a quick chat with Sarah of Fiberstory

Last May at TNNA, a new-to-the-tradeshow vendor, Fiberstory was across the way from the booth I was working. While there was little free time or energy to do more than wave and share a few words, it was very nice to have Sarah as a “booth neighbor”. Here is a photo from her booth, it was very inspiring:

Over the long days I found a few moments to talk with Sarah and answered a quick (for me) technical question she had about her website. I came home with a gifted skein of her FAVE Sock in colourway Joe, a gorgeous brown-green. I’m still not quite sure how that happened, but it’s a very Penny colour! I knitted it into Verdaia, designed by Jodie St. Clair and wrote about that shawl in July. Since then I have purchased another skein of FAVE Sock, this time in Putty. It’s waiting for me to make the time to figure what it wants to be and work it up. I’m thankful her yarn is not just gorgeous but also very patient!

I asked Sarah a few questions so you can get to know her and Fiberstory a bit better. Please ask your LYS to look into carrying Fiberstory yarns and fibre! A list of stores stocking Fiberstory can be found at this list.

If you are eager for even more ideas in Fiberstory yarns, look no further than the current, Spring 2015 issue of Pom Pom Quarterly, where you can see Tambourine by Julia Farwell-Clay in Fiberstory Core DK (colourway Gilded) on the cover!

little acorn:

We met at TNNA last May. I remember during setup watching you confidently pull out a drill to put the tables together and I knew you’d be awesome.

Fiberstory:

Thanks, Penny! TNNA was an amazing experience and it was such a pleasure to meet you. I knew we’d get along when you stopped by the booth and went straight for all of my favorite colors!

little acorn:

It was wonderful being able to rest my eyes on beautiful eye candy!

Reading your bio, I see you include welding in your list of making. That’s even more awesome! I’ve never worked with metal, I find it a fascinating material. What was it about spinning fibre and making your own yarn that lead to the launch of Fiberstory?

Fiberstory:

Gosh, yarn was one of the first things I can remember being excited about as a kid. I’ve always been a DIYer, but yarn stuck with me through all the other ‘phases’. When I learned I could take it one step further and actually MAKE yarn I was hooked! Dyeing my own fiber to spin felt like a natural progression, which led to piles and piles of fiber and starting a shop on Etsy. I wasn’t going to stop dyeing, so I HAD to start selling. It snowballed after that.

little acorn:

I’m very thankful Ewe-Nique Knits taught you how to spin!

What is the one thing you wish customers at fiber fairs would do when they come into your booth, or what you really wish they would stop doing?

Fiberstory:

I really enjoy fiber fairs! Festivals and fairs offer me the chance to nerd-out with other fiberholics in-person. What’s better than spending a weekend squishing yarn & fiber, chatting with dyers, planning your next 10 projects and watching all the pretty handmade things walk by? Oh, and sometimes you get to pet a camel.

As to what I wish people would/wouldn’t do in the booth? Sometimes I wish people wouldn’t come in with items made from patterns I haven’t seen yet. I get so jealous! I want to knit ALL THE THINGS. Seriously. Someone needs to invent a day between Sunday and Monday where all you’re allowed to do is something you love. No work, school, household chores… just fun.

little acorn:

Yes! I agree, someone definitely needs to make that extra day happen, it’s even more important after fibre events and trade shows though I would definitely appreciate it every week!

When not up to your elbows in the dye pot, you can be found…

Fiberstory:

Knitting, of course. My goal this year is to knit down 10% of my stash. It’s highly unlikely, but it’s important to have goals.
Napping. Napping is important. I think if everyone napped even a few times per week we’d have a much happier planet.
Vegetable gardening (spring and summer in Michigan, of course). I’m one of those people who enjoys growing things from seed. It’s so interesting to watch that tiny seed become a 6ft tall tomato plant. Nature rocks.
Touring local breweries. I started enjoying craft beer a few years ago, and had no idea how many yummy brews Michigan produced!

little acorn:

I agree, napping is very important and if we all did it more I’m sure the world would be a much better place! It’s comforting to find others trying to knit down some of the stash by setting goals! Good luck!

Can you share a bit about how you find your colour inspiration? I am very drawn to your palette, it’s very Penny-friendly without being all grey all the time.

Fiberstory:

There’s color inspiration EVERYWHERE. I like to take pictures of color combos I see when out-and-about. People on the street, grocery store displays, piles of laundry…everything is fair game. Most of the time, though, my colorways begin with a specific color I can’t stop thinking about, and I just build from there. Some of my most successful colors come from failed attempts to recreate something else I’ve seen. It’s kind of fun that way. I’m not an in-your-face color kind of gal, so I have to force myself not to only dye shades of grey. It’s tough. I ADORE grey, too!

little acorn:

I first saw koi pond (pictured above) the day my new neighbor told me she wanted to put koi into the pond in her back yard! Right now is the time of year I find it difficult to believe that colour will again return to our world. Thank you for dyeing colour inspiration into yarn and fibre for us!

Ok, everyone gets this question: kitten or puppy snuggles?

Fiberstory:

I have two cats currently, but grew up with a house full of dogs so that’s a tough question. My cats are sweet, but they aren’t big snugglers. They’ve warned me repeatedly with those razor-sharp claws that we don’t have that kind of relationship. So for the safety of my face, I have to go with puppy snuggles. Thank you for featuring Fiberstory!

This was lots of fun Sarah! Thank you!

You also can find Fiberstory on Facebook and Instagram. A list of yarn shops that carry the yarn and fibre can be found here.