- Hi, Lise! So nice to have this chat with you! Let us know a bit more about you, will you?
I always wanted to be either a vet or a painter, but ended up being an Optometrist. I also passed the Beaux Arts entrance exam, but never enrolled because I never saw painting as a profession.
Three years ago, after talking and trying to learn how to sew with a friend, we decided to ask her mother to teach us how to knit instead. Every week, we would meet for tea and check on our progress; I confess she was making the most amazing cakes also! Two months later, I had a head injury and for a long time I was not able to focus on knitting, so I was mostly reading and surfing the internet. And then… Serendipity! I bumped on a blog about yarn dyeing … and BOOM! I had to try it! After some research and purchases on the internet, I was dyeing like crazy, and experimenting with several techniques. A few weeks later, I found out that you can spin wool, with a spindle or a wheel… and BOOM! I had to try it! I went to the center of Athens (Greece) and started questioning about spinning, spindles, wheels, nothing was to be found…and as a newbie I did not really know where to ask for more help! So I purchased a drop-spindle and some wool via the internet and I loved it. But it was going very slowly for me, so 2 months after that, I had saved the amount of money I needed and purchased my first spinning wheel: a Kromski Fantasia. We immediately connected and I was able to spin my heart out. So it took me 7 months to go from knitting, to dyeing and spinning, which are my passion and excitement. The combination of color and texture is very inspiring to me, and my scientific side is kindled by the chemistry and structure of things, even though I am not the “measuring” kind of dyer.
Lise is wearing the cowl designed by Denae Merill. Pre-orders are open for a short time only! - Why are you spinning and dyeing the yarn? What is your craft routine?
There is no why… I just must. My motto is “Color is Power, Fiber is my Weapon”, and it completly describes how I feel about color and fiber. My heart skips a beat when I lay my eyes in colorways that speak to me, and each fiber takes up the dye differently and that adds even more to the beauty of it. You might have the same colorway in different yarn bases and the look might be quite different!
I do not have a particular routine as I dye whenever I find the time, as I also have a full-time day job. The magic usually happens after midnight ( lol ) - Your hashtag is #colorispower! Where does your color inspiration come from?
From everywhere. LITERALLY. Nature, books, music, memories, art… - What makes your work stand out in a crowd?
I think my love for variegated yarn shows immediately, and so does my taste for rich and vibrant colors. - Why did you decide to launch a series of knitting kits ?
I was interested on making something unique, something that no one else has done. I was thinking for a long time on making knitting kits but realised that I would get bored to have the same design over and over again. In spring time,I had the idea of making different kits with different designers and create a space on my website where eventually different designers/styles/projects will meet and have a celebration of knitting (or crochet), of handmade, of unique. - Why have you chosen to work with these particular designers? I first contacted designers I had already had a kind of collaboration with and knew they were in the same wavelength with me. Others because I admired their work, and others by pure chance.
- What is your message to the yarn lovers of this world? A good diet is high in fiber and must be colorful, it means it is balanced with all you need! Color is Power and Fiber is Our Weapon!
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