Interview: Lorajean Kelley of Knitted Wit

Three skeins of rainbow, variegated yarn.
Three skeins of orange, blue, and teal variegated yarns with the Knitted Wit label.
Three skeins of green, variegated yarn.

What inspires your beautiful colorways?

Usually we start around a theme and plan a color line. For instance, we dye National Parks in the summer. We start the previous fall with images from the national parks we want to feature and use that as inspiration for the color. We have 16 park colors for this summer!

How/why did you choose the name "Knitted Wit"?

I started my business in 2007 and thought this was a clever name. I think I'm pretty funny, and I wanted to include some silliness in my day to day.

We'd love to learn more about "HerStory Yarn"; can you tell us more? What inspired you to begin this yarn collection?

We did HerStory informally in 2016 I think. And it was a response to women getting ran over and pushed out of spaces. I wanted to highlight women who don't have a movie made about this or haven't been romanticized into something they're not. Last year's theme was women in STEM. This year we're focusing on women in art. We picked 12 disciplines to focus on and a woman to highlight in each category. We have intentionally focused on black, indigenous, and women of color from the beginning and limit the number of white women we highlight. The stories folks have shared with us and the connection to the women we highlight have been incredible.

A pair of feet wearing knit socks made from a brown, variegated yarn.
A cake of green variegated yarn.

Are you a knitter, crocheter, or bistitchual? What do you most enjoy about stitching?

I am a knitter most of the time, and I enjoy crocheting granny stripes and squares. I prefer the term multi-craftual because there are so many crafts I enjoy! What I like about making and doing with my hands is that it helps me sort out my brain. The meditation of keeping my hands busy allows me to problem solve something I'm stuck on.

When you partner with a yarn shop to do a trunk show, what qualities do you look for?

I typically do trunk shows with shops that already stock Knitted Wit. Usually I look to see that the shop has a healthy online presence and is active within their community.

What do you most enjoy stitching? What do you love about your favorite projects?

I love knits that become comfort items. I have sweaters that feel like a hug, a cowl that I hide in, and other handmade items that bring memories with them.

Could you tell us a little bit about what inspired you to create your own yarn business?

When I started Knitted Wit, I was a new spinner. I was trying to buy fiber, but all the dyers sold out so quickly I was never able to get any. I figured I could dye a little for myself, sell some, and then keep buying more with the profits. ;) I think there has always been an entrepreneur in me, and this has been the best way to work it out. I love that I get to combine my business brain and crafty inclinations.

Four skeins of pastel, variegated yarn with sparkle strands woven through.
Variegated and speckled yarns hanging to dry.
A hand holding rings of mini-skeins in multiple colors.

If you were to suggest a yarn base for a beginning stitcher who has fallen in love with your yarn like we have, which base would you recommend? Why?

DK. I love this yarn base for so many things. It's a round, high twist, bouncy yarn. It's a dream to make into sweaters, house socks, hats, anything! DK takes color well, it's made sheep to skein in the USA, and my hands and needles love it.

What advice would you give to others wanting to follow their creative dreams?

Do it! We all have something unique to bring to the table. Whether it's color, fibers, or approaches, we all have our own way of making.

How does dyeing add happiness to your daily life?

Color! I love exploring colors - how they play together and what happens with they mix or stay side by side. I like exploring moods with colors and how moods shift with what I'm working on. I think there's a calmness found in sorting colors where I want them to be and where they tell me they want to be. ;)

You have a love for color that we admire! How do you record/note new colorway ideas? Can you tell us a little about how a new colorway comes to life?

We tend to gather pictures and then write out a dye plan/chart for them. It's typically between me and my two dyers. We'll do a test pan or three until we've made the adjustments we like and then add it to our notebook of dye sheets. 

Lorajean and Shannon smiling while wearing shawls.
Lorajean and Shannon laughing together.

What is the ShannaJean Show all about? What do you have in store for upcoming episodes? What has been your favorite episode so far?! 

Shannon Squire and I love to talk, a lot!! And we're both pretty much who we appear to be online. The ShannaJean Show is an opportunity to chat with folks and grow a community/conversation around whatever has grabbed our attention. I think my favorite episode tends to be whichever one we just filmed. :) We used to do Facebook Live before moving to Youtube Live, and those were a hoot too!

You frequently collaborate with Shannon Squire Designs to create amazing events and patterns such as Socks on Vacay. What do you love about collaborations such as these? How do y’all develop your ideas? 

I'm definitely a big believer in community over competition and hearing all the ideas and possibilities. I think so much inspiration can come from a conversation, and the more voices and outlooks on life that are in the conversation, the richer the project. Shannon and I have a lot of meetings and looooots of talking, but that's where the ideas get shaken out and grow into super fun projects.

DESIGNED WITH KNITTED WIT YARN

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INTERVIEWSJeananne Atthoweinterview, Yarn, Knitted Wit, indie dyer, maker, creative life, colorways, HandmadeComment