Spin a Story: Rue's Lullaby Handspun Yarn

Hello, my lovelies!

You may have noticed that my Storied Yarns Shop is a tad bit empty at the moment. Sorry about that. I'm waiting on a big honkin' order to come in from my supplier and then I promise I will dye until my hands turn all sorts of fun colors and get that baby re-stocked. Want something to look forward to? How about this: in April my re-stock focus will be on my new-ish Downton Abbey colorways, and in May my re-stock will focus on my oldies-but-goodies Percy Jackson colorways.

Hooray!!

In the meantime, I've been a spinning fool over here. My spinning wheel and I are having quite the love affair lately, with several fun and awesome yarns coming off those bobbins. Today I'm taking a break to tell you all about one of them:

Rue's Lullaby.

As you know, I believe very strongly that when you create something with your hands, you tell a story through that creation. This is why I work so hard to make hand dyed and spun yarns and hand dyed spinning fibers that are inspired by the stories we love, because I feel we have a chance to honor that story in our memories when we use the yarn or fiber. Plus, it adds such depth to the item we create when we infuse it with the spirit of the story that inspired it. 

In my own storytelling this week, I created this yarn. I corespun my Rue batt and then plied it with clear sewing thread. Then I washed and set the yarn and when I was finished I sewed on lovely organza flowers (purchased, by the way, from this shop).

This batt (and, of course, the yarn) was inspired by Rue, a character in Suzanne Collins's novel The Hunger Games. I'm going to assume you haven't been living under a rock and that you know the basic idea behind this novel and its movie version which just came out in theaters last weekend.

For those of you who have read the book or watched the movie, my use of flowers in this yarn will make perfect sense. It might even give you chills or make you weepy - it does that to me, I'm hoping I'm not the only one. If it does, then it illustrates my point perfectly. I have told a story through this yarn, paying tribute to a character in a story that touched me and stayed with me long after I closed the book.

I LOVE stories, and this is my way of helping them to go on beyond the page.

What kinds of stories are YOU telling this week?

Meet My Characters: Haymitch Abernathy

Hello, and Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Today I'm going to introduce you to one of my "characters" and explain the back-story of the creation of that character.

May I introduce you to Haymitch Abernathy?

Haymitch is one of the leading characters in Suzanne Collins's "Hunger Games" trilogy, and this colorway was inspired by him.

Haymitch serves as a mentor to Katniss and Peeta, but in the beginning of the series he isn't much of one. He's the town drunk, and a bit of a joke. There are times when he pulls off being lucid, but you just never quite know which version of Haymitch you're going to get in any situation.

As the books go on we learn that there's a lot more to Haymitch than meets the eye. After all, he wouldn't be a mentor if he hadn't won the games in his youth; this is a fact it can be easy to forget during one of his drunken episodes.

For this colorway, I chose to play up Haymitch's strength and his unpredictability. This is a kettle dyed colorway, so no two skeins will be identical (though they will of course be as similar as possible). Haymitch is a blend of grey, rust, olive green and purple. I love the way the different colors work together; this is definitely one of those colorways where I think we'll all be surprised by how it knits up, too!

Knit Haymitch when you need some sage advice or someone to lean on in a tough situation. Knit this colorway for someone who has been a mentor to you or supported you on a hard day.

In the film version of the first book, Woody Harrelson will play Haymitch, and I'm really excited to see how that turns out! I think he will be great.

Haymitch is only one of my many Hunger Games inspired colorways; you'll see more later this month when I debut them after my Hunger Games KAL/SAL ends. If you want to get in on the action, I have listings available for roving, yarn, batts and mini skeins!

Thanks for visiting for Fiber Arts Friday everyone! Now head on over to Andrea's place and check out the rest of the fun!

Meet My Characters: Peeta Mellark

Welcome back for another edition of "Meet My Characters" here at Storied Yarns Central! This is the type of blog post where I showcase one of the colorways I have created and explain the back-story behind my inspiration for that colorway.

Today I want to introduce you to Peeta Mellark, the male lead in Suzanne Collins's Hunger Games trilogy.

I should warn you that there may be some SPOILERS for the whole series in this post. I will try to be somewhat vague, but I don't want to totally gloss over anything, either.

Anyway, here is Peeta:

In the novels, Peeta has blonde hair, which separates him from Katniss and Gale because the kids from town are blonde whereas kids from "The Seam" have darker hair. As a younger boy, Peeta's blonde head sticks out in Katniss's memory because of an act of kindness he shows to her after her father dies.

The blue in this colorway comes from the mental image I have of Peeta's culinary talents. During one scene in the third book, Peeta decorates a cake to look like an ocean scene, and his beautiful icing decoration shows Katniss that the Peeta she knows is still inside of him somewhere.

The orange is there because it's Peeta's favorite color; not bright orange, but darker like the sunset.

I wanted the overall feel of this colorway to be one of bright colors, like the camouflage paintings that mark one of Peeta's many skills as a Tribute. Over the top of that, though, I have added a grey overdye to symbolize Peeta's experiences in The Capitol and the ways he changes between the books. Though he's still Peeta underneath, he's not that boy with the bread any longer.

