Meet the Maker: MayBea Crafted

This month's featured October trunk show is a real TREAT! We had the pleasure of getting to know MayBea Crafted at Glen Ellyn's Festival of the Arts a few years ago, and haven't been able to get Tanya's yarn out of our minds ever since! Tanya's new base Sheepish is especially luscious!

Get to know Maybea Crafted's story below and be sure to shop the trunk show in store and online until October 26. Perfect timing for casting on a fall sweater!

How did you get into dyeing? Tell us your story, and where you're located!

I started Welcome Home with a friend who was a dyer.  We thought that a locally sourced wool made good sense and we loved the idea of supporting small businesses to create a special yarn. Initially my part was only pattern support and cheerleading, but once she stepped away I became the shepherd of the whole project. 

What is your favorite part of the process?

I love the connections we have made. The mill works with us to create a unique farm to needle yarn, but then each dyer has a small part in the process and don't see the whole spectrum until everything is gathered together again. 

I also love thinking about how to best use the wool we get each spring in creative ways--our dusk and sheepish bases were created to make the best use of the silver and black wool we receive that wouldn't take color well on their own. 

Where do you get your inspiration for colors?

I've tried to create a full rainbow palette, knowing that not everyone likes the same things. Customers at festivals often share the colors they wish we had, and when I can be, I'm responsive. 

There's also a lot of trust I put in the women who dye the yarn. It is an art, not a science, although their knowledge of how the chemical processes work does make a difference! I consult with them and try to consider what they do best and incorporate that too. 

How do you come up with names for the colors?

I do well with a theme. Naming items is hard for me, and once I realized i did better with a theme for my patterns (all named after Michigan locations) we stuck with the theme and named the colors after Michigan memories. The lightest pink is our newest color and we call it Tulip Time after the tulip festival held in Holland, Michigan each spring. Jeanna's family loves rock hunting on the Great Lakes beaches--and beach glass is a special treat to find, so our softest green is named for that treasure. 

Which color best reflects your personality and why?

I cannot pick. Most of my sweaters use all or many of the colors because of how much I love the way they work together. So given that, maybe Pure Michigan? Our creamy white, undyed base that my friends turn into masterpieces when they dye it and I can be creative with what I make. 

Tell us about a WIP or a project in your queue that you're really excited about! Which of your yarns would you recommend for this (or these) project(s)?

I'm always on the lookout for sweaters and have had pieces for a Gartrell Crew waiting to be sewn together for awhile, but life has been busy. I'm planning a Gartrell cardigan in a gradient set using some of the different bases and am eager for some planning time to make that a reality. 

Of what you are sending us, what are your favorite colors or color combinations?

I lean toward cool colors for myself--and love how the sheepish can connect colors I played with laying a few of those together and fell in love. The "Can We Just Call it Purple" and Loosestrife with both colors on sheepish are gorgeous. 

What is your best knitting or crocheting tip?

Practice your craft every day, and don't be afraid to make and learn to fix your mistakes. 

What are two interesting things about you that aren’t fiber related?

I'm an only grandchild on my father's side, and am the terminal branch in that part of our family tree. My paternal grandmother (Bea) would be blown away by how her inspiration to make things and share them with others has guided my path. I'm also one of many teachers in my family. My maternal grandmother (May) was proud that all six of her children raised in Avery remote part of the upper peninsula achieved college degrees. But many of her children and all on my dad's side became teachers. I tell people that explaining things is my super power. 

If you didn’t dye yarn, what would be your dream job?

Teaching. It's my full time gig, and even though I'm able to retire? I plan to keep working as a special education teacher because I enjoy what I do at our career and technical center and feel like I am making a positive difference in the world. I'm currently working on an Education Specialist degree (sort of like a doctorate for teachers) and think maybe when that's complete at the end of the summer I may move into more of an administrative job--but for now I like being a support for students. 

What is the best advice you've ever received?

The race is not always to the swift, but to those who keep on running. It's a biblical reference, but was part of a scholarship I earned as a student athlete, and then awarded to girls I coached years later. My path has not always been the most direct path to getting things done, but I have learned that everything will be okay in the end...if we just keep pushing forward and looking for the happy ending. 

Share with us one great thing you're either listening to or watching right now (audiobook/podcast/show/etc) - we love recommendations for what to check out while we're knitting!

I just finished "We Can Live like This: A Memoir of Culture" by Lisa Vogel. I attended her festival for 15 years and the values about living and working in community I learned there shaped who I have become. When you entered the festival, you were greated with, "Welcome Home" and the shepherd and initial partner for our yarn were both festival attendees. 

I've just started listening to Michelle Obama's new book "The Light We Carry" and although I'm not that far into it, appreciate hearing her steady voice sharing her wisdom. She's a knitter and uses knitting as a metaphor in the first section.

To see how the yarn is processed sheep to skein,

watch this video we made with Tanya.