The location of our studio cabin, and the southern Blue Ridge Mountains, offers so much inspiration. It doesn’t come in the showy fields of flowers, kinds of ways, but rather shows up unexpectedly as flashes of color here and there.

Because the studio is in a temperate rainforest containing more than 100 species of trees, more in fact than all of Europe, the majority of our view gives us shades of green.

But occasionally, we get to see something like this…

Great Spangled Fritillary

Meet the Great Spangled Fritillary. As a knitter, I look at this and see intarsia, short rows, shaping, and stranded colorwork. Maybe even a hit or entrelac?

As a dyer I see incredible subtleties of golden yellows, oranges, shades of brown and black.

The science geek in me sees pollinator potential!

Spotting False Indigo

Sheri had to run into the North Carolina State Employees Credit Union recently in West Jefferson. There’s nothing that’ll cause a stir more quickly than stopping on a sidewalk in front of a bank and whipping out your phone to take up close pictures of things at the front of the bank.

Everybody in their cars sitting in the parking lot and looked at us slightly askance. And admittedly, I wasn’t even sure what Sheri had spotted until she told me that the entire front of the building is landscape with huge bushes of false indigo.

I know I shared this last week, but I wanted to touch on it again just to highlight yet again all the art materials that are hiding in plain sight. I also wanted to circle back to it because if you happen to run into this particular dye material out in the wild, and you want to grab some of the seed pods and plant them, you need to wait until they turn black. That will mean they have dried out enough to be used as seeds.

How do I know this? Because this is one of the many conversations, Sheri and I had this week in which I learned something from her and her amazing knowledge of the natural world.

Naturally Dyed Intarsia in Lace

My experiments have continued with lace and intarsia. I completed the naturally dyed swatch I was working on and blocked it aggressively. Here are the results:

See? Blocking really is sexy…

Mary Walker Phillips

Last in my lineup with inspiring things this week is a book I’ve had for years, but really hadn’t looked at supremely closely until now.

Creative Knitting: A New Art Form, by Mary Walker Phillips is really number one on my list of inspiring things this week.

In all my years of working as an artist, I’ve never been able to fully synthesize art into my knitting practice or knitting into my art practice. I know there are tons of conversations about fine craft, and fine art, and what belongs in which category.

I don’t really care for those conversations, because I don’t think they’re solvable for reasons of personal gain, perspective, and frankly, finance. So I don’t bother to jump into those conversations for the most part.

What I’m really after is a way to finally bring all of the work I’ve done in the world of art, and all the work I’ve done in the world of craft together. As it turns out, Mary Walker Phillips may have to be my mentor from the great beyond. She was truly a pioneer, and has led me to really want to experiment with using various materials and knitting to create artwork, meant to be hung on the wall.

I can’t explain exactly why I feel so motivated to do this. Maybe it goes back to American anthropologist and writer Ellen Dissanayake’s idea that art is the act of “making special.”

Not that knitting needs my help in that…

Xoxo

Ladianne

First, we want to shout out about Knitter’s Corner in King, NC. Lisa Dillon is the owner of this lovely shop. We have really enjoyed supplying her with our hand dyed yarn for the last several years! That’s why we’re excited we’ll be there in person on July 11, 2026 for the first Saturday of the Central Carolina Yarn Crawl. Sheri and I will have a delicious spread of our yarns on a variety of bases for crafting crawlers to buy!

KNITTING CLASS ALERT: Also, I’ll be teaching Intro to Two Color Brioche Knitting that day in the shop. Their Facebook page is here. If you’ve ever felt afraid of brioche knitting, and you’re within a reasonable distance of Knitter’s Corner at 111 E Dalton Road, King, NC, this is a great opportunity for you to get comfortable with the basic techniques required to create basic two-color brioche rib.

Brioche is actually an entire category of knitting stitch patterns, and while they aren’t all forms of ribbing, they all utilize the quintessential brioche stitch you hear about (a stitch wearing a shawl). The ribbing form is used in patterns by quite a few designers, and it gives projects really amazing texture, and plenty of opportunity for color play. I have used brioche in several of my designs, available on wooltribe.co and Ravelry, including the Absalon Brioche Hat, modeled by my lovely partner, Sheri Osborne.

Shetland and Sanquhar

I just got a book called Shetland Fine Lace Knitting by Carol Christiansen. You can buy it in hardcover at bookshop.org through my affiliate link (thank you for your support!) or ebook via amazon. I was looking at knitting traditions from the areas Ancestry.com says my predecessors kicked around in. Although our people didn’t come from Shetland, the knitting traditions of that area eventually influenced the Scottish Lowlands knitters, who adapted patterns to make their own lace traditions.

In reading about Shetland I was led further to Sanquhar knitting. Both styles, not surprisingly, evolved from the need to make money through cottage industry knitting. I didn’t focus on Shetland Lace during my work for the TKGA Master Hand Knitter program, so I was previously unaware that using K2tog, and garter, throughout the lacework, was a way to speed up the work and make it accurate. It also served to make the lace completely reversible.

Finding volumes about Sanquhar knitting has proven a bit more challenging. There are plenty of Sanquhar knitting patterns, and commentary of armchair researchers, but books are tougher to find. I did come across an amazing site I’ve fallen in love with called Sanquhar Pattern Designs. Check out the team page - and the page about the world’s oldest post office! If ever there was a place I’d love to visit on a knitting tour - Scotland, and the town of Sanquhar are top of the list. There’s so much more on their website - check it out. So inspiring.

Sanquhar is among the high contrast, super geometric knitting styles you’ve seen but might not recognize by name. As to pronunciation, I’ll thank Google once again for entertaining me. When I asked the proper pronunciation, it told me it rhymes with - and I quote - “wanker.” Alrighty then.

Anyhow, Sanquhar style uses 11x11 grid designs incorporating two highly contrasting colors. is put together by Beth Brown-Reinsel. My mom actually took a class with her years ago at a conference! Beth and fellow traditional knitting expert Dr. Angharad Thomas put together this site some years ago, with an interesting look into Sanquhar knitting.

I asked Google about the similarities and differences between Sanquhar and Estonian style knitting and was given this table. Again, very interesting!

Worth mentioning is that in the course of all of this I also came across the site for A’ the Airts, the Upper Nithsdale’s Community Arts and Crafts Center. They are tied in with the Sanquhar Pattern Design group, and also worth checking out!

Shave ‘Em to Save ‘Em

I received the coolest thing this week. Some time ago I donated $20 to the Livestock Conservancy Shave ‘Em to Save ‘Em Program. I was thrilled to find it’s headquartered in North Carolina!

The Livestock Conservancy protects endangered breeds of livestock and poultry. In their brochure they state that “1 in 5 breeds of the world’s farm animals is on the verge of extinction.” By extension, that means that many of the breeds of wool sheep are also facing challenging times.

