#"Since your website states that most yarns are dyed to order, why are some colorways not available?"
It's simply a matter of space. We mix up a colorway and as orders come in we use the dye until it's gone.
Then the dye bottles get washed and refilled with a new colorway. We can only have so many colorways mixed at a time and sometimes a decent amount of space is dedicated to club colorways.
If you are
interested in a particular colorway that is currently unavailable, go to
the product page and click where is says, "Email me when back in
stock." (It is right under the "Add to Cart" button.) We do take note of those requests, and it's a great way to be alerted as soon as the colorway is available.
Sometimes the next colorway is decided based on Meg's whim, but all of the current colorways do get rotated through.
#"What is an evolution?"
An evolution is a skein style in which there is one long color change over the entire skein of yarn or roving. It shows off beautifully in shawls, sweaters, and hats. (Multiple skeins can be dyed with one color change, or each skein with the full colorway.) See finished objects using this patterning.
* Note - 70
grams is the smallest quantity of yarn we can dye in an evolution.
Therefore, that is the size of a single skein. Depending on your
project, you might need multiple skeins. Please check your pattern carefully and order the right yardage to show off this unique and fun yarn!
i.e.
If your pattern calls for 650 yards of light fingering yarn, you can
order two evolutions of Arial (340 yds/skein). You will receive 680
yards in one center-pull cake with one color change over the entire
yardage. Your garment will be fabulous!
#"What does Self-Striping mean?"
In Self-Striping yarns the colorway appears in stripes that are repeated several times throughout one skein. Standard striping
is ideal for socks, but can be used in a variety of ways. See finished objects using this patterning.
#"What is a Long Repeat?"
Long Repeat is an option for Self-Striping yarn. The difference is that the stripes will be wider than in standard Self-Striping. This option rocks for scarves!
#"What do I do with a Coordinating Semi-Solid Color?"
For every Twisted colorway we develop two or three coordinating colors to go along with it. You can use these colors on their own to make a beautiful garment. Or use a mini-skein along with Self-Striping yarn for the heel/toe of socks. Used along with an Evolution, a coordinating yarn can extend the gradation of the colorway . See finished objects using this patterning.
#"How do I place a yarn order on your site?"
1. Select the type of color patterning you desire: (use the menu on the left side of your screen)
2.
Select the colorway you desire. When you click on Evolution,
Self-Striping or Coordinating Semi-Solid, you will be taken to a screen
showing all the colorways we’re currently dyeing in that skein style.
Click on the colorway you desire.
3.
Now you’ll be on the product page. Here you select your yarn type and
quantity. We carry 17 different yarns. From light fingering to super
bulky. Details on each yarn can be found within the product description.
* Evolution - 70
grams is the smallest quantity of yarn we can dye in an evolution.
Therefore, that is the size of a single skein. Depending on your
project, you might need multiple skeins. Please check your pattern carefully and order the right yardage to show off this unique and fun yarn!
i.e.
If your pattern calls for 650 yards of light fingering yarn, you can
order two evolutions of Arial (340 yds/skein). You will receive 680
yards in one center-pull cake with one color change over the entire
yardage. Your garment will be fabulous!
#"How do I order roving on your site?"
Click Rovings on the left side of your screen. You will be taken to a screen
showing all the colorways we’re currently dyeing. Click the colorway you desire and then select the roving base and quantity you desire.
#"When is the next club?"
The next Twisted club will begin in February, 2012. If
you are interested in future clubs, be sure to sign up here for our
email newsletters. That is the most reliable way to stay informed about
our clubs and promotions, and we promise not to abuse your email
account!
#"What type of dye and yarn do you use?"
We
use professional dyes that that won’t fade under normal washing or
exposure to light. Dye lots and computer monitors do vary, though. And
even though we do our best and pay very close attention when mixing our
colorways, at times the finished product is not exactly as it appears on
your monitor.
We test lots of yarns, but only the real champs make it
to our catalog. There might be an occasional knot in yarn, those come
from the mill and we avoid them when possible.
#"Will my yarn look just like the sample I received?"
Orders
often ship with little samples. These samples aren’t exactly like the
full size product. Stripes are shorter (to give you some of all the
colors) but knit up in the same order. Also proportions are tricky on
small things, so they are a bit different too. You can request either a
certain yarn or particular colorway, but we can rarely accommodate
specific yarn and colorway combos. I doesn't hurt to ask, though!
#"How do you create this unique self-pattering yarn?"
We
start with blank (off-white) yarn. The yarn comes on cones or huge
skeins, which we buy in vast quantities. It's an impressive collection!
We carefully wind and twist the yarn into skein-like formations. This
phase utilizes mathematical algorithms and spatial logic (some are
easier or more straight-forward than others!) and is the part that
creates the patterning of the yarn. Then it's ready to dye. Every inch
of yarn goes thru our hands and formulas in this process! Each is an
individual.
I dye the skeins very carefully to create the organic
changes in color and tone. I *adore* this part! I care about every
single skein and will toss any that don't live up to my standards. The
dyed skeins are carefully wrapped in enough plastic wrap to keep all the
colors just where they were put. (I go through more than my own weight
in plastic wrap every year!) After the dye is heat set the yarn is then
washed and dried. This part is trickier than it sounds because the
skein-y formations need to not get altered or they tangle like crazy
when they get reskeined! Reskeining involves babysitting the yarn and
equipment and knotting endless figure eight ties. When it is in the
final skein we band it and send it to a happy new home!
The
mathematical yarn formation and the organic hand dyeing techniques
combine to produce incredibly unique and original skeins of art yarn.
The yarn is fun to knit with and has mesmerized many a crafter with
color changes from subtle to dramatic!
I
invented this kind of skeining a few years back when I was spinning a
lot and becoming very interested in knit fabrics. I wanted my yarn and
colors to behave in a very specific way. I could spin it if I planned
the whole thing from dyeing the roving on, but the spinning was getting
to be too time consuming. I also wanted more repeatability so that I
could get samples knit so people could *see* how it all came together. I
figured out the type of machinery I'd need to do this on a regular
basis. No such equipment existed. So my husband and I bought some and
*made* it work.
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