Meet the Maker: Les Laines Coco

Constance, the dyer behind Les Laines Coco Yarns, learned to knit from her mother when she was 8 years old, but didn’t really love it until she was about 20. Then, when she moved to rural Alberta for work in 2013, she found herself in the middle of what could only be called a yarn desert. There was no quality yarn to be had…so she decided to dye her own.

I lived in a secluded area in Northern Alberta with very little access to yarn (in stores or online, as most companies wouldn’t deliver in “isolated” areas), so I decided to make my own colors. I had a few acquaintances who were avid knitters that became interested in what I was creating and that’s how it started.

She ordered a few undyed skeins, started dyeing, and hasn’t stopped since.

I started with a few skeins of plain wool and worked my way to nicer and more delicate fibres, like yak and angora. 

Constance takes inspiration from the seasons. “Soft colors for the Spring, bright colors for the Summer, earth tones for the Fall, and dirty/greyish colors for the Winter.” She prefers darker tones herself, but she’s not afraid to dye colourways she doesn’t like personally if it means her palette will have a wider variety.

Constance’s favourite thing about her work is sharing her passion for fibre arts and connecting with people in the community.

I’m an introvert, and to me socializing has always been a stressful experience, but it never is when it’s done around fibers and knitting. It’s the one subject where I never run out of things to say!

Now based out of La Baie in Saguenay, Quebec, her current focus is on maintaining her business and daily routines while expecting her second child in September. With a busy 16-month-old at home already, she’s planning to take it one day at a time!

We’re thrilled to have Constance’s beautiful yarns on our site, and we can’t wait to see where she goes from here!