A couple of months or so ago I came across a brand new podcast on youtube by my Insta-friend Vanessa Kind and she introduced me to the wonderful indie dyer Dingo Dyeworks. I fell head over heels with all the yarns and colourways – you know how much I love a good merino yarn.
When I visited the site I was overwhelmed. How could I possibly choose between all these amazing yarns?! But then I saw Winterlight.
Winterlight is a shawl designed by Meg Gadsbey from Atelier Yarn in Sydney, in collaboration with Petah from Dingo Dyeworks in her beautiful Fair Dinkum Dingo Tail gradients.
I love the Fair Dinkum range, it carries the NewMerino certification, which is a an Australian initiative promoting 100% traceability, sustainability and ethical treatment.
The hardest decision was then what else should I get? Because the yarn was coming all the way from Perth, I couldn’t just order one skein – it’d be a waste right?
In the end I settled on some Fair Dinkum ultrafine fingering in Blue Gum. Blue gums have the most incredible scent. In the region I grew up in, about 20 years ago graziers started cashing in on the blue gum boom, selling their land for a thousand dollars an acre (insane money) to be replanted with blue gums. All of a sudden I was living in a forest instead of farmland, it was strange how the landscape changed so rapidly.
So the blue gum is something familiar, and a lovely colourway, so it fits. I have a project in mind, another Meg Gadsbey design called Minnamurra. Aren’t all these Australian names awesome? It makes me a bit homesick to be honest. I think my obsession with merino is something that I use to keep me connected, do you know what I mean?
I absolutely loved making Winterlight. The pattern is perfect for someone like me who doesn’t class themselves as a “knitter””- although I do now! It’s also just beautiful, so that’s reason enough!
I can’t wait to make another one. But I have a to-do list and WIP list that is longer than my arm, so it’ll have to wait a bit.
And finally, do check out Vanessa’s great podcast on Youtube. Although, lock up your wallet; she’s a bad influence!
MissNeriss 