That’s why the organization created the Shave ‘Em to Save ‘Em (SE2SE) Program. For Fiber Artists there is a $20 donation enrollment fee. The idea is that you buy at least 4 ounces of PUREBRED wool from the shepherds and providers listed on the SE2SE site. When you sign up you receive a passport. It’s good information in itself - there are a number of breeds in the passport I would not have realized were around had I not signed up! It would be well worth it for anyone who is interested in preservation, and also all of you avid fiber fest goers to sign up, and then hit up the providers in person at the festivals to get the fiber in the passport.

Here’s the fun envelope of info I received… I strongly encourage you to sign up too!

Last - On My Needles

I’m knitting the Zig-Zag lace sample from the Shetland Lace book I bought. Using WoolTribe Homegrown Fingering yarn, in two colors. One dyed with onion skins, and the other with logwood liquid dye. It’s an experiment - and a chance to give my brain some much-needed knitting gymnastics play. The lace doesn’t look particularly lacy right now, because blocking will be needed. What? You didn’t know BLOCKING IS SEXY? Well, it is…give it a try!

Ok - Have a lovely week! Catch you next Tuesday!

xoxo

Ladianne

The weather in this neck of the woods varies wildly from moment to moment. At any given moment can bring rain, sun, or a mix of the two. A few days ago we were on the way “into town” - headed to the lovely town of West Jefferson, NC, when we spotted this lovely Pride Eve beauty… We took a moment just to enjoy the incredible beauty inherent in a world full of variety and connectedness! If you haven’t been to West Jefferson, GO! It’s such a delightful town with lots of shopping, a number of breweries and restaurants, and some incredible murals. They also have a hoppin’ little art scene!

HVAC Adventure Begins

This week we’re beginning our HVAC Adventure! Shoutout to Carolina Comfort - a company in Sheri’s hometown, not far from the cabin. They have been so professional, responsive, and easy to work with.

The studio cabin has never had whole house HVAC. While it’s definitely much cooler up here in “The Coolest Corner of NC” as Ashe County is called, it is also humid. The cabin’s location in a rainforest, and next to a creek can definitely amp up the moisture in the air! In prep for dyeing, hosting folks, and teaching, we’re getting this whole house system put in. It’ll make the dye studio space - and the rest of the cabin MUCH more comfortable!

If you’re old enough to remember Murphy Brown, we’re beginning to feel sort of like Murphy - the people working on the cabin are becoming so familiar as to feel like fixtures in our lives.

Yesterday brought the cutting of holes in the floor - and the installation of the metal things called “boots” that connect the holes with the duct work.

The ductwork in our lower level studio space kind of reminds me of the “worms” in the Dune movie series. We preferred the Dune: Part Two, by the way…

Chillin’ on the Sleeper

We ordered a really cool sleeper sofa from Carolina Chair Co. In our quest to create spaces in the cabin that are welcoming, interesting, engaging, and as thoughtfully designed as possible, we found Carolina Chair Co. they are a decades old company that makes furniture on demand - and their process allows for customization of many elements of the pieces you order. We chose the Henley sleeper sofa, to give us an additional sleeping space if needed, and we opted to cover it in a dark blue denim. It’s a fairly timeless shape - but with plenty cushion to make it super comfortable. You and I both know that when you’re lying on a sofa, completely chilled out, you can get some pretty great ideas! Or sleep. Either one is great.

Here’s their product pic:

That’s the dark blue denim. I love it because it’s not “brand new mom jean blue.” I also love it because…denim is our jam. Custom throw pillows are also on our order. The backs will be made from the couch denim, and the fronts will be made from denim patchworks I’ve created from up-cycled denim. Here’s one of the front panels:

And…We’re in Spin Off Magazine!

I wrote an article for Spin Off Magazine’s current issue - Summer 2025. The article is all about how to take “ugly” braids and spin them into something beautiful! Here’s a link to Spin Off. It’s published by the amazing team at Long Thread Media. I’ll leave you with some yarny eye candy… To learn about the process I used to create this palette, visit spinoffmagazine.com and read the current issue!

Alabama Chanin has a very particular aesthetic - one rooted in layered stories and organic and nature-inspired shapes. I’m not a floral girlie, personally, but I absolutely love the essence of what she does.

I told Sandi I would send the book home with her that day, having done a cursory thumb-through, confirming my adoration of all things textured, textile, and tales. It wasn’t until I got home that I realized I’d actually left her book (a signed copy no less…) in the backseat of my car. I brought it into my house, texted to let Sandi know I’d inadvertently absconded with her tome, and flipped open the book to the first first page. Cripes - I’ll have you know I’ve not read a book cover-to-cover that fast in a VERY long time. It felt like affirmation. It felt like hanging out with a friend who is kindly reminding you of your own center by sharing her own stories. When I finished reading the book I put it down, then picked it up again. I went back through, looking at the pictures once again.

Every time I feel stuck - whether in business, or in personal matters, I ask for guidance. Mostly I’m asking the energy of the ether. Sometimes I’m asking ancestors. Sometimes I’m hollering into the vortex. Whatever the mode of inquiry, and whomever the intended recipient, I always know I’ll get an answer.

There was something in the work of Natalie Chanin that reminded me how much of what we’ve done, first as a yarn shop, then as dyers, and now still as dyers - but with a cabin studio that is an extension of the pure need for exploration and expression I know most makers and artists feel.

I started combing back through my artwork, our dye work, and through books that inspire me. I started stitching and swatching and experimenting. In the course of it I cut up some deadstock (new, but never sold) t-shirts we had from over a decade ago, and I pulled out one of the undyed organic cotton scarves we have. I haphazardly tied and sewed two spots on a piece of a white cotton t-shirt, and then shoved it into a small jar of the walnut ink I brewed (see this post). When I pulled it out, rinsed it, and let it dry, it looked like a bunch of nothing - until I turned it upside down. That’s when it became mountains, reflected in water, with the sun high overhead. Taking inspiration from Chanin, I backed it with orange, stitched a bit, and cut through some spots.

All of this resulted in a scarf that became the basis for a great brainstorming session with my mom yesterday. I shared all of this with her - and felt such gratitude for being able to have the conversation with her, but also for having been able to begin putting the pieces of so many things together in a way that makes sense to me.

For all artists, makers, and creators - including my partner and co-owner, Sheri, and me - finding the thru-line can prove difficult at times. But when you begin to pay attention to what resonates with you - and what others who know you well notice in your work, and about you as a person - you can find those threads. Like the ones Natalie Chanin illuminates in her books.

In our studio we work with a wide range of materials, but we always come back to color. Wool is, of course, central, but it’s not singular. Like all of us who create, honoring all the parts strengthens the whole.

Here’s to YOU and all your many creative parts!

xoxo

Ladianne

WoolTribe

You may laugh when I tell you this, but I intended to wax poetic about simplicity in today’s post. I am chuckling even as I scan back over that first sentence. Simplicity, for me, comes in little morsels rather than large swaths, or long periods. It’s kind of like ice cream - perhaps - in that it is delicious, refreshing, and tantalizingly sweet, but it doesn’t last long. It’s also kind of mirage-like when you’re voraciously curious. It lures you toward what you believe to be cool, clear waters, glistening in the midday sun. You get the picture.

