All right, so I am officially focusing my product in.  Right now I am working on emptying out my Etsy Store of the current contents, and I will produce no more random colorways that aren't custom orders unless I am sufficiently stocked up on my other stuff :)

 

The new line will be named Helena's Garden, and will consist of 15 handpainted colorways for Spring/Summer '09, from the stylized, fresh colors of a garden patch with vegetables, herbs, and berries.

 

These colorways will be available, stock, in five yarns and three rovings, but can be custom ordered for any protein fiber.  My aim is to build up to full shop stock of each color in each fiber, but that will take some time.  Still, this is definitely a line I have wanted to do for awhile and I don't see much of a need to wait on it.

 

Here's a tentative list of the five yarns that will be available, with website details (and pictures) finalized by mid-March, with any luck:

 

1. Bulky Single - 85/15 Wool/Mohair (yarn name: Arnica)

2. Worsted weight - 100% Merino (yarn name: Fireweed)

3. Sport weight - 100% Merino (yarn name: Lupine) 

4. Sock Weight - 75/25 Merino/Nylon (yarn name: Larkspur)

5.  Lace weight -  100% Merino (yarn name: Spiraea) 

 

 

And the basic Rovings:

 

1.  Bluefaced Leicester (fiber name:  Yukon)

2.  Merino Top (fiber name: Kuskokwim)

3.  Wensleydale (fiber name: Tanana)

 

 

I think that is a solid basic range, it has something for just about every common application and should give people plenty of options within a colorway.  Eight different fiber/yarn options plus fifteen colorways?  I would think that 120 standard choices would be more than enough for just about anyone, and since they'd be available on ANY fiber or yarn with just a slightly higher custom charge... well, it's pretty ambitious, but very doable as long as I build up slowly. Though I plan on installing a selectable color wheel/palette in the near future, so my custom orders can more easily convey which shades they desire, for the time being I think I'll stick with the good old wiki list for describing shade names, as much as possible.  It's a common point of reference that makes understanding the colorways a bit easier.

 

 

The tentative colorways are as follows:

 

1. Heirloom Carrot: Cream, Maize, Orange Peel dominant. Pumpkin, Cordovan accent.

 

2. Heritage Tomato:   Persimmon, Venetian Red, Burnt Orange dominant.  Olive accent.

 

3. Redleaf Lettuce: Forest Green, Kelly Green dominant.  Army Green, Falu Red accent.

 

4. Aubergine:  Eggplant, Maroon dominant. Purple, Fern Green accent.

 

5. Chive Blossom: Forest Green, Tea Green dominant. Heliotrope, Fuchsia accent.

 

6. Crisp Celery: Pale Forest Green dominant.  Tea Green, Kelly Green accent.

 

7. Potato Harvest: Raw Umber, Brown dominant. Eggplant, Amaranth accent.

 

8. Cherry Belle Radish:  Burgundy, Crimson dominant. Cream, Yellow Green accent.

 

9. Harvest Squash: Golden Yellow, Amber, Pumpkin dominant. Olive, Rust accent.

 

10. Rhubarb:  Burgundy, Carnelian dominant. Kelly Green accent.

 

11. Collard Greens (colorway formerly known as Grass Stain):  Forest Green, Kelly Green dominant. Olive Drab accent.

 

12. Blueberry: Indigo, Amethyst dominant.  Purple accent.

 

13. Salmonberry: Amber, Amaranth dominant.  Crimson accent.

 

14.  Boysenberry: Carmine, Red Violet Dominant.  Cool Brown accent.

 

15. Arctic Raspberry: Ruby, Cardinal dominant.  Red Violet accent.

 

 

 

 

This is tentative, and the online color references are definitely approximations, as I will tune each shade with a common undertone so they relate to one another more, visually.  These are meant to be interesting, but harmonious overall... and that comes from the visual balance of the proportions of color, more than the colors, themselves. I am excited to get these swatches up and show them off, but it will be a slow process.

 

This is a very warm line, overall... though the color references may not reflect it, not a single one of these colorways truly falls on the cool side of the spectrum. Helena's Garden was truly meant to be red/green, with yellows, browns, and purples as accents. The range is crisp and deeply pigmented but still earthy... so there will be a lot of interplay with complimentaries to mute each shade.

 

 

This is just a rough estimation to build off of, and I am fully expecting to yank one or two of these colorways and exchange something that rounds the range out a bit better, and maybe dress up the names a bit to sate my creative bent, but the overall theme will remain fairly strong.  I do have a cooler, more whimsical line in mind but I won't release it until at least August, unless something changes.  So blues will have to be a custom request for the time being!

 

 

 

 

As for what I am doing right now - I just got in three orders to fill and am sending a custom order out the door tomorrow morning.  And yes, I really should get to bed sometime soon, as well!