Meet the Maker: Island Yarn Adventures

Greetings, yarn lovers!

Today we’re featuring a new addition to the Darn Yarn family: Island Yarn Adventures! Operating out of Vancouver Island, BC, Island Yarn Adventures specializes in small-batch, hand-dyed yarn for the adventurous spirit. Their yarns are unique, vibrant, and utterly delightful.

Stacey, the proprietor and creative mind behind Island Yarn Adventures, is happiest when she’s outdoors in nature. She loves camping, fishing, and hiking, and now that she’s a new mom, she’s already passing her adventurous spirit on to her daughter.

Stacey grew up around knitting (both her grandmothers were knitters) but lost interest as she got older. Then about 9 years ago she moved into a new neighbourhood and made a wonderful fibre friend. They’d get together for snacks, wine, scary movies—and knitting.

I am so grateful for Tania extending her friendship ... Sadly she lost her battle with cancer a few months ago, but I'll always think if her when I'm stash diving or knitting or shopping yarn for a new project!

Now that she truly has the knitting bug, Stacey loves making sweaters for her little one. Baby sweaters knit up fast and have lots of room for experimentation. As Stacey points out, since “the recipient can't complain, the stakes are pretty low!”

Not surprisingly, given her love of the outdoors, Stacey draws inspiration from nature.

My happy place is the forest, and where I live, we are completely surrounded by huge areas of trees. We are also right by the ocean as well, which is my other happy place! When I am feeling low just getting into the fresh air is a huge boost, so I take a lot of inspiration from that.

She loves anything bright or rainbow coloured (not a surprise if you look at her colourways!). She also loves fantasy novels and draws inspiration from the books she reads. Anything is fair game!

Stacey loves the playful, experimental nature of hand-dyeing yarn. There’s always something new to try, and “mistakes” are just learning opportunities in disguise.

I love to experiment with colours and, let's be honest, they don't always work out the first time! I always learn something though, and that generally leads to some pretty cool outcomes down the road! 

Fibre arts have opened up a whole world of possibility, one she can’t wait to explore even further.  She wants to learn to spin when her daughter’s a bit older, but in the meantime, “There is always a new skill or stitch or fibre to play with, it keeps it interesting!”

Knitting something for someone is one way Stacey shows her people that she cares. Watching someone use and enjoy her creations fills her with joy.

I hope they feel the love I put into it! I'm not always the most outwardly expressive person, so it's kind of my way of saying all the lovey things.

The next challenge for Stacey is twofold:

1. Find a larger space where she can dye more yarn
2. Get more comfortable with promoting herself online. “I can be shy and putting myself out there on social media is a new feeling.” Why not pop over to her Instagram feed, give her a follow, and say hello?

 We’re so happy to welcome Stacey and Island Yarn Adventures to the Darn Yarn family and we can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!