Etsy Pick of the Week :: Magnolia Handspun

This week, I give you a lovely little Etsy shop that sells beautifully colored homespun yarn with yummylicious names. I'd like to feature art materials as opposed to finished creations for once. And it is amazing how even a material used to make other creations, can be a form of art in itself!



The lovely lady Camilla is the brainchild and talent behind the Etsy shop Magnolia Handspun, where she sells yarn she spins and dyes by hand. She has graciously helped me out with a short interview. So without further ado, here is a little more about this amazing woman and her works of art.

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1. How did you first learn to spin and dye your own yarns?

I learned to spin by borrowing books at the library. I bought a drop spindle and practised and practiced... this was a few years ago. I wanted to spin more yarn and finally decided to buy a spinning wheel. I met a woman who selling her used one - she wanted to buy her husband a new saddle for his horse and decided that she would sell her wheel she rarely used...and so that was how I got started.

I joined a local spinning guild where women of all ages guided and taught me. At that time, I was pregnant with my 4th child and had to haul that spinning wheel through snow drifts every other Wenesday morning to the spinning guild- but I was very determined.

I grew up in Scandinavia and spent my summers with my grandparents in Sweden in the country. I learned to use natural dyes such as birch leaves, blueberries , cabbage, just to name a few. My grandfather always encouraged me and taught me about native plants that grew in the area that could be used for dyeing.



Via Madeline Bea

2. Many people have bought and used your yarn in their creations. Do you use your own yarn too and do you have a special creation to share?

Yes, I use my own yarn... but you know how the saying goes " A potter eats off a broken bowl"
I just don't seem to find the time. When I spin yarn, I wonder sometimes who that skein will go to...where it will go to...Australia, Spain or Ohio- and what will become of it.
I do knit knit hats, cowls and fingerless mitts that I sell at a local boutique in town.



Via Earthern Purl

3. One of the reasons your yarn caught my eye was the amazing colors you put together. What is the inspiration behind the different color palettes?

I studied art many years in college and also went to interior design school. Color is my bff.
I love color. I find inspiration in nature, fabrics, food, inside a sea shell......the possibilties are endless.

My color palettes just happen- they are what I feel at the moment.



Bella Bella

4. I understand you have just started your Etsy shop not too long ago. Do you have any words of encouragement for new Etsy sellers, especially those who sell their own works of art?

I am relativly new here - not even a year...
I guess I would say, be kind, be kind, be kind.

Nobody wants to buy from a snorky person.

Use your manners and say thank you- appreciate your customers and they will appreciate you. Make it effortless to buy from your shop the easier the transaction the more buyers will come. Back up your product- be true to your art and your heart.

Don't give up.


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Camilla has also shared with us a knitting pattern that was created exclusively for her yarn. The Aspen Ice Lace Cowl was created to fully showcase the colors and texture of the yarn. If you are a knitter, you might want to get a skein and have a go at it! If you do, please share images of your final project!