Emolynknits on Etsy

This fall you can find my work at my shop on Etsy.  I have my handknit hats and a new line of handspun scarves for this fall.  There is a lot to be excited about.

More to come. Keep in touch!

Spinning in Louisiana - Part I

As I travel around southwest Louisiana, I am noticing colors combinations in the swamps, the trees, the birds, the crops, and the houses. They are different from western North Carolina.  It is hot here too, and I can't ignore the humidity, two things I'm not so used to in high caliber, but I feel rejuvenated by the signs that autumn (my favorite season) is coming.  September 1st is my self designated holiday-just-because.  These aren't ideal knitting conditions per se but they are perfect for getting out the bicycles and cruising down country roads, to paths under the shade of the trees in the swamp; for hopping off to walk to a waters edge. I was warned not to dip my toes in the water like I would in a mountain creek - unless I was comfortable offering my toes to the tree-trunk sized alligators.

Back at the house, sitting at my spinning wheel, I am thinking about that scene: mother nature a la Louisiana. I wonder as I take tufts of wool from the basket on the floor, "Can I make a combination too that will put a sense of place in these yarns I make here?"  By working on small projects, I am able to test out different combinations.  I fill up a bobbin and knit it into a soft cozy scarf, spin up another bobbin and knit it again.

Emolyn will be Teaching from June 16th - 21st

I am really looking forward to this summer.  I guess it's already here!

I have been invited to teach fiber arts at a great kids camp in western North Carolina called Little/Middle Folk School. It is held every year during the third week of June at the John C. Campbell Folk School .

The Folk School puts on classes year round for adults, but Little/Middle is for the youngsters! I attended the camp EVERY year from age seven to seventeen; now I get to go back as a big person. You can read about the fun we had last year on my friend's site: The Blind Pig and the Acorn.   There, you can also read about everything appalacian, from Appalachian medicine, to old civil war letters, to planting by the moon signs. Her website is a gem.

Looking for inspiration in all the right places

I am a knitter but I love color as much as the feeling of yarn going through my fingers. Nature always provides me with good ideas for arrangements of color.  This past January I was lucky enough to travel to Kauai, HI and boy-oh-boy, were there some beautiful sights to see!

On the way to Polihale State Park

I had a skein of handspun light brown yarn tucked in my beach bag.  I had spun it from my mother's Corriedale/Romney flock, from a sheep that happened to be light brown.  It was also the color of the sunbaked dirt in the corn fields.  As we pulled off the road onto the trail it was the color of the sand too.

We parked under a tree in the shade and walked out onto the seven mile long stretch of beach. 

The site of Polihale is...hm... magnificent doesn't do it justice.  It's inspiring!

I plopped down in the sand and got to work.

Holiday Craft Bazaar

Come see me tomorrow, December 15th and next Saturday, the 22nd, from 12-4p.m on the campus of UNC-Asheville.  I will have a booth at the Holiday Bazaar with artist Daniele O'Dell.  See her beautiful work at likemybag.blogspot.com.  Daniele makes hand sewn caps, pillows, and bags.  I will have hats galore, and hand spun yarn.

An EmolynKnits hat in Paris!

Hot off the press: One of my hats made it's way to Paris, France.  Great view don't you think?

Making Hats Makes Me Happy!

I have been in a hat making frenzy.  It's getting warmer here in the mountains. Daffodil season has already passed and the days are getting longer.  Yet, here I am knitting away! It'll get cold again...

These hats will be available soon on Etsy from my shop "Emolyn Knits."  Check it out at www.etsy.com/people/EmolynKnits