Here’s how I fell into this week’s mirage-y ice cream sundae…

I was pursuing books online, as one does, and happened upon a book called A Simpler Life, published by The Life School, a UK-based organization that launched its publishing arm several years ago. The cover of the book lured me in with a cabin set on a mountainside blanketed by dense forests.

Not wanting to spend on a book at the moment (my book WIPS stack is daunting…), I checked the library systems near our home and the studio cabin. While this book wasn’t available, I did find SLOW: Simple Living for a Frantic World, by Brooke McAlary. I promptly flipped through the sample bit just before checking out the digital copy of the book. McAlary opens her book with “Dear Mr. and Mrs. Jones, I am writing to inform you of my withdrawal from the race to keep up with you…” That bit alone got me. So, it’s my new read. You know - the thing I pick up, and pick at, between other things I’m doing? Yeah.

Interdependence

Funny how this happens - You begin thinking of a thing, writing about a thing, and before long, the connections with that thing begin to appear everywhere around you. I have been thinking quite a bit lately about Interdependence (with a capital I).

When it comes to interdependence in the realms of fashion, artisanal work like we do in our studio, nature, and people, the connections and interdependencies are myriad. They range from nearly invisible to completely, often blindingly obvious.

In our beautifully hand-dyed world, we rely on a network of small, independent shops to sell our hand-dyed yarn, fiber, beanies, scarves, and other accessories we create. They rely on us to provide unique product crafted in small batches in the our studio. Likewise, we have developed personal relationships with the mills we work with to get our raw goods. All of this has created a sense of groundedness in our business, and in our lives, that I wouldn’t trade for anything.

Oh - and while we’re talking bout independent shops, it looks like we’re going to have a couple of yarn shop trunk shows coming up - and I’ll be teaching as well! More details on all of that coming soon!

Conservancy

I came across a fantastic Substack recently - . In pursuing their posts, I found a repost originally shared by . Really a great post, whether you’re a hand-knitter, crocheter, or fashion lover.

Knit Jon Purl Jon

Why Knitting Survived the Industrial Revolution

One thing that has always fascinated me about knitting is how widespread it remains, centuries after the craft was first developed. Many people learned through their family (for me, it was my Grandma), and the knowledge has been passed down by choice through generations. In some countries, knitting is still taught in schools, but even then, many childre…

Read more

a month ago · 118 likes · 14 comments · Knit Jon Purl Jon

I also read about The Livestock Conservancy in one of the posts by . I was thrilled to find they’re located in Pittsboro, NC! They’re roughly 2.5 hours east of Charlotte, for reference. They work to conserve all sorts of livestock breeds - whether related to food or fiber. Specifically, regarding fiber, they have a program called Shave ‘em to Save ‘em. It’s a way to encourage hand-spinners of yarn to purchase fiber from heritage breed farmers. Here’s the info: Shave 'em to Save 'em. It’s just $20 for fiber artists to join in. There is a list of providers of heritage breed wool and products on the program information page too. Even if you don’t decide to join the program proper, you might find some really amazing farms to buy from! I even found a few farms not too far from WoolTribe Studio Cabin in the mountains of North Carolina!

WIP-y Stuff

My Works in Progress now include another one of our Basic Elements Tank tops. I’m making it with a cotton and hemp yarn I was thinking might be a possibility for dyeing. Not sure about that part yet, but I do love knitting with the yarn!

I’m also doing some crochet doodling. Why? Because I can. Also because crochet has always been a “vacation” from knitting for me. So - that’s happening.

Until next time…

Ladianne

Stay Connected with WoolTribe
This post was written by Ladianne of WoolTribe, on behalf of the WoolTribe team. Co-founded by artists Ladianne Henderson and Sheri Osborne, WoolTribe is an independent dye studio rooted in slow craft and intentional living. Our artisanal studio sits inside a hand-refurbished cabin in the North Carolina mountains—a space dedicated to community, education, and creative rest. We welcome you to join us on the mountain for upcoming craft retreats, artisan classes, and restorative getaways.

We are also passionate about sustainable, small-batch goods. Our hand-dyed finished pieces, including beanies and scarves, are made exclusively from 100% American wool and 100% USA Certified organic long-staple cotton.

• Shop Direct: Browse our latest colorways and finished goods at wooltribe.co.

• Wholesale Availability: We happily partner with independent brick-and-mortar stockists.

• Follow Along: Connect with us on Instagram and Facebook @wooltribestudio.

  Check out our website

If you’re a new reader, I’ll share that we spent more than a year remodeling a cabin in the mountains of North Carolina’s Ashe County. It’s in an absolutely beautiful spot! Overlooking a creek, at the end of a meandering road. Being in that space truly feels like you’ve been transported to another dimension - one where calm prevails.

COME DYE YOUR OWN YARN WITH US: To see everything about the retreats and cabin, check out our website. The first retreat is a yarn dyeing adventure and the dates are now set in stone: June 26-28, 2026. WHEW!

I had to share these pics - my parents came to our old space, in a warehouse in Charlotte, and dyed yarn with us! SO MUCH FUN!

We are so happy to be able to offer the experiences we’re creating for our visitors. There are only four spots in this retreat, so if you’re interested, check it out and book fast! We have a brand new system we’re working with - so if you run into any issues, please holler via email - hello@wooltribe.CO - there is NO “M” on the end of our email address.

In lieu of a bunch of words this week, since I’ve had my head stuck in my computer, I’m popping on here with a video! Why do I look so happy?? Watch to find out!

WHEW!! Thanks so much for being part of our WoolTribe Rebel fam.

Catch you next week!

xoxo

Ladianne

We went into Doe Ridge Pottery in West Jefferson, NC a week or so ago, searching for mugs to use as part of our swag for a retreat to be held at our WoolTribe Studio cabin. We were so lucky to meet Nate - the wonderful proprietor. He encouraged us to wander a bit and find mugs we thought might work from among those available.

The shop area includes the work of a number of potters, and we selected a total of six mugs to start with, two of which were made by Nate. When I held up one of them and proclaimed my love for the colors, he mentioned the yellow on the bottom, and inside, is not easily obtained right now.

I love a good rabbit hole…so here we are. This week’s post started with curiosity about What on earth has happened to that yellow…?

Here’s what a bit of Google research shows… The Vanadium and Praseodymium Link: A significant portion of the world's vanadium pentoxide (used in vanadium-tin yellow stains like Mason 6404) and praseodymium oxide is either refined or shipped through Gulf ports. With the Strait effectively closed since February 2026, the supply of these critical metal oxides has tightened globally.

Sheri and I talk a ton about the economics of craft. Why? Because we live it. So do other dyers, as do potters, painters, and other makers. Often, when there is something going on in the world that puts the squeeze on one thing, it sends waves out to many other things. So, here we are.

