Happy New Year! I hope you have had some time away from your routine and are able to get some days of nothing that needs doing. I resist going into holiday mode. Anytime I need to switch speeds or my focus it's challenging, but once I do, the change is so welcome.
Well we hope you enjoyed your advent calendar! The colours took a while to develop into the story we wanted to tell. We started experimenting in June. Our families got a kick out of us, because we were in full holiday spirit 6 months out - singing Christmas tunes, baking cookies, asking everyone what did they want for Christmas this year!
When we finally finished the set in early October we were stunned Christmas was still months away! Our Christmassy behaviour didn't even register with us until we took a step back and realised we should be celebrating Halloween!
We started with the deepest colour first, sort of working our way from the water to the beach - which is not how we saw that going.
However, once we dyed the Pohutakawa duo we knew they had to be the Christmas colours, and be opened last! So that decision flipped the opening order for us. Your set would take you from the depths (colours like Trench & Tidal) to the shallows (colours like Rock Pool & Surf), possibly encountering mermaids and jellyfish (24 skein set) along the way, then over wet sand (Black Sand), dry sand, passing driftwood (Old Sea Dog), dune grasses (Sedge), grass and finally into the shade of those Pohutakawa trees.
Yule Tide was the big skein, a golden sand mixed with a warm taupe and speckled with the blues and yellow greens of the set. We tested it against each mini skein and it unbeleivably worked with every colour, so we felt we had a winner. You can see how well it works in the Intermission Shawl here.
It was really emotional crafting our story into yarn. I put a lot of pressure on myself to get it just right. I hope when you read this you can look back on the colours and see & feel the story as well. Enjoy your set, have a great start to your new year.
Leaving the Pohutakawa shade
feet slipping up grassy dunes then down, reaching compacted iron grey sand
flicking off jandals, speed walking, desperate for wet sand and a white foamy tide line
everything slows, feeling the cold lick my ankles, appreciating the shallows, the anticipation
moving forward, stiffening arms and stomach against the rolling hill of water; it hits, the contrast stops my breath.
With a small, private smile
I dive under and become mysterious...
