SEASIDE DELIGHTS
We meet Suzi Ashworth of Folkestone Harbour Yarn
SUZI ASHWORTH runs Folkestone Harbour Yarn, an Etsy shop where she sells her hand-dyed yarns, including her naturally dyed ranges. We chatted with Suzi about her hand-dyeing adventures and her love of colour.
When did you first try dyeing yarn?
“It was about 10 years ago, when I took up knitting again. I couldn’t find the yarn I wanted in the shops. I’d been taught various dye techniques at art college, but never on hanks of yarn, so it was a steep learning curve.”
Can you remember the first colourway you ever created?
“It was a citrussy themed skein, mostly yellow with splashes of green and orange. I hadn’t learned much about subtlety, layering or blending then, so it was fairly primary coloured!”
What fibres do you like to work with?
“Wool, mostly merino as it takes the dyes beautifully. I sometimes use blends with a touch of cashmere, or nylon for socks, or cotton and acrylic tweedy slubs. I also dye small batches of cotton or linen yarns during the summer, but I’m really interested in different sheep breeds, so I source British heritage breeds such as Romney, Bluefaced Leicester, Cheviot and Southdown, amongst others.”
What dyeing processes do you use?
“I have two ranges with totally different dye processes. For the standard Folkestone Harbour Yarn range I use ‘normal’ yet high-quality acid dyes which I blend, splatter, squirt, dip, sprinkle and immerse, according to the effect I am trying to create.
“For the Natural Dyes range there are a plethora of techniques according to the needs of the plant source matter and the colour you are trying to extract from it. Some dyes such as madder (reds) can’t be raised above a certain temperature, some need an alkaline bath and slow de-oxygenation (indigo), some need soaking for weeks before good colour can be extracted (mostly woody sources), some need the addition of copper or iron colour modifiers (which I make myself rather than buying powdered chemicals) to get a certain tone. And that is just for wool fibres!”
What’s your favourite colourway from your current range?
“Ooh, that’s a really hard question! Generally speaking, the most recently created is the one I am happiest with. I have just created the darkest natural dye indigo blues and teals possible for an embroiderer’s commission, and will be adding those to my range soon. I felt quite happy with myself for pushing what I thought was possible for me to achieve with natural dyes.”
What other products do you sell?
“I have a range of knitting notions based on my cats Herman and Bella, so you can buy needle gauges with matching stitch markers. I have recently added other designs to the range such as flowers, lambs, and a tea-drinking theme. I hand draw the designs before scanning and tidying them up, then my neighbour
(I live in a creative quarter) laser cuts them before handing them back to me for tidying and finishing. I sometimes stock project bags which I make from vintage fabrics, and I also sell beaded bamboo knitting needles which are made for me by another small southcoast business, Funky Needles.”
What are the highlights and challenges involved in running an indie dye business?
“The highlight, by far, is that I am the boss. I’d had several exhausting and unfulfilling jobs working for people whose priorities were different from mine, and I felt that I couldn’t go on plugging away at other people’s dreams. So now I’m happy to work all hours because I’m in charge and I have no boss (apart from Bella cat, who will yowl when she thinks it’s time for me to stop working). The main challenge is staying focused and motivated to keep this thing going all on my own. So self-employment is a double-edged sword.”
Where do you find inspiration for your work?
“I live in a really inspiring part of the world, Folkestone, which is equal parts majestic seascapes, white cliffs and rolling hills, and a rough-round-theedges former industrial shipping port, so there’s lots to get ideas from. I’m currently working on the contrast between the ever-changing sea colours and the industrial fishing boats which come in to the harbour daily. Nature versus man, with a seaside twist.”
What has been your proudest achievement?
“There have been a lot of ‘firsts’, where I was nervous to do things outside of my comfort zone, but I took the leap. For example, I started having stalls at yarn festivals instead of just attending local craft fairs in 2019, just before the pandemic hit and closed everything down. So I’m proud that I have been brave enough to take some leaps of faith in myself!
“And I’m really proud of the garden in which I grow many of the natural dye plants that I use. At first, it was just me working on a little plot of land, but during the first lockdown myself and a group of local artists joined forces with the landlord (Creative Folkestone) and turned it into a Community Garden, so that all the other flat dwellers in our town centre area could enjoy the space too. We even have a little free library and a tiny art gallery in the space, which I curate. Payers Pocket Community Garden is on Instagram as @PPCGFolkestone.”
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given by another dyer or member of the knitting community?
“‘No one can do it like you can - just follow your own style.’ A few years ago
I was really stressed about the possibility of there being similarities between my colourways and other indie dyers’ work, and it felt really disheartening. But this person pointed out that everything I do is unique to me, and I should keep going and keep pushing the boundaries of what I was capable of producing. We’re all using the same basic materials - wool and dye - so it was inevitable that at some point there would be some resemblance, however unintentional. It was an excellent piece of advice given at just the right time, and helped me put things into perspective and move forward.”
Do you have any plans for 2021 that you can share with us?
“I’m working towards having some interesting kits and colourways inspired by local landscapes and landmarks ready in time for this summer. Folkestone hosts an Art Triennial every three years (now four, because of the pandemic!), and so the town is always buzzing with people, and I’d like to showcase what I can do. At the moment I’m working on colours inspired by the fishing boats and their kit down at the harbour. There’s something rather wonderful about deep-water blues and sandy-mud colours contrasted with the almost neon colours that the floats and buoys come in.
“I mentioned curating a mini (but very real) art gallery earlier, and I’m finally giving myself a space to show some of my illustrations this year. I’ll have a show of small illustrations in The Pocket Gallery and Herman Memorial Little Free Library from 21 June to 11 July 2021.”
Are you a knitter or crocheter yourself, and if so, what do you like to make?
“I do both, and I’m always working on patterns and kits which use my own yarns. But these take a while, and need reworking and testing to ensure they are good enough to ask someone to part with their money for them!
“I knit a lot of socks for myself, also jumpers and cardigans, and sometimes blankets too; mostly other people’s patterns. I like Kaffe Fassett, Kate Davies, Tanis Lavalee, and Verity Castledine’s
Sock Drawer books. And I’m a huge Noro fan. I have also picked up weaving again this winter. I hadn’t done it since leaving art college, so I’m a bit rusty and will need a lot of practice before anything will be good enough to show in public. But the cat is certainly enjoying the ever-growing mountain of cat-blanketsized samples!”