This yellow glaze research led me to hunt around about yellow in general. As I have been waiting on a couple of books from ThriftBooks.com to arrive - namely, the following:

Shrooms

We have a neighbor at the cabin who is a mushroom expert. No - not because she is a trippy hippie, but because she is literally in graduate school to study mycology. I knew NOTHING about mushrooms or fungi, or moss, or anything like that before meeting her. Still don’t really know a thing, except that mushrooms can produce EVERY shade of dye possible! Now - before anyone goes setting up a commercial space to vat dye gigantic amounts of red and purple yarn using mushrooms you must know it would be a horrible idea to rob the forrest floor of enough shrooms to create vast quantities of dye. Why? Well, because mushrooms are actually neither plants nor animals (I know - it blew my mind too), but they support an incredible array of processes including growth of our food.

In hunting around for natural dyes that make the color yellow, I happened upon (@yellowelanor on Instagram). Really interesting posts on mushrooms! Well worth exploring.

Also totally worth your time is the website for one of the books I ordered! mushroomcoloratlas.com will consume your time in the best of ways! This site and book were dreamed up by . Her website is also amazing! I’ve not been through the whole thing yet, but look forward to it.

I’ve also read I can get some decent yellows from Leather Leaf Mahonia (Berberis bealei (Fortune) Carrière) leaves. Apparently it’s invasive - so I’m looking forward to trying the leaves as dye as we have the plants in fair profusion in our Carolina flatlands yard.

Fashion

One of the books on my shelf I love most is Guo Pei’s book of fashions called Couture Fantasy. You might remember Guo Pei’s dress, won by Rihanna at the 2015 Met Gala. Brilliant yellow, with a fur stole, and a massive, hand embroidered train, the dress inspired awe…and an unfortunate spate of Big Bird and fried egg memes. Those things aside, the dress really was a marvel. Since I can’t find an image shareable under Creative Commons licensing, I’ll leave you with a link here: See the yellow Met Gala dress by Guo Pei.

In search of a bit more information on Guo Pei, I happened upon a documentary about her. It’s called Yellow is Forbidden, a reference to the law in imperial China that only the emperor and special designates could wear bright yellow. Watch it free here, on Tubi: Yellow is Forbidden documentary.

Bud Light

Of course, before closing out this particular rabbit hole, I had to know what was used to create the glam yellow the emperor so closely guarded. It was, of course, made from Pagoda buds - buds from a tree called the Japanese Pagoda Tree. Yeah - it’s called Japanese Pagoda, but like many plants I seem to want to use for dyeing, it originated in China. Just like the Leather Leaf Mahonia! Funny thing, the Japanese Pagoda tree is found throughout North Carolina for its hardiness and drought resistance. Well - guess I’ll be keeping on the lookout for them!

Oh, wait… It turns out you need the unopened buds for dyeing. This might require a ladder. Or those tree climbing boots. And a harness.

Ok - maybe I’ll stick with mushrooms.

Quick Updates

The Mezzaluna shawl is finally in for a soak before blocking. Trying some new soap. Don’t love it… Honestly, Eucalan is my fave. Can’t lie on this one.

Also, I’ve added the walnut dyed yarn to the shawl. Lovely!

See you next week!

xoxo

Ladianne

Last fall, when Sheri and I visited her parents’ house, her dad asked if I had any use for the tons of walnuts that had fallen from the white walnut trees in their yard. I’d wanted to use walnuts for dyeing - but until we got the studio cabin, with its perfect outdoor areas for dyeing and other creative work, I really didn’t have a great space to cook up walnut dye. The biggest reason is that Sheri is allergic to walnuts, so creating walnut vapor in any enclosed space was not on my to-do list.

However, this weekend I was able to take one of our induction burners outside at the cabin, and start the process of doing some creative work with the walnuts I’d dried at home for months. I have to share that I was under the impression the walnuts I’d been drying were from black walnut trees, until Sheri corrected me this weekend. After that I did what one (naturally) does, and asked the Google AI what the difference was between the two walnut tree varieties. I take zero responsibility for the wording of the answer and tell you simply that were I still doing standup comedy some, or all of this would DEFINITELY have made it into the routine somehow.

“White walnut (Butternut, Juglans cinerea) and black walnut (Juglans nigra) are closely related, sun-loving native trees with distinct differences: white walnut has light grey/smooth bark and oblong, sweet nuts, while black walnut has dark brown/furrowed bark and round, intense nuts. White walnuts are smaller (40–60 ft) and often diseased, while black walnuts are larger.” — The Goog’s AI

I collected the walnuts in December of last year, and let them dry in our basement at home on a rack. Sheri is FANTASTIC about running the dehumidifier. The subtext here is that at one point I was absolutely sure there was something wrong with me because I seemed to have an extraordinary amount of static in my hair for someone living in the humid climes of the greater Charlotte, NC region. Ultimately it was revealed that the dehumidifier was messing with me!

In order to get the walnut dye headed in the right direction, I put them into about 3 quarts of water (just enough to cover the tops of the walnuts) and simmered them at around 180 degrees Fahrenheit for a couple of hours. I kept the dye pot lidded while they simmered.

Then, I had some fun! I put one skein of handspun yarn I’d plied in 2024 into the pot for a bit. I pulled that out and let it rest and then stained a balsa wood box gifted to me by our daughter Peyton. It originally contained chopsticks - which are now living in the utensil drawer at home. Now it houses a small selection of my paintbrushes I bring with me to the studio. After that I read up on making walnut ink. I do LOVE to use ink in my artwork, so I let the leftover dye simmer until it began to thicken. I also added Ferrous Sulfate to it to blacken it a bit. It’s still in the stock pot now as I’m awaiting gum Arabic, the binder used to make watercolors, which will help the ink adhere to the cotton rag paper I use, and also clove oil to help stave off mold in the ink.

Here are the little paintbrush box and the yarn. I have to say I love them both! I’m going to add the walnut yarn to the current version of the Lost River Shawl I’m working on. I know - it looks a bit like a Neapolitan ice cream sandwich. It could be far worse - don’t you think? I’ve since stained the whole box with walnut stain - but below you can see the lid (stained) and the bottom half of the box unstained. The tag on my yarn shows all the info but the gram weight - I’ll fill that in after the skein dries. Dye changes skein weights. So, if you want finished skein weight - it needs to be after any dyeing is done. The shawl on the right below is going to be special - natural Shaniko wool, same wool dyed with beech nut hulls from our home backyard from a fallen tree, and the walnut yarn. All of it handspun.

I have some clips of the dye-making process I intend to put up on YouTube. Interestingly, I learned a bit about the chemical compounds in walnuts that make all of this lovely color possible. Juglone is responsible for the brown color - and it’s colorless until the air hits it. Kinda cool!

Wool

Just a quick note to say we got a kilo of non-superwash wool from our mill. I’m really excited to use it, but want to plan well. Think I’ll probably work it up into a cardigan, but we’ll see. Thoughts? I’d really also like to try out some native plants from around the cabin for dyestuffs. There are lots of lichen, mushrooms, and plants that can create great color. Definitely have some planning to do here!

