Knit Now - UK (2020-01)

This month we’re cha ing with the maker behind this popular hand-dyed

yarn to fi nd out what goes in to producing a really special yarn

evocativeness of colour, so being able to

create colourways that speak to people,

and either create good memories or remind

people of things that do is what helps to

drive my passion.

Where do you get the inspiration

for your incredible colourways?

My inspiration tends to fall under themes

of science  ction and fantasy. These

inspirations are taken from the books I

read, the TV series and  lms that I watch,

and the board games I play. I  nd that

books are wonderful inspiration as some

of them have such beautiful imagery that

is carefully curated by the author to be

evocative and to build this visual world for

each reader.

Do you have a preferred yarn to

dye? If so, why?

I have a range of different base yarns,

though my favourites are de nitely my

Gytha Worsted base, and my Limbo 4-ply

base. I love dyeing the thicker Falkland

Merino of Gytha because of its delicious

bouncy softness that you can feel even

when dyeing and how vibrantly it takes up

the colour. It also helps that this is the

base I commissioned for Third Vault Yarns,

so I know it has excellent traceability, is

fairly and sustainably sourced by Wool

Tops, and it is treated and spun by John

Arbon here in the UK. The Limbo 4-ply

makes the list because of the way the

colours blend and turn out, which is

often somewhat of a surprise! It makes

playing with new combinations of colours

and creating new things on this base a

revelation and joy every time.

You recently started the HairPin

Project. Could you tell our readers

more about this project?

The HairPin Project is an ongoing campaign

that celebrates, shares and supports

organisations that educate and promote

love and respect for Afro-textured, kinky,

curly hair. If you don’t share this texture

of hair, you might not realise how some

people treat women of colour who do. For

example, strangers often reach out and

touch or grab my hair, most often without

even saying a word to me let alone asking

my permission. As you can imagine, it can

be very distressing to be touched without

warning or permission by someone you

don’t know. Lots of people talk about this

in terms of ‘bodily integrity’ – the idea that

we should all have control over our own

THIRD VAULT YARNS

Inside the studio with

How did Third Vault Yarns begin?
I learned to dye yarn during my time at
university in 2013 and it quickly became a
hobby of mine; I loved creating the colours
that I saw in my head. I started taking
commissions for dyed yarn in 2014. After
I graduated in 2015, I planned to run Third
Vault Yarns alongside a role in tech, but I
couldn’t  nd the role I wanted, so I decided
to begin Third Vault Yarns. Later in 2015
it became my full-time job and I haven’t
really looked back. Third Vault Yarns has
always been tied to the way knitting and
 bre crafts have helped me to manage my
mental health, and I wanted to share that
with others.

Where did your passion for dyeing
come from?
My passion for dyeing grew from my
fascination with the different ways you
can add colour to yarn to create different
effects; learning new techniques and
getting to play with them in my kitchen as
a low-impact hobby alongside knitting was
a revelation! My body had recently become
disabled and my hobbies were forced
to change from higher-impact pursuits.
I have always been a person that loves
creating with my hands, and I love the