October 1st is just around the corner and it’s time for a new Artist of the Month! In October we have the pleasure to have DeAnna from Saffron Dyeworks. We chose her Wasabi which is a 100% superwash merino. This yarn is super soft with extra twist for socks, ideal for cute baby knits too! The colorways are mostly semi-solid but with a couple variegated too which would look great in all those projects. You can for now have a peek at the colorways on Flickr but tonight at midnight EST the yarns will be available at yarn4socks. We’ll also have a gorgeous sock pattern by Jeannie Cartmel designed especially for Saffron Dyeworks Wasabi yarn. The pattern will be found as well as the yarn right here on October 1st.
Here is our interview with DeAnna.
1. What is your name, company name and which city and state are you from?
DeAnna Rigter, Saffron Dyeworks, East Greenville, PA
2. How long have you been dying yarn?
I first started dying yarn and fiber in 1987 around the same time I started weaving and spinning. I picked up a copy of “FiberArts” at the library one day and I was hooked. That moment more-or-less transformed the direction of my life from that point forward. Shortly afterwards, I changed my major from Architecture to Textiles and Clothing and ultimately went on to earn an MFA in Textile Design from Savannah College of Art and Design.
Regal
3. How did you get started?
I went to the local yarn shop and bought some fiber, yarn & dyes. I then went straight to the public library to check out every book they had on dying yarn – NOTE – this was before the Webernet and I had to use the ol’ Dewey Decimal card system to find what I wanted. There really wasn’t much available but I did discover Spin Off Magazine and that was a tremendous help and inspiration to me. Next step was to the thrift store to buy up every old enamel pot I could find. Then back to my little apartment to get started in my kitchen which was literally smaller than a minivan. Ahh those days as a poooor college student…pine, weep… sniffle…where’s my hanky? I dove in head first and dyed my first few skeins – not perfect but they were beautiful to me and all mine.
4. What motivates you?
Seeing and hearing from my customers about the beautiful projects that they create with my yarns. I love knowing that someone somewhere in the world is knitting saffron yarn and loving it as much as I do. I’m also motivated by the fact that I own my own business now and that pushes me to do my best work so I don’t have to go back to the textile industry. I found the corporate lifestyle is not for me.
French Roast Blues
5. What is the favorite product you’ve ever made?
That’s a tough question – as a fiber artist, I’ve created yarns, garments, tapestries and quilts and each has tended to become all-encompassing to me when I’m in the moment with them. As far as Saffron Dyeworks goes, I try to knit with my yarns every day and it always seems that the one I have in my hands at any given time is my favorite. One of the most exciting times for me is when I see a color re-skeined for the first time and I’m able to really appreciate it knowing the process that went into making it.
6. Do you have any advice for other fiber artists ?
My advice would be that if you want to transition from doing your art for just yourself to doing it as a business, you need to be willing to compromise with your customers and be willing to create something that you both can appreciate and love. You also need to shrug of the “dream stealers”, those people in your life that always tell you what you can’t do or won’t succeed at. Finally, you MUST do your homework. If you want to do it well, don’t expect it to always come easy and don’t expect that others more experienced than you should or would take you under their wing and teach you everything they know. Experience and a willingness to experiment are the best teachers. Most importantly, don’t be afraid to experiment – some of my most successful and beautiful colors came out of pushing the envelope by combining colors and palettes that are not in my comfort zone.
Path not Taken sock pattern by Jeannie Cartmel
7. Are there any designers, fiber artists or any other artist you consider your role model?
The first artist that comes to mind is tapestry weaver Sarah Swett. She hand-dyes and hand-spins all of her tapestry yarns and she only uses natural dyes. The colors that she creates are absolutely amazing! Her attention to detail is mesmerizing and she often incorporates her knitting, weaving and spinning into her work as both subject and technique. Other artists that inspire me are Emily DuBois, Ana Lisa Hedstrom and Dorothy Caldwell.
8. Please share with us a zany or interesting thing about you? It does not have to be fiber related.
I’m a sushi monster. I spawned a sushi monster in my first-born son. In grad school, a friend turned me on to sushi and it’s been a love affair ever since. Our yarn “Wasabi” was inspired by sushi. On a quizzical note, my hubby (AKA Buddha) can’t stand sushi. His idea of a perfect sushi restaurant is one that has a burger menu on the back page. My second-born son concurs with Buddha.
Dee and one of her dogs, Sarah
Thank you DeAnna!
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