Welcome to a new feature on the Spin A Yarn blog, where we'll be asking some of our favourite designers and yarn suppliers all sorts of questions.It's fairly apt that we kick this feature off by interviewing Marni at Touch Yarns, whose beautiful skeins of yarn, spotted by Joyce while on holiday in New Zealand, inspired her to open the shop in Bovey Tracey in 2006.
Touch Yarns are a family business, based in Central Otago, New Zealand. Spin A Yarn customers will know them for the boucle and brushed mohair/merino skeins of yarn which are so popular for shawls, wraps and blankets.
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| Skeins hanging in Spin A Yarn |
Q: When did you start manufacturing yarn?
A: In 1991
Q: What inspired you to start your business?
A: I come from a farming background and for over 20 years had a specialised flock of natural Coloured merino, halfbred sheep and 250 mohair goats. An avid spinner and weaver, I made garments for my family, finding that the fine yarns did not have the prickle factor of some of the coarser yarns on the market. So began the quest to produce soft, fine yarns.
Q: Your 12 ply brushed and boucle skeins are some of the most popular yarns in our shop – our customers love the range of colours. But what is your personal favourite yarn from all the yarns you manufacture?
A: I love them all of course but my current fave is a new shade brushed 748. It is designed by my son Glenn who now does the bulk of our dyeing and colour range development.
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| Vibrant autumn colours |
Q: What are the inspirations behind the gorgeous shades of your handpainted yarns?
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| Hand painted merino and silk 2 ply |
Q: What do you find the most challenging aspect of the business?
A: Learning to ‘drive ‘ my smartphone, ipad etc! Luckily my grandchildren Sam & Hannah can be called upon to help- such is the world we live in.
Q: And which aspect do you most enjoy and find most rewarding?
A: There are so many things to love about what I do. I love creating. Nutting out fibre combinations, colourways, and designing patterns that I know people will use to create wonderful pieces for the people in their lives they love. I love that we produce a world class product and our customers get so much enjoyment from it. And it is very rewarding that our yarns are finding their way to every part of the globe- it’s wonderfully exciting.
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| Touch Yarns Showroom |
Q: We know and love your alpaca, merino and possum yarns here at Spin A Yarn – will you be venturing into any other exotic fibres?
A: Our latest fibre combination is our Possum Silk Merino 2ply. It is a worsted yarn and has divine handling.
We took this to Vogue Knitting Live in New York earlier this year and the response there was amazing.
Happy Knitting! Marni
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