March Pop-Up Shop! Fully Spun!

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.

This March, we are working with Brooke Addams from Fully Spun! Fully Spun yarns has got the richest colorways we've seen this side of Jimmy - and we can't wait to work up our new coordinating shawl pattern from Tian Connaughton in every single one! Fully Spun yarn is hand-dyed as roving, then spun to create a marled yarn in which every strand has multiple colors. Every finished object shows off-color in striped gradients large and small.

Read on for a short and fun interview with Brooke - and click through for another interview with designer Tian Connaughton.

1.       What inspired you to start Fully Spun?

I spent a lot of time watching podcasts of Indie Dyers and always felt that I'd want to try it someday. In college, I spent most of my free time experimenting with dyeing, spinning, knitting, and crochet. It was only for my enjoyment, but I didn't realize I was building the foundation for what I do today. The core purpose of Fully Spun yarn is to enable and encourage others to express themselves through color.  However, my initial goal was to create yarn that mimics the look of handspun.  I have always admired the work of hand-spinners, but the cost for the equipment and time was beyond what I have available. Once I had the idea to try it, it took me about 9 months of research to find a mill and get the business started. It was another 3 months before I had my first product but what seemed impossible was possible! 

2.       What would you say is the best thing about your yarn?

The color mixing! I'm often surprised at how the colors come back as yarn or in a finished project, and each new colorway I create becomes my new favorite. All of my colorways contain colors that I have mixed to match what I am envisioning. This means that I can create palettes that are more cohesive because the colors have some of the same characteristics since they have common ingredients. To me, this takes it to the next level because the colors are constantly at play with each other in every strand. It is a lot of fun to step back and notice the colors have been slowly shifting and you're almost to the next one! 

3.       How and where do you find inspiration for your colors?

I find inspiration in many places, but most of the time it is from my surroundings. Brunch is a great example of that. My friend and I were having brunch at my favorite restaurant. I looked up and saw the different drinks in a row and thought, that'd be a great colorway! It is a really emotional, free-flowing process. I may start with two or three colors then choose others to balance out the palette. Other times, I have an idea for the whole palette at once. Album art is a great place to get ideas for color combinations. They tend to say something about the time in which they were released, and the mood of the music within. I also listen to music non-stop when I'm working!

4.       What was the first thing you ever knit or crocheted from your own yarn?

 I made a Granito sweater from my Hint of Mint colorway. At the time, I had a non-Superwash BFL base only and I fell in love with the way Hint of Mint looked when it came back. The sweater was such a satisfying knit because the yarn knits so smoothly like butter. I made it through all that stockinette in no time and have no regrets about stealing the yarn for myself! 

 5.       And, just for fun – would you say cereal is a soup?

I would say the milk is the soup and the cereal is a garnish, similar to croutons or oyster crackers.