Hand Spun, Hand Dyed, Hand Made

Susan Crawford talks to Indie spinner and dyer Babylonglegs
about her life and her passion for colour!

When did you first begin to spin and dye
and what was it that got you started?

When my little ones were small, we used reusable cloth nappies. Both of them had sensitive skin, and I found that woolen nappy covers or "soakers" worked very well for us. They were (and are still) quite expensive to buy, so I knitted my own, using a free pattern and yarn I bought on the internet, then I progressed to writing my own pattern and dyeing my own yarn using food grade dyes and my microwave! I have been knitting off and on since I was really little, so it was nice to go back to it. A few people who also used "woollies" saw my efforts, and asked if I would make them some, and that is how Babylonglegs started, as a little work at home business to fund my increasingly worrying yarn habit.

I knitted soakers, shorts and long trousers from my own pattern for about 3 years all in, but as both of my kids were now grown up and in school by then, I decided to stop knitting, and use the vast array of self taught dyeing knowledge I had accrued, to branch out into becoming a small independent Dyer. This meant stopping using food grade dyes, and using acid dyes, which was now safe for me to do, as there were no children at home anymore! I also switched from microwave dyeing, as it just took too long and I found it dried the wool out quite a lot.

So now, I use dyebaths on my cooker, and my oven to dye spinning fibres. I offer a wide variety of yarns, dyed in a variety of ways. Space dyed Aran weight yarn is my best seller, because as an ex-WoollyMama, I know how to dye it to minimize pooling. I also love doing custom dyeing. A lot of my customers who use reusable nappies on their children have them hand made in all kinds of lovely fabrics, so they send me swatches of material for me to dye the wool to match.

As for hand spinning, well, that was something I resisted for a long time - I finally gave in when I was gifted a home made spindle in 2007 and some white Corriedale top. I loved it, and had bought my first wheel, a Louet S10, "Louie", within a week of starting! I felt like I had come home, it was like my hands and feet and brain, for once, were completely in sync with each other. I now own a beautiful hand-made wheel, called Robin. She's made from California Cherry, with beautiful Art Deco sunbursts on the treadles and HUGE 200g capacity bobbins. I specialise in true 3 ply yarns, and I like to experiment with combining colours and fibres together, and making self striping yarns.

What are your inspirations / what do you think about when you decide on the colour palette for a yarn?

The most important thing for me to do when I get a new base yarn is to play with it first, to see how it "takes" colours. Merino for example, doesn't shine so much, but it takes the dye really intensely, whereas something like Bluefaced Leicester and yarns with protein fibres in them have a lustre/shine and take dye in a different way. The way light plays on the yarn is important to know when you are putting colours together, as this will ultimately affect the look of the finished garment.

I am inspired by all sorts of things, but wildlife and floral photography is something I like to look at when I am searching for something uniquely "me". I also get excited when I mix a new colour by "accident" and then constantly try to combine it with other colours to see where it wants to be. If I can repeat it, it stays.

Could you give us an idea of how long the process would take to dye a batch of yarn and prepare it for sale?

How long is a piece of string? Or should I say yarn! It completely depends on the process. Space dyeing takes the longest, as it involves re-skeining when it is dry. The fastest, for me, is kettle dyeing, and it is also the most satisfying because it's so unpredictable.

What is it about hand dyed yarns do you think, that people like so much?

The uniqueness of them, the fact that they might be holding the only skein of that particular dye lot and it will never be repeated. Then there's the personal customer service you get with the majority of Indie dyers. I think customers like to know the artist behind it all. This is one of the reasons I love Ravelry so much, as you get to know your customers so well through the various forums there.

What are your favorite colours?

I love them all! But on a personal level, purple and greens really call to me.

Which yarns do you enjoy working with the most?

Aran weight is my favourite to dye, especially when it is a custom job. But I like them all really, but I occasionally fall out with sock yarn if it needs re-skeining! They each have their own unique personalities. When it comes to my own knitting, I love working with handspun. It is such a different experience, as it has a life of its own!

If you could only have one skein of your yarn which would it be?

It would have to be a skein of my handspun. They are all unique, and completely special, my own personal works of art.

Do you get any time to knit? and if so what do you like knitting the most?

Yes, I do get a little time to knit, but I don't have a lot of patience for big projects. After knitting garments for other people for so long, I seem to have contracted an attention deficit disorder for anything that takes longer than 3 hours to do. I am always drawn to the hat patterns of Woolly Wormhead, they are so expressive and very easy to follow, and you can never have too many hats! I always have a pair of socks on the go as well, for taking to Knit Club and on train/bus/car journeys.

How have you found the process of setting up your own small business from home? and what advice have you for anyone considering doing the same?

I have quite deliberately built up Babylonglegs very slowly, because I know what I am like. If I am not constantly challenged with new things, I get bored! Doing it slowly has also allowed me to get to know my fellow yarnies and share experiences with them, sample lots of different yarns to see what I think will work for me and my customers, and being able to learn "on the job" so to speak. I am now in the fortunate position of being able to take Babylonglegs to a new level, because I have done it all slowly. The only advice I would give to anyone considering selling hand-dyed yarns is to find an angle and make it your own, give your customers something that only you can provide.

How has Folksy worked for you?

Folksy is great. There are a lot of great sellers on there, and hopefully if they keep working at it, it could become a UK version of etsy. I'd love to have my own all singing and all dancing website someday, but they cost money, and take time to set up. I'd rather be playing!

What do you love most about your 'job'?

The fact that I can spend half the day at work in my pajamas!

What are your plans for 2010?

Well, my studio is in the final stages of being operational, so I am going to be able to take on a lot more work, like trade orders, which I am really looking forward to. It will mean I can reach more people in the real world, instead of being a solely internet based seller. Knitters and Crocheters like to feel yarn up close and personal, and it's impossible for me to offer people this experience through a computer.

I am doing a couple of Spinning workshops in May, at an event called Fibre Craft Away in Wales, with Daniela Kloppman of FeltStudioUk . We're teaching a beginner spinner's class called "Spinning 101" together and I am leading a workshop on yarn design. This will cover everything from choosing a project to spin for, actually designing the yarn to make it, and I'll also teach the basics of achieving a self striping yarn.

I am also planning on having a stand at KnitNation in London which I am really excited about.

And finally, tell us a little about yourself and your life outside of running your business.

Well, my life outside Babylonglegs involves a lot of Football. My husband coaches at weekends at the local Football club, specifically the 4-6 year olds and he also has two teams at Under 7 level. My youngest son plays at U7 level, and my eldest plays at U11 level, and just recently I have started helping his team out.

I love listening to Rock music, and always have it on when I am working, as it helps to keep me motivated. My husband plays in a band, as the drummer, so I try to see them as much as I can when they play gigs.

I treasure my family life and my boys come first in everything. I couldn't be who I am with out them all there supporting me from the sidelines. Running such a labour intensive business from home and also keeping up with all the housework is always a challenge, but I manage it most days! I plan on keeping Babylonglegs small enough so I can be a successful Mother and Significant Other as well as Fibre Artiste!

Babylonglegs yarns are available from her folksy shop and since taking part in the interview Babylonglegs has also signed up for a stand at Make, Do and Knit on 27th and 28th March where you will get the chance to see her beautiful yarns in the flesh.

We have used Babylonglegs SW Merino DK in Rusty Cage semi-solid for Evangeline in this issue, with a combination of vertical and horizontal constructions it really shows off Babylonglegs dyeing talents.

Babylonglegs can be seen wearing Medici by Woolly Wormhead available in Twisted Woolly Toppers.

All images courtesy Babylonglegs except Evangeline courtesy Susan Crawford