Wishes

I’ll leave you with the fact that I found 21 - YES, TWENTY-ONE four-leaf clovers over the last few days in a little patch just outside our studio door. I put all of them into this book to press… There’s a used copy of a previous edition (cover is slightly different from this) on ThriftBooks.com for around $13 right now! Don’t know how long it will be there, but here’s the link: The Principles of Knitting.

By the way, I finished reading Fewer, Better Things by Glenn Adamson. What a fantastic book! I highlighted and took notes all over the place in my copy. I know I will refer to it in the future! So great! I actually sent his agent a note to tell him how much I appreciated this book! Don’t know that he’ll catch wind of it, but I felt it worth a send anyway.

Plus - Watch This

Also, here are some things I’ve watched and enjoyed.

The Persians: A History of Iran, Episode 1 - A wonderful show. Really interesting, and a great thing to watch given the world’s current state of affairs.

Why Five of the World’s Priciest Fabrics are So Expensive - Another BBC piece. If you’re a textile person, this is a great show to watch.

Ok - that’s probably enough until next week!

So great to spend time with you!

xoxo

Ladianne

More and more I find I’m most interested in physical objects - things - about which I know the stories. Stories of object origins, and of their makers. The locations of their creation, and the materials of which they are made. Fewer and fewer of the things in my life remain here without some connection to materials, makers, and meaning.

Recently I ordered two books. One of them is Fewer, Better Things: The hidden wisdom of objects, by Glenn Adamson. You know how, every once in a while, you’re completely stopped in your tracks by a book, or - as one of our favorite business partners told us yesterday of her own experience - by a work of art? Your thoughts get wrapped up, you see infinite connections to things in your own life, and you find the material quite literally becoming part of the weave of your own experience.

Adamson’s book is doing just that for me. I’m almost halfway through, and already it feels like a homecoming. Like the things I’ve felt and believed for decades are being welcomed into the fold. What’s happening, however, is also an expansion of my understanding. The other book is What is Art For, by Ellen Dissanayake. I’ve read Suzi Gablik’s work - and she’s quoted by Dissanayake, I noticed when I flipped open the book. I’ll report back when I’ve read it in earnest.

During the course of building the walkway I talked about in last week’s post, Sheri and I talked about how to incorporate the antique bricks we found on the property at our studio cabin. As she dug the bricks out of the pile in the carport, we started noticing they had some sort of glaze on one side. The glaze had odd bubbles - well, more like bumps on them. The coating was not particularly glossy, but it was hard. Glass!

We were finishing the walkway, and had decided to use these bricks - each of which was discolored in some way. We realized they had been used in a forge by the artist who owned this cabin. They were fire bricks! Now, since those bricks have been incorporated into the walkway, that element of his creative practice is what welcomes people to walk the path to the front door. Somehow it feels so appropriate.

But well beyond that, those bricks - and the rest in the walkway - resulted in a conversation during which Sheri shared with me the sources of each of the types of brick in the walkway. To be honest, I hadn’t looked at them for their stories. I’d been focused on the wool we dye at WoolTribe - which comes from Shaniko Wool Company. I’d been focused on the torn paper in my visual art works using pieces of deconstructed works from as much as two decades ago. The conversation felt like an opportunity to do what one of my yoga teachers used to advise. “Soften your gaze,” she would say. Doing so allows you to see your own focus, your own experiences as a vignette of the greater whole. Sheri and her stash of outdoor materials are rich in craftswomanship and stories. All of which I intend to continue to enjoy and learn from.

Iron Water and Wildflowers

As I’ve continued to work on the version of the Lost River Shawl I’m making using handspun yarn (I've mentioned it and shared a photo in last week’s post), I’ve been thinking through how I’d like to add color. I shared the skein of yarn I dyed with Beech Nut Hulls from a tree that fell in our yard in the Piedmont of North Carolina. The hulls had dried out - the tree has been down for at least a year, perhaps two. I’m not sure what led me to grab the hulls and experiment, but that’s what I did, and the light pinkish-brown results were inspiring to me. The only additive was a tablespoon of baking soda in the dye water strained from the simmering of the hulls.

In thinking through the possibilities for color for the rest of the shawl, I’ve come to the idea of using only foraged dyestuffs, like many other dyers do. But the mountainous area where our studio cabin sits doesn’t share tons of color. We do get surprises like the native wildflowers we found down the hill, near the creek that runs through our property - but the colors in many flowers are fugitive, meaning the color doesn’t last long on textiles. And, more importantly, I want to leave the lovely wildflowers right were they are, feeding the ecosystem of the forest floor next to the creek, which contains trout and hellbenders (look them up and read about them…they are an incredible kind of salamander). The creek is a headwater stream feeding into the New River. If you want to be astounded, read about the New River - it is one of the oldest in the world, and - like the Nile, it flows north.

Sheri and I shimmied down the (extremely steep) hillside to the creekside over the weekend. Sheri is the true plant person of the two of us. Hearing her delight in the plant finds along the creek, in the flood plane was a joy. Here is a bit of what we found.

Of note is the fact that Red Trillium is said by the Google to “emit a pungent odor, similar to decomposing carrion or wet dog, which attracts flies for pollination.” Skunk Cabbage, says the Google, “gets its name from the unpleasant, skunk-like odor it emits, especially when the leaves are bruised or broken.” While it wasn’t flowering when we were exploring, it’s worth looking it up. You might faintly hear the words “feed me, Seymour…”

I went on, after the traipse through the stinky forest, with my work contemplating color possibilities, I came across a great YouTube channel - @plantdyefortextiles. The dyer is located in Hawaii, and her videos are fantastic. In one she shares how she uses iron water to determine whether or not tannins are present in plant material. That started a rabbit hole for me - which plants in our area contain tannins. Chemical compounds found naturally in plants, tannins help color bond with fiber. Combined with various mordants, they can help shift color one way or the other.

After finding pine needles contain significant amounts of tannins, I’ve nearly settled on dyeing some of the handspun yarn I have at the studio using pine needles. In combination with iron water I may end up with some gorgeous deep greens. We’ll see.

Life in Laos

Continuing with my love of documentaries, I watched a short but fascinating YouTube video called Living in Laos: How People Live in One of Asia’s Last Quiet Places. Truly beautiful, this documentary is yet another to mention that textiles have a revered place in Laotian culture. Watch it for yourself. You will be glad you did. What a beautiful place - for its nature, it’s people, and their handmade goods.

With that, I’ll bid you good day - and note I look forward to connecting with you next week.

From the heart,

Ladianne

Bricks

We had to move our first retreat to June. For full details check out the retreats info page on our website. We’ll open up for a group of four for a knitting retreat in June. We aren’t doing cattle call retreats - we’re keeping things cozy - for people who like to have a bit of breathing room.

