Yeah, we actually paint it.

We handpaint a lot of yarn.  It occurred to me recently that many people don't know what we mean when we say that the yarn is handpainted (with brushes and everything).  I also think that there is a lot of so-called "handpainted" yarn out there that really isn't (it just kind of looks like it is).  So, just so everyone can see that when we say painted we mean it.  The best part of handpainting yarn is that it is so much fun.  It seems like no matter what colors you throw together, the end result is great.

The rainbow array of yarn (picture at the top) wasn't at the farm for very long.  The yarn is in its new home (and available to purchase)  at Heavenly Socks Yarns in Belfast www.heavenlysocksyarns.com.  Everyone around here just calls the place "Helen's".  So now Good Karma Yarn is available at two Belfast locations, Murfreesboro, TN, Valley Forge, PA, and of course online. 

The seasonality of color- or some such thing

In the midst of this cold, dark January how can we not crave color?  For the past couple of days we've been dyeing some of our fiber with new colors that recently came in the mail.  The color is in such sharp contrast to the world outside our window and I've been thinking about how I think about color, season to season.

In the fall, I find myself craving the natural tones- brown, taupe, beige, gray.  I associate those colors with a warm and cozy home along with roasted vegetables and crusty bread.  Those colors stay with me throughout most of the fall until the solstice and Christmas when everything wants to be red, white and green.

When January really sinks in and everything seems to be white, brown and gray, we all crave bright color- think Key West, Aruba, Mexico- all things warm, no, make it HOT!  It seems like our customers want it too.  We had a line of January-weary customers waiting while we carded our new assortment of colors into roving.  Needlefelters were imagining landscapes of summer flowers.  Spinners were thinking of next year's winter knitting project (we handspinners are great for planning WAY ahead).  

My new knitting project is from a free Ravelry cardigan pattern.  I'm trying to decide on which of our yarns to use.  This summer we dyed some "homespun" type yarn with goldenrod and the effect practically screamed "late summer field" .  I think I need some of that in the midst of January.