I’m delighted to share a new fibre friend chat with you today. Join me in giving a big welcome to the KCACOUK blog to Kitey aka The Yarn Whisperer.
I’m absolutely delighted to include this latest chat! Kitey creates the most delicious hand-
dyed yarn that are just delightful to work with, and as well as dying yarn, he crochets,
he knits, he tapestries (is that right?), and he hosts a weekly stitch and b*tch social and he’s a fellow small business owner.
As you probably know Kitey and I have been working on a number of fun crochet make-alongs since 2020 after meeting on Zoom during the first UK COVID lockdown. And sometimes I get the opportunity to catch up with him in person like I did last years Carry on Crafting Festival.
As our SEVENTH Mischievous Magpie make-along soon comes to an end I thought it would be nice to know more about his creative processes and about him in general. Here’s what we chatted about…
Hi Kitey, can you tell us a little about yourself and what you do?
Hey Heather, I’m an ex-primary teacher (for almost 30 years!) and now work for
myself as an Indie yarn dyer and crochet teacher. I grew up in Sydney, Australia and
have lived mostly in the UK since 1992, with a 3 year stint teaching out in Abu Dhabi,
UAE.
How did you become a yarn dyer? Do you do it full time?
I started experimenting with dyeing yarn in 2019 and opened Yarn Whisperer (YW) in Jan 2020, dyeing yarn part time while working as a teacher a couple of days a week. Then the
pandemic happened. Schools ended supply teacher contracts (to save on furlough!)
so I leaned into the opportunity to work from home and for myself full time.
This year I’m also leaning into my teaching experience still further and am teaching
more crochet workshops. I am also doing more pop-up shops at yarn shops and
social groups. I will be teaching my first workshop at Ally Pally later this year too!
What is your morning routine look like?
Coffee … first cup hot, second served as a Greek Frappe in the warmer months
(instant, frothed in about 10ml of cold water, served with ice and cold water!) while
catching up on social media and planning my day.
On dyeing days, I’ll get the first batches of yarn ready and set it to soaking in cold
water. Then it’s dyeing, packing orders, post office runs, filming and photography for
socials and marketing, writing up crochet patterns, working on wips, workshop and
display projects, and all the other things! It’s just me so I wear all the hats.
What’s the most difficult part of being a yarn dyer?
I love it so it doesn’t feel difficult – it’s true that if you do the thing you love, you’ll
never work a day in your life! – but it’s also true that pans are heavy and back pain is
real. Show prep takes ages and shows are long hours of standing around .. but I
wouldn’t change that as it’s such a privilege to be part of other people’s creative
process too!
Have you always been crafty?
Yeah, I’ve tried everything from glass painting, bead looming to origami, and crafts
too many to list here!
You really seem to enjoy all sorts of crafts, if you were on a desert island and
could only pick one to do, what would it be?
I’d take knitting probably as it’s usually what I have on a plane, and you can be sure
I’d be making fabulous shell jewellery and sandcastles too! wink
You design too don’t you? Do you sketch things out first, or do you just like to
grab some yarn and start?
I tend to have an idea in my head and then just grab yarn and start. I sometimes go
through books of crochet stitches or research knitting techniques on YouTube (I
have a huge amount of private playlists on there!)
Do you have a favourite creation or product that you’ve designed?
I loved designing my Crocheted Terrarium pattern and have absolutely loved
teaching it in workshops because it’s more like a recipe of techniques and everyone
creates something truly unique. I love being able to facilitate the creative process for
others.
How do you fit everything in that you want to? Are you strict with yourself and
your time or is it a struggle to juggle?
I don’t fit it all in. I’m really hoping cloning technology advances soon! I can juggle
(tennis racquets and balls – my tennis lessons as a child were not wasted!) and I use
this juggling skill daily. I set times to do ‘bits’ of projects and get it all done in lots of
bits rather than sitting with one thing for hours on end.
What makes you passionate and gets you motivated?
Learning has always been my passion. Crafting, knitting, crochet or whatever is just
learning plus time and dedication. Everyone can do it. You just have to start, then
keep going!
What can we expect to see from you in the rest of 2024?
More yarn, more pop up shops, more workshops. New patterns and projects
And just for fun; You’re a new addition to a yarn shade range. What colour
would you be and why?
Probably a variegated skein of hand dyed, with all the colours, moody black and grey
tones and neon pops. I’d call it ‘Wherever next?’ because I just love the idea that
creativity is ever changing and evolving.
I’d just like to take this opportunity to thank Kitey for taking time to chat to me. I’ve
really enjoyed getting to know him better and hope you have too.
Follow Kitey everywhere on the web: www.YarnWhisperer.co.uk,
@the_YarnWhisperer (insta) and @iwantyarn (facebook) and you can buy his yarn
and patterns on his website.
Pin for later:
If you enjoyed this interview you can catch up on all the other designer chats and discussions with other people in the fiber industry in my Fibre Friends series. And if there’s any other people you’d like to maybe see featured here on the blog, let me know in the comments and I’ll see what I can do.
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Until next time folks! Happy hooking and keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
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