Toward the goal of hosting retreats, we’ve been installing the front walkway. When we bought the cabin it had no walkway - just a dirt path to the front steps. Being the creative reuse maven she is, Sheri pulled pavers, reclaimed bricks, and other materials from her hardscaping “stash”. We added a handful of antique bricks from the cabin property, and after a bit of planning (and hauling 1500 lbs of materials up the mountain in “Big Red” - Sheri’s truck) - the process of walkway building began. Sheri got to it before I did - as I was still in the Piedmont for a bit before making my trek up the mountain. But, for the last few days, we’ve worked on the project together.

Before she could even head up the mountain, Sheri had to cut a chain to use to secure the materials in the back of her truck. The walkway is really looking great! There will be gravel coming soon to round out the driveway, and go along the edges of the walkway.

Mirrors - and Bugs

I had the opportunity last week to watch several really great documentaries on YouTube. Honestly, I prefer documentaries to most other kinds of shows/movies. First on the list was 12 Fascinating Jobs Done by Women Around the World. I didn’t expect there to be Cochineal farmers in the mix on that one! Their stories are fascinating. Cochineal is a bug used for creating red dye. One fact to note is that it takes somewhere around 70,000 bugs to make a pound of cochineal dye powder! Oh - and it’s in everything from yogurt to lipstick. Not just in the naturally dyed yarn you buy!

There were also Cambodian silk weavers, and Dhokra weavers who drop spun jute - one of them using a piece of rubber tire tied to her leg in order to get the fastest spin from her drop spindle. This is a documentary worth watching. Many fiber workers, but also farmers, tailors, and food makers.

Another documentary, Still Standing from Business Insider shares the story of a woman in India who took over her family’s ritual mirror making business when her father passed away. Undaunted by everyone who told her she couldn’t do it, she has kept the business going through all manner of challenges. The mirrors are made with metal - not glass, and the process is really interesting. What’s more interesting in the very obvious resolve of the woman who owns the company. Truly inspiring.

Socks (and a Shawl)

Finally, I cast on a pair of socks - two at a time knitting at its finest. I’m doing scrappy knitting to use sock yarn I have on hand. I could have dyed some yarn for my project as we’ll be in the studio next week preparing yarn for orders, but I opted to use what I have instead. This photo of the socks looks like a hot mess. After sitting on the cabin deck working on this - using four balls of yarn in order to stripe these fun, quirky socks, I opted to put all the yarn into a box, making it easier to manage.

One other fun thing I’m planning to do is use black walnuts Sheri’s dad gave me last fall to dye some yarn next week. It’ll require setting up table and burner outside as Sheri is allergic to walnuts. The grand plan is to add the walnut dyed yarn into the Lost River Shawl I’m knitting using handspun yarn. I have a good length of it knit in natural. Next will come the section knit with handspun yarn dyed with beech nut hulls in January of this year. After that, the walnut yarn. It’ll be handspun as well - and a deep, rich brown. Below is a photo of the natural and beech nut hull dyed. The pattern is on Ravelry here.

We also got some non-superwash yarn made with Shaniko wool. Looking forward to dyeing that as well. It’ll be an experiment. We’ll let you know how it goes!

Lucky!

I’ll leave you with the find from yesterday. In spite of my absolute frustration with the password reset situation on Substack, the Universe decided to hand me a reminder. Seven four leaf clovers just outside the studio door at the cabin. Thank you, Universe. I’m grateful! Goes right along with my morning practice, learned from @coachwithsteff on Instagram. She shared a video from a guy named Bob Proctor. You should try it! When you get up in the morning and you’re having your morning beverage - or sitting quietly, name ten things you’re grateful for. Send love to three people who bother you - yep, that’s what I said. AND - sit quietly for at least five minutes and ask for guidance for your day.

You’ll be glad you did!

I’ll catch you next week!

Ladianne

xoxo

Did I tell you that the cabin we bought and restored was initially owned by an artist? We didn’t know him. But everyone else around the ridge did. He worked with glass. Made knives. Cast concrete. He passed away just a couple of years after selling the cabin to a friend (who then sold it to us). Within a year of our purchase of the cabin, he passed away. We were told that the majority of his work was thrown away - into a dumpster.

As a maker, I have to tell you this sent chills down my spine. Admittedly, my artwork has not been well documented. It’s neatly organized in a flat file, each drawer labeled by year, or timeframe. But I haven’t done a great job of photographing every single thing and documenting it. I’m working to change that.

Same thing with my hand-knitted goods. Our business (wooltribe.co) is all about hand dyeing 100% American-made yarn - making glorious color in small batches so other makers can do their thing. Turning yarn into anything takes time. Copious amounts of it. But the number of people who make things, and do absolutely zero documenting is, I would guess, rather high. There ARE outliers - like our customer at the yarn shop who religiously (obsessively?) wrote down every single detail of every single thing she made. I truly admired her diligence, and knew in my hear that THAT level of documentation would never happen in my world.

However, I actually have been doing quite a bit of documenting. And I’ve worked with my parents to document a number of things they’ve made, collected, curated, and shepherded through time. There are quilts, handmade dolls, tables, chairs, a lovely desk made by my grandfather, needlepoint pieces, little hand carved birds, musical instruments, and so much more.

Sheri and I have things from her family as well - handmade chess boards, funny little crocheted easter egg covers (you know…they look like tiny chickens?). We also have antique clocks, hobnail glass, Waterford crystal, handmade pottery, and some Fostoria. Thing is, none of this stuff will mean squat to anyone else, save for the things that have “market value,” if the stories aren’t documented.

What strikes me about all of this - and has been hitting me over the head for some time - is that there is all this talk about the Creative Economy. How we’ve marched headlong into a time of incredible creativity - and that it will fuel everything. But, hasn’t it always? Hasn’t creativity always been central to expression, innovation, and discovery? I think perhaps part of the issue is that the people who decide what lives under the heading of Creative Work (with capital letters standing tall) are, like historians, prone to bias. Wait - not prone to bias, but perhaps inclined to bias.

Recently I was working on our new WoolTribe website, my art website, and another project recently using a new-to-me platform. I did what one does, and joined the platform’s community where people chat about all sorts of things related to the platform. What works well, what doesn’t. What one has to do in order to keep from becoming a font of epithets during any given work session. At roughly 3 in the morning on March 31, I received an email. I do not think it was an April Fool’s joke - as it was so stunningly obtuse, and poorly timed it could not possibly have been done in jest. The email said “Congratulations - you have been selected as one of our two users of the month for March.” Really? I immediately wrote back, noted that I appreciate the platform, but also that it seemed pretty brazen to tell me - on the last day of Women’s History Month that I would get to be “User of the Month” - for one day.

When I stack up the things that have been part of my creative life, and I take into account all the things our customers at the shop created (both in the form of knitted/crocheted/woven things and in other mediums), the things my parents, grandparents, and other ancestors have crated, and then consider that the vast majority of work never gets documented, which means the makers never get credit, it stuns me. More on this soon.

