Anyone who has read my blog in the past knows that I am a huge fan of Indigodragonfly’s yarn. I am very fortunate to have this highly creative women in my life and to be able to call her a friend. When we spend time together it’s easy to forget that we haven’t known each other all our lives. She’s the only person who can get away with calling me “Slutty.” (There’s a story behind that which seems to get lost in translation but is wonderfully funny to the two of us. It comes from one of her yarn names.) She has a great sense of humour and we share a common interest in quirky t.v. I thought that it might be fun to introduce to her a little more and if you want to check out her pretty yarns go to Indigodragonfly.wordpress.com
- This is Kim aka Indigodragonfly, aka the enabler.
When did your alter ego of Indigodragonfly emerge? What was your inspiration?
I’ve used indigodragonfly as either an email address or online username for most of my adult life…since the early 90’s. I like the colour indigo (as in the colour between violet and blue, more than the plant dye). Dragonflies have followed me since I was a small child. And it turns out there’s an indigo coloured dragonfly that is also nocturnal (the only nocturnal dragonfly), which is also like me. That part was a little freaky. And I like the rhythm of how those words sound together. So there you go. It, or some form of it, has always been my online “name” (my persona, as you’ve experienced, really isn’t that much different online than it is in real life. I’m not smart enough to keep up 2 personas) has always been there. I considered using another “business” name when I started dyeing yarn and fibre, but since this one was already kind of known, it made sense to keep it.
I know that your yarn creation is a family affair with “The Boy” winding and shipping our skeins. But I am curious, what exactly does Otis bring to the table? What special skills does he posses?
Do not let Ron hear that he only winds and ships our yarn! He dyes too. Brilliant colours actually, that are very different from mine. Some day we should have people guess whose yarn is whose, to see if you can tell. 😉 It’s a true partnership. We both have our “jobs” that we take care of, but the creative part of the business is definitely equal.
Otis supervises every step of the dyeing process. And barks when the colours aren’t quite right. He also keeps visiting knitter’s feet warm, and tries very hard not to eat their children. And he has begging down to a very particular artform.
- Otis is very good at keeping feet warm. I have proof.
Your yarn always has such wonderfully catchy names. Where do they come from? Do the colours talk to you and demand certain names?
Ron’s fault. Truly. Left to my own devices, I would have come up with pretty standard colour names: Iris, Poppy… Ron turns Iris to Groverkill and Poppy to Squeals When Boiled. Even when I THINK I’m being funny (Vampire Ballerina), Ron takes it to the next level (Tiny Bloodsucking Dancer).
Other names come from fandom: Buffy, Firefly, 80’s movies…they can come from anywhere. Watching TV or a movie becomes a game of “Is that a colourway?”
Sometimes the colour comes first. Sometimes the name. Sometimes the colours don’t place nice and sit in time out until they identify themselves.
Yarn is very demanding. That wasn’t a secret, right?
Regardless, colour is first and foremost in our minds. But I find it really interesting that the right colour name will make me look at and like colours I thought I hated. They push me out of my comfort zone.
What’s your favourite yarn and colourway?
My favourite yarn is one that hasn’t come out yet. 😉
I love our Merino Sock. It takes colours like nothing else and gets so soft and squooshy after it’s been knit and has gone for a nice bath. And it’s very versatile. Great for socks and accessories, but can also be doubled and used as a worsted weight (which I’m doing right now). It’s my goto yarn.
My favourite colourway changes from week to week. Colourwise, I really like Tardis and the Inara colourway (I Believe the Exact Phrase I Used Was “Don’t”) and Also I Can Kill You With My Brain. And My Boyfriend Had a Bicentennial. And Curse Your Sudden But Inevitable Betrayal. And… (see? Not so easy) Namewise, I really can’t ever get over Bright Lights, Big City, Busy Highway, Slow Unicorn. Makes me laugh out loud every single time.
I have too admit, I like Tardis too!
Other than being up to your elbows in dye how else do you spend your time?Knitting. Spinning. Teaching. Exploring the area we live in or taking day trips to explore new towns. Hanging with the Boy and the Dog. And working with a local gallery called the Art Hive (www.thearthive.com) here in Haliburton.
What’s one crazy thing about Indigodragonfly that we don’t know?
Isn’t my crazy pretty well sprawled out across the internet?
No? Well, we’re launching a kind of crazy new thing on November 1 on the website. We think you should watch for it. 😉
Just for the record, I have no idea what she’s talking about. Thanks for making wait too 🙂
whendidibecomeaknitter 