I hope you like my tribute to Peeta in colorway form! Come back next time and I'll introduce you to the third member in the pseudo-love triangle from The Hunger Games: Gale! :)

In the meantime, check out my Hunger Games Spin-Along and Knit-Along on Ravelry! I'm offering packages for yarn, roving, batts or mini skein sets so you can stitch and spin along with us! We'll have competitions amongst the participants and the final Victor will win a prize! :)

Meet My Characters: Cinna

As you probably already know if you're reading this, I believe very strongly that when we create something with our hands we tell a story through that item. That's why I do what I do - when I dye yarns inspired by the stories I love, I believe it brings depth to the finished knitted or crocheted item as the layers of the story come together.

Today I'm introducing Cinna, a colorway inspired by The Hunger Games. Here he is, one of my all-time favorite colorways:

Cinna is a black base with splashes of silver grey, bright violet purple, electric blue and bold periwinkle.

Most people ask me why I chose these colors for Cinna; as a result of the fact that he wears metallic gold eyeshadow in the first book, most people picture the color gold when they think of Cinna. I can't deny that association, of course, but after reading the final book in the trilogy I was more inspired by these colors than gold. I don't want to give too much away to those who haven't read the books, but to me Cinna's role in the final book will always be his lasting legacy as a character and this colorway was inspired by that role.

When you make something with this colorway, what kind of story do you stitch? Well, in my opinion, you stitch a story with style. I chose these colors to epitomize Cinna's cool factor. Knit Cinna when you need a dose of cool in your own wardrobe, or when you want to tell someone else how cool you think he/she is. Alternately, since Cinna was a mentor figure to Katniss and an inspiration for her, you could choose this colorway for a special project made for someone who inspires and guides you in your own life.

Thanks for visiting with me today, and getting to know Cinna! Leave me a comment if you feel like it and tell me what stories you're stitching today!

Meet my Characters: Katniss Everdeen

Sometimes I like to share the back-story and inspiration involved in creating my colorways. This month I'm going to be doing a little character bio for each of my Hunger Games colorways, in preparation for my Hunger Games Knit-Along/Spin-Along and the movie debut.

Today, meet Katniss Everdeen: The Girl Who Was On Fire.

Katniss is the lead character in Suzanne Collins's YA series that begins with The Hunger Games. I fell in love with these books, and Katniss herself, from the first minute I read them. Katniss was actually one of the first colorways I ever created; she has been with me for the long haul.

I don't want to spoil too much for people who haven't read the books (Why haven't you read the books?!? Do it!), but I will say that a main part of the novel series is the idea that Katniss comes out of nowhere to become a symbol and a leader for a revolution. The novels are set in a dreary dystopian, post-World War III future and Katniss lives in a community known for mining. When she participates in the Hunger Games she shows what happens when you light coal on fire: you get a flame.

For Katniss's colorway, I started with a base of charcoal grey for District 12, her home. I then added splashes of flame colors: red, yellow and blue (which sometimes blend together to give a rainbow effect; an added bonus/side effect). This colorway reminds me of a phoenix rising from the ashes, much like Katniss does in the novels.

I once sent a skein of this colorway to a friend of mine who had survived a house fire that destroyed, among many other things, her entire stash of yarn. I think this is a great colorway for representing our ability to survive hardship and come out stronger and brighter on the other side, don't you?

I have crocheted this colorway once before into a spiraling scarf:

I definitely love this colorway as a scarf, but I think it would make an amazing shawl, too. I hope someone knits one in the KAL! :)

Thanks for visiting me today and getting to know Katniss. I hope you love her as much as I do, and that you'll stop by later in the week as I introduce more of my characters!

Fiber Arts Friday: The Countdown is ON!

Happy Fiber Arts Friday, everyone!!

Ok, so this week I don't have much to show off. I did spin a few yarns, but I'm lazy so I haven't taken photos. I've been knitting, but there isn't much to show for it and for now it's a big secret project anyway.

So instead, let's talk about what I'm gearing up for next: a new
 

Storied Yarns Spin-Along/Knit-Along!!

This time we're going to count down to the film premiere of The Hunger Games. Dun Dun Duuuuuuunnnnnn!

Don't know what this is? Have you been living under a rock? It's okay, let me teach you. Go here and read all about this amazing book, the start of an amazing trilogy. Then get thee to a library or bookstore, STAT! (Here's a tip: you're going to want to have a copy of the second book immediately upon finishing the first, and ditto with the third, so it's best to get all three at once.)

Once you're finished reading all that awesome, or perhaps you already HAVE read all the awesome, now it's time to join me over at Storied Yarns Ravelry Central for a Hunger Games themed KAL/SAL!

Just like my other KAL/SAL packages, this one will be lots of fun! You'll get yarn or fiber in your choice of Hunger Games inspirations and extra goodies. I'm going to hold little contests amongst the participants, too, and award mini prizes along the way. Then at the end there will be a larger prize package for one big winner!

If you want to see my Hunger Games colorways, visit my Facebook photo album. For this SAL/KAL you can choose one of these colorways or a new inspiration from the series.

I hope you'll join in or follow along with the fun. And may the odds be ever in your favor!

Now go visit Andrea and say hello for Fiber Arts Friday.