But please do share your thoughts on documenting - your knits, other handmade objects, family heirlooms… I am genuinely interested.

Current Makes

I have finished the samples for the colorwork cowl and hat I had on the needles. They are the Emory Valley Colorwork Beanie and Cowl. I am to get the pattern out sooner than later, as these are great projects to make as gifts! Emory Valley was the name of the neighborhood where my dad’s parents lived - and for whatever reason, it seemed fitting for these.

Shawl Land

I’ve continued to work on ’s Mezzaluna Shawl using our WoolTribe Homegrown Sport yarn. I started the project in Fall of last year, and put it down over the holidays. As I’m on a furious mission to complete things I started some time ago, that one is back in motion. You can get the pattern from her on Ravelry - and of course, we are happy to dye the yarn for you! Check out colors at wooltribe.co. We do have a sale going on - here comes the shameless promo…. We’re extending our sale thru Sunday - which means you can get 25% off ALL yarn - in stock AND pre-order! Just use SPRING25 at checkout. Our site has been redone - so holler if you have any questions!

Admittedly, this is an odd color combination for me - not something I would normally have picked, but we had some overdyed skeins - skeins that weren’t quite right the first time, so we redid them. I thought this would be an interesting way to go. Sheri keeps telling me she loves it. I think I do - not sure. More on that after it’s blocked. The shawl is a win, and the color combo is undecided. I did ADORE the color periwinkle when I was a kid - so there is that!

Ok - once we’ve gotten the retreats live and ready for bookings on the retreat section of our website, I’ll holler! New adventures await, for sure!

Have a great week…

xoxo

Ladianne (+Sheri)

Read more

I just got done putting together the Lost River Shawl knitting pattern I’m sending to paid subscribers. For anyone else who wants it, it’ll be available on Ravelry and on wooltribe.co.

I had to laugh at the image I chose for the cover. It’s an AI generated model sitting in a rowboat, in the ocean, surrounded by chaos. This whole vibe will be immediately understood by knitters. IYKYK. I used this image once before for social media. Here it is on the cover of the pattern. If you look closely, you’ll notice a typo on this draft that alludes to the possibility that this is a dystopian future setting.

At any rate, there is so much conversation about AI—about image generation and about the resources it uses. We are a very small business, and like many small businesses, we don’t have scads of models and photographers at the ready. Nor do we have coffers in our budget to pay such folks. We’ve done photo shoots in the past, and they are fabulous affairs—full of creative people, and the kind of magic you only get by working with humans. But those events require a pretty hefty budget. Plus, when you need to put a shawl you’ve knit onto someone other than yourself (or your business partner), AI seems like the next logical step. But then there is, again, that question of resources used.

Asking the AI about AI

I turned to the Google and asked it to compare generating a single AI virtual model image to manufacturing one pair of jeans. To be fair, I chose that comparison because I will eternally be shocked that 85% of clothing ends up in landfills, and because it would take one person about 7–10 years to drink the amount of water it takes to make one pair of jeans. True story.

Here’s what Google told me:

Generating a single AI virtual model image consumes significantly fewer physical, natural resources than manufacturing a physical pair of jeans. While AI image generation is energy-intensive, it primarily uses electricity and water for server cooling, whereas a pair of jeans requires immense quantities of water, land, agricultural chemicals, and petroleum-based materials. [[1](https://wiesmade.com/blogs/denim/how-sustainable-denim-is-transforming-the-jeans-industry#:~:text=Sustainable Materials: Organic Cotton and,reduces the overall cotton content.), [2](https://www.facebook.com/groups/1404116417142065/posts/1480205719533134/#:~:text=Other posts,recyclable pile of electronic waste.)]

Key Natural Resource Comparison:

• Water Usage: Producing one pair of jeans consumes roughly 1,800 to 2,600 gallons (approx. 7,000–10,000 liters) of water, largely for growing cotton. In contrast, generating a single AI image consumes between 5 to 50 liters (approx. 1.3 to 13 gallons) of water for cooling data centers.

• Energy Consumption: A single high-quality AI image (e.g., using GPT-4o) emits approximately 5.6g of CO2e, equivalent to charging a smartphone. The total energy to make one pair of jeans is roughly 33 kg of CO2e, which is thousands of times higher than one AI image.

• Physical Raw Materials: Jeans require substantial land for cotton farming, as well as chemical dyes, polyester (petroleum), and metal rivets. AI images require no physical raw materials, although they rely on hardware (GPUs) that creates electronic waste. [1, [2](https://gluecksstern.de/en/blogs/news/jeans-production#:~:text=long transport routes.-,Cotton Cultivation – The High Price of Natural Fibers,term loss of soil fertility.), [3](https://sustainableai.substack.com/p/how-energy-intensive-are-ai-generated#:~:text=TLDR: AI images are energy,up real energy costs%2C fast.), [4](https://modaknits.com/what-are-the-raw-materials-for-jeans-production/#:~:text=Share,materials are becoming more popular.), [5](https://www.facebook.com/groups/1404116417142065/posts/1480205719533134/#:~:text=Other posts,recyclable pile of electronic waste.), [6](https://wiesmade.com/blogs/denim/how-sustainable-denim-is-transforming-the-jeans-industry#:~:text=Sustainable Materials: Organic Cotton and,reduces the overall cotton content.)]

Detailed Resource Breakdown:

Resource [[1](https://www.feathernweave.com.au/blogs/blog/why-denim-production-needs-to-become-more-sustainable#:~:text=1.,to rethink denim production processes.), [2](https://www.facebook.com/groups/1404116417142065/posts/1480205719533134/#:~:text=Other posts,recyclable pile of electronic waste.), 3, [4](https://gluecksstern.de/en/blogs/news/jeans-production#:~:text=long transport routes.-,Cotton Cultivation – The High Price of Natural Fibers,term loss of soil fertility.), [5](https://wiesmade.com/blogs/denim/how-sustainable-denim-is-transforming-the-jeans-industry#:~:text=Sustainable Materials: Organic Cotton and,reduces the overall cotton content.), [6](https://modaknits.com/what-are-the-raw-materials-for-jeans-production/#:~:text=Share,materials are becoming more popular.)]AI Virtual Image (Single)Pair of Jeans (Single)Water$\approx$5–50 liters (for cooling)$\approx$2,000–10,000+ liters (farming/dyeing)LandNegligibleLarge amount for cotton farmingEnergyMedium (Electricity for GPU)High (Spinning, weaving, washing, transport)MaterialsNone (Digital)Cotton, polyester, metals, dyeWastePotential E-wasteTextile waste, Chemical water pollution

Contextual Impact:

While individual AI images are “lightweight,” the cumulative impact of millions of queries is rising. However, AI in the fashion industry is used to replace physical samples, potentially saving thousands of liters of water and eliminating the waste associated with producing, shipping, and disposing of a physical garment. [[1](https://www.adobe.com/products/substance3d/magazine/3d-denim-is-the-most-ethical-sustainable-denim-in-the-world.html#:~:text=First%2C as mentioned%2C the digitization,costing and overall lead time.), [2](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sharon-lombardo-3b382a6_artificial-intelligence-is-often-criticized-activity-7423797302898733056-yq44#:~:text=Artificial intelligence is often criticized,and discarding a physical one.), [3](https://vigneshwaranmm.medium.com/carbon-emissions-of-generative-ai-queries-vs-web-browsing-06db8166c5a9#:~:text=With millions of queries processed daily%2C the,the Earth multiple times in a year.), [4](https://techxplore.com/news/2025-04-lightweight-ai-high-quality-image.html#:~:text=A new ultra-lightweight artificial intelligence (AI) model,without directly sending sensitive data to servers.), [5](https://www.greenredeem.co.uk/are-you-inadvertently-increasing-your-carbon-footprint-with-ai/#:~:text=AI image generation?,where the servers are operating.)]

