Meet Ross from The Wee Yarn Company – "Can't, I'm Swamped"

We had big hopes of exhibiting at Breidagen in the Netherlands – alas, it was not meant to be (hello bureaucracy!), which made us extra sad as we were hoping to meet the fabulous Ross of The Wee Yarn Company finally in person and see his stunning yarns, including our collaboration colourway for Breidagen!

Instead, I asked Ross a few questions about TWYC and how he came to dyeing yarn - and was blown away by the answers! And speaking of being blown away – how good is his collab colourway "Can't, I'm Swamped":

"Can't, I'm Swamped" will be available as a Mill Member exclusive on October 24, and, if we have any left, about two weeks after that to everyone. (And yes, you can absolutely still become a Mill Member if you want to get early access!)

Over to Ross:

I'd love to start at the beginning of The Wee Yarn Company! Can you tell us a little more about how TWYC came to be and what brought you to dyeing yarn?

Well The Wee Yarn Company was a very fitting moniker at the beginning as I started, and for 2 years worked from my 3x2m garden shed. Originally I moved to the Netherlands on a scholarship to study my masters in Theology, but my very progressive queer theology and more conservative university I ended up at weren't the best bedfellows. I had a few jobs here and sadly ended up with some terrible bosses (part of the reason I'm very vocal about workers rights) and eventually thought 'why not be my own terrible boss?'.

I'd learned to knit as a kid from my mum and gran, but while studying had picked it up again as a way to destress - tale as old as time - and through that kind of fell in love with hand-dyed yarns in particular. Originally my ambition and plan was to open a LYS but I didn't quite have the funds to make that a possibility, so I got some hot plates and some pigments and started playing around really.

I was never a creative person: I'm crap at art, I can't sing, I can't draw to save myself and was always more academically minded rather than creative. However, dyeing yarn really gave me that creative outlet and a real way to play with colour in a very tactile manner. Now it's been 3 years and I've been incredibly lucky, I now have a 100m2 studio, I'm able to have custom bases milled, I sell yarn all around the world which still blows my mind.

Left: Ross' first studio (plus dog!) | Right: Ross' current studio

You have a gorgeous selection of bases! One of the things that I found fascinating when looking through them is their variety – you carry both woolly, natural blends (some spun by us, yay!) as well as superwash yarns. How do you select your bases and which one(s) are currently your favourites?

I love how varied your colourways are – and at the same time, there's a really wonderful cohesive feel to your yarns. Plus: You dye both bright neons and nuanced, layered tones really well! Would you share a little about how you develop colours and your dyeing process?

My dyeing process is mostly just playing around! I always tell people that dyeing yarn is a bit like when you used to play in the bath as a kid with all the shampoo bottles and make potions. I think some dyers have a really scientific and methodical approach, I'm kind of the opposite and mostly just random chaos and play. That being said, I'm always very careful to write down all my recipes and take the ability to repeat colourways quite seriously.

For Breidagen, you've created a stunning tealy-blue-green colourway that we couldn't stop gushing over. What's the main inspiration behind this colour and its name?

The name is "Can't, I'm Swamped" and kind of captures my personality and being a lazy bitch... We all love a good reason to cancel plans and stay at home knitting so it kind of comes from that. I'm always attracted to swampy, darker, moody colours - I think part of that stems from being queer and being attracted to the subversive beauty in strange parts of nature - so I drew inspiration from that and I love how it turned out.

Last, but certainly not least: You always have to seem something fabulous on the needles! Would you share what you're current favourite knitting project is?

Currently I'm working on a Look at My Holes Sweater by James Watts using Dorcha Worsted/Harvest Hues and it's super fun! I'm really terrible for never finishing projects and hating to knit sleeves so we'll see if it makes it past the finish line.

Thank you so much, Ross, for taking the time to chat with us! You can find Ross over on his website and Instagram, and be sure to check back for his fabulous collab colourway "Can't, I'm Swamped" on October 24 (Mill Member exclusive)!