03.10.08
My Interview with Shellee, Owner of Souful Hues Knits
Meet Shellee, Owner of www.etsy,com/shop.php?user_id=5165141
Where are you located? Minnesota, USA
What do you design? I make recycled yarn and sometimes hand knitted items.
Where/How did you learn this? I first learned (self taught) how to knit about three years ago when I was pregnant with my youngest daughter. I was addicted form the start, but didn’t have enough room in my budget to support my habit, so I started using recycled yarns. I wasn’t happy just doing that, and since I was well versed in dyeing plant fibers (thanks to my love of tie dye) I started dyeing the yarns to my liking, still not perfect, I started respinning the yarn. My yarn can now compete with any new yarn and I love it!
Favorite Artist who inspires you? Honestly, I don’t have a favorite artist, I take inspiration from several fiber artists as well as friends who are very creative. I’ve got 3 little girls at home so I incorporate their likes into my designs a lot.
Where does your inspiration come from? Besides my daughters, it really just comes from inside of myself. I don’t play by the color rules very often, so sometimes my inspiration is simply what yarn on my wall is ready to be spun together. Often times I haphazardly grab two skeins and start spinning away with little thought of how the final product will look.
What do you do to combat creative block? Luckily, I’ve got several facets to my work that can be done at any time, so if I’ve grown sick of dyeing, I deconstruct, when I get sick of deconstructing, I spin, when sick of spinning, I knit etc…I’m always thinking of my next project while I’m working on something else.
Where do you design your creations? I do the original designs in my brain, then I move on to the physical realm and that may be in my living room, kitchen, art room, or several other places I often find myself, like the mall play areas and local family coffee shops.
What does your work space look like right now? Well, I don’t have one specific place I work since I really do so many different things. I store my yarn on a pegboard wall in my family art room and other various knitting/dyeing supplies on a shelf in the art room, or in baskets throughout the house.
How does your family feel about what you do? Well, I’m sure my kids would like it if I did less fiber art, but being a mother of three young homeschoolers, I need to do this to get myself out of my otherwise preschool world and save my sanity. My husband had is reservations at first, but seeing my success and happiness has opened his eyes and he’s now my biggest supporter. He’s also my DIY yarn tool man making me several yarn tools including a spinning wheel!
Do you have any advice for someone looking to make their own creations using this method? Yes, just dive right in and find your own groove, don’t worry about who does what this way or that way, there is not one right way to take a part a sweater, or dye yarn, or knit it up.
Best advice you received when starting your business venture? Stick with it for 6 months before getting discouraged or quitting.
Favorite part of owning your own business? I can work when and where I want, or not at all if I don’t want to work one particular day. Also, as we homeschool our children, owning a business will be an integral part of their education.
Least favorite? Networking and marketing, anyone wanna do it for me? LOL
How do you realx? I play with yarn or daydream about yarn, or, once in a blue moon, I go out and have drinks with my husband.
Favorite color? This is always such a tough question for me to answer. I truly love all the colors, just in different seasons of my life. Seeing as Spring is on it’s way, I find myself gravitating to bright greens, blues and purples.
Does this color show up in a lot of your work? Again, my favorites come and go with the seasons.
If there were more hours in the day, what would you be doing? Playing with yarn.
A sample of Soulful Hues Knits products. For all products, please visit Shellee’s website.
