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About Me
Hi! I'm Naomi, the face, hands and pun-filled brain behind Skeinhawk Yarns, a one-woman indie dyer brand that's all about combining colour with fun, wit and a big ol' scoop of nerdery
every hero needs an origin story
That's me over there in the spiffy scarf, blending in with the lemurs.
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I’ve been a bookworm and collector of fandoms my whole life - my Red Dwarf tshirt collection circa 1998 was something to behold - and crafting has always gone hand in hand with this. Let’s just say my ADHD diagnosis at 40 explained a lot. Hello hyperfocus!
When an obsession for hand knitting socks grew through the pandemic lockdown, I began exploring the world of yarn in earnest. And if I’m honest, I found commercial yarn a bit…meh. I believe the joy of crafting begins with sourcing the materials, and my creative spark remains unlit by shades named “Red 0345” or “Taupe 97”. I wanted to knit with yarn inspired by the things I loved - books, movies, silliness and wordplay; imbuing each stitch with a secret whimsy.
Turns out, so do a lot of other people. So I set out to dye my own.
some time later....
I dye in my home in a rural corner of Kent in England, snatching weekends and evenings around my day job to perform alchemy on tiny batches of 4 or 5 hanks at a time. I use a variety of dyeing techniques but specialise in ‘low immersion dyeing’, which is a fancy way of saying that I layer colours over wet yarn so they merge and play together, creating unique variegated effects. I may not have a massive catalogue, but each finished skein has had my personal attention and seal of approval, making it one-of-a-kind. Just like you.
Due to a chronic tendency to overcommit, I've resisted yarn shows, but if you're local you might see me at the occasional pop up. As well as online, I’ve had guest dyer spots at my local yarn store (The Yarn Dispensary in Faversham), and been commissioned to create bespoke colourways as gifts and even for a corporate knitting group! The popularity of my 2023 collaboration with Suzanne Ellsmore Designs for her Discworld-themed ‘Hogswatch Cowl Knitalong’, took us both by surprise when it was championed by the official Josh Kirby social media accounts. Some late nights were pulled working on that one!
the serious stuff - sustainability & welfare
I was raised on the family sheep farm in the Romney Marsh area of Kent, so you could say wool is in my blood (and hair. And mouth, often). Farming and animal welfare is important to me, and I only source my yarns from suppliers who I know commit to high standards of care for their sheep. All of my merino and merino blends are non-mulesed.
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All of my yarns are dyed using professional-grade acid dyes and food-grade citric acid as a fixative, ensuring that they're safe for both you and the environment. The very small scale of my dyeing setup means that even that water is recycled - much to the enjoyment of my parched Kent garden!
some not so serious stuff
I am child-free but I do have one terrible cat called Doug, objectively The Worst Cat In The World but also my best little guy. He is not allowed near the yarn.
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I am an introverted show off with a degree in Drama and have directed nearly 20 non-professional plays and been in around the same number, before I left London and discovered knitting.
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Many years ago I sewed handbags and accessories out of geeky fabrics under my alter-ego, Lemur Lady's Awesome Emporium. If you have been on the craft internet since the Old Days you may have come across me!
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