her butt off this year making innovative patterns that are both eye-catching and easy to wear - you could say we're obsessed!

8.) Mindful Collection Sets

It's been quite a while since we've wished for some needles, but as soon as these bad boys caught our attention, it was all over. We fell in love with the teal color motif throughout the entire Mindful Collection of needles and accessories from Knitter's Pride. The needle set tips are crafted from stainless steel while the cords have a nylon coating over them. The no memory cords will not kink or curl, making that shawl so much easier to tackle! They are also marked at 1" increments so they can double as a tape measure, meaning less clutter in our project bags - can we get a booyah?? Each set holds different mysteries to reveal, and by golly, we're going to uncover them!

Jimmy Beans Wool Teroldego Yarn Bouquet in the colorway Tiny House.

9.) Bouquets

What's better than a bouquet of flowers? A bouquet of yarn, of course! Jimmy Beans Wool Yarn Bouquets are hand-crafted with love, plucked right from the garden featuring projects that make the absolute most out of the yarn included. There's also an option to add a personal, handwritten message to your recipient as the icing on top of an already sweet cake! Available for knitters and crocheters alike, we can all celebrate in the best part - these fibery flowers won't wilt!

Left: Koigu Paint Can in the colorway Hello Family. Right: ADVENTuring Cowl

10.) Koigu Paint Cans

We're going to paint the town red this holiday season with some of the Koigu Paint Cans! Knitting, crocheting, weaving, and macrame are all forms of art, so it makes sense to melt the two worlds together, right? The signature Koigu twist of handpainted goodness is our newest favorite yarn art supply for all things fades, shawls, cowls, hats, mittens, and other small projects! Each can comes with 5 different colors of 25-gram mini-skeins, totaling to 435 yards of fingering weight yarn paint!

Knocker Blockers surrounded by completed Tenderness Shawls.

11.) Knocker Blockers

Ah, another stocking stuffer that we go wild over! The Jimmy Beans Wool Knocker Blockers are a useful little kit chock-full of blockers to finish our projects with! Curated to be a pretty palette of purple and pinks (try saying that five times fast) by our design team, these blockers were made with love, showing our support for breast cancer survivors by donating a portion of the profits to the Knitted Knockers organization - a foundation that provides knitted breast prostheses for those who have undergone mastectomies. 

12.) Toilet Paper

Okay, we know what you're thinking - who wants toilet paper for the holidays!? Um, that would be us, good sir. The idea of putting in a novelty roll of Jimmy Beans Wool toilet paper in the bathroom before our partner has to go is just too funny to pass up! Plus it gives them something to read - that's two laughs for the price of one, hehe! 

For the month of November, we are so excited to announce that our Pop-Up Shop is the one and only Amano Yarns! Based high up in the Peruvian Andes, Amano Yarns is focused on bringing the culture and feel of the Andes to makers around the world. 

How did Amano Yarns start?

Amano was born out of a true love and passion for luxury fibers, slow fashion and the traditional culture of the Andes. I joined the project in 2017, and have loved seeing the brand grow over the years, but I wasn’t part of the original team – the brand started in 2014. I was attracted to the storytelling, beautiful branding and fell in love with the unique yarns. My favorite project was my first new development I worked on with the team ’Yana’ – it was our first 100% wool product, and we’ve seen a lot of success with it – so much that now we have a whole ‘Yana’ Collection with four qualities grow from the original yarn!

Where do you find inspiration for your colors?

At Amano, we take direct inspiration from the bounty of nature and the Andes which we call our home.  From the high glacial mountains, to Andean textile traditions, to the rich and vibrant culinary culture, it’s very difficult to not feel inspired by the landscapes and people of the Andes. Each yarn quality takes inspiration in a part of Inca culture, we think carefully about how to tell that story through color and a lot of thought goes into each step of this development. For example, with our new Puna Traceable alpaca, the colors were inspired by the famous rainbow mountain in Peru.

What was the first color that you dyed and why did you start with that?

We started our collection with a very soft and traditional baby alpaca in both its dyed and un-dyed form: Puna and Eco Puna. We consider this fiber to be the heart of our collection and this is why it is part of our Origin Collection. Baby alpaca is luxurious, famous and because of our Andean Heritage, we found it a great place to start our brand.  Puna has now a refreshed color palette and is fully traceable, and we’re very excited to see our humble baby alpaca evolve into a full transparent Project.  Furthermore, its worth stating how Eco Puna is un-dyed alpaca. It continues to be one of most popular yarns, and we’re so proud to show just how incredible the natural fiber is. Did you know that alpaca has 22 natural shades?

When did you first learn knitting or crocheting? Do you do other crafts with your yarn?

I actually learnt to knit in Peru. I consider myself quite a crafty person, and I have always loved sewing and embroidery. Since I was surrounded with such beautiful textiles and knitting is very popular in Peru, I thought it would be a great place to learn – people here have knit for centuries and are very highly skilled. I actually also use Amano yarns now for visible mending and darning techniques too on my knits that need repairing!

And just for fun: If you could design a parade float that was fiber themed, what would it look like?

We would love to make a parade float out of our yarns in a very textured and fluffy Andean scene. I would love there to be a mountain range, with sleepy villages and pastoral scenes below, complete with clouds and the high sun in the sky. This way, we could bring a bit of the highlands to the parade!