A Verdict… and the Question That Led to It

Interesting, to be sure. Now, one more question for “The Googs.” So, for companies like ours—whose owners aren’t model/photog types (although we have been known to attempt such feats)—what’s the verdict? Is it better for us to aim for live folks for a shoot? Or is it better, environmentally speaking, to generate an AI model wearing our design? Here’s what we found:

Replacing a physical photo shoot with an AI-generated image drastically reduces resource consumption. While the AI process is purely digital, a live shoot involves significant transportation emissions and on-site energy use.

Resource Comparison: AI Image vs. Live Location Shoot

This table compares generating one AI image to a professional shoot in Charlotte, NC, involving five people(Model, Photographer, Assistant, and two WoolTribe owners) driving 30 minutes each in separate vehicles.

ResourceOne AI-Generated ImageLive Professional Photo ShootWater~0.00026 to 0.5 Liters**~50 - 150+ Liters** (Travel & On-site)Carbon (CO₂e)~0.1 to 2 Grams**~36,000 - 45,000+ Grams** (36-45 kg)Energy~0.012 to 0.02 kWh**~15 - 25+ kWh** (Transport & Gear)

Impact Breakdown

• Transportation (The Heavy Hitter): The largest impact comes from five separate 30-minute drives (approximately 15–20 miles each).

  • An average 2026 passenger vehicle emits roughly 400 grams of CO₂ per mile.

  • With five cars driving a round trip, the total travel alone produces roughly 35–40 kg of CO₂e, which is nearly equivalent to the carbon footprint of making another whole pair of jeans.

• On-Site Energy: Professional photography gear, including high-output LED or strobe lighting, cameras, and laptops for tethering, consumes significant electricity. A 200W light used for a few hours, plus the energy to upload and process high-res RAW files, uses far more power than the milliseconds of compute time required for an AI model.

• Water Usage: The “hidden” water cost of the live shoot includes the water used in the power generation for the shoot’s electricity and the fuel for the five cars. In contrast, AI water usage is restricted to data center cooling.

• Human Element: While AI is “greener,” industry experts note that it “deletes the need” for fashion’s creative middle class, such as local photographers and assistants in cities like Charlotte.

Back to… Reality?

I had to do it. I went back to AI and put a heavy dose of reality into the mix. Make her over 55. Menopausal. Make her hair gray. No—grayer. Make her hair wiry on top, untamable by even the best hairspray. Give her a stain on the knee of her jeans. Put her cell phone on the bench, alongside a plastic cup someone left behind and the photo/model team forgot to take out of the frame. Put some hair across her face because the breeze kicked up at just the wrong moment. Then add a dog getting ready to do its business just as the photo is taken. Oh, and make sure to leave a bit of the photographer’s finger in the frame. Reality? In our world… probably, yes. All of that. Oddly, adding all of that made the Lost River Shawl itself look far less… real.

Virtual Valerie gets to experience some very real factors. Spills, untimely breezes, unruly gray hair, and an errant photog finger are all part of our life from time to time.

The upshot of all of this? Given the opportunity, I’ll take real humans any day over AI-generated models. But given the opportunity, I’ll also use AI to help manage our budget so our small business can keep chugging along until we’re able to call up our photog faves, grab a group of models, and do another in-the-flesh photo shoot. But since THAT will cost us, and the planet, a bunch more, we’ll save that party for a very special occasion.

Cheers!

Makers: Before We Get to the Bloggy Stuff...

RETREAT NOTE: We have changed the dates of our first retreat at WoolTribe Studio cabin. It'll be May 15-17! More info coming soon! Check our website at wooltribe.co - No, there is not an M on the end! :)

Do Winters Wear Green?

Honestly, I have no idea. To be fair, it wasn't until very recently that I considered myself a 'green' gal. But as Instagram would say, and luck would have it, I'm acquiring a reddish tone to my skin that makes wearing pink and red a no-go. They make me look like a tomato or as if I've just run a marathon—not really the look I'm going for. This revelation has thrown the color-creative in me for a loop.

Several months ago, that whole "What season are you?" trend popped up on Instagram. This isn't new; my mom assured me back in 1985 that I was a Winter, destined to wear jewel tones like royal blue and deep red. It's wild to remember things from their earlier iterations. As we age, we develop a more 'meta' perspective on the world and everything in it. I wanted to explore how the personal color palette concept originated, so I found a great YouTube video detailing the history of this trend, which goes back long before I first encountered the idea through my mom. Now, I really don't know what my season is. Maybe I'm a late summer, with high humidity? Regardless, here are some of my most recent green things. Remember my lucky sweater? I might have to put that on today. Plus, I received a Tory Burch makeup bag as a freebie for members of the Tory Burch Foundation Fellows program—and it's GREEN! Oh, and my yarn stash? Yikes. I organize my yarn by color, and I have yellows and greens together. I've been working my way through my yarn on various projects, including the lucky sweater, and now my collection of yellows and greens is getting down to the nitty-gritty.

We’re in Spin Off!

My article about color relationships is featured in the latest issue of Spin Off magazine! You can check out the overview of the issue here: Spin Off. My article will guide you through selecting multiple yarn colors for your projects—or fiber colors if you're a spinner! It was a joy to write, and I love collaborating with those folks.

This Morning Brought the Color!

This morning, our old dog Max asked to go out, and to be fair, my coffee hadn't kicked in yet. I wasn't super excited about sliding across the frosty deck in my Birks—basically skimboards strapped to my feet—but I went with him anyway. His lack of opposable thumbs makes it impractical to expect his morning break to happen any other way, and I love him beyond words, so out we went! When we stepped outside, the sky greeted us with an INCREDIBLE display. I've never seen a sunrise that looked like it belonged in a feature-length animated film, but that's exactly what I witnessed!

Oh, and here's the old guy I love so much. He's our baby!

Design Project Progress - Emory Valley

I've also made progress on the Emory Valley colorwork hat and cowl pattern I've been working on. This is one project I think I mentioned starting a long time ago. Some projects go silent for a bit; sometimes that means the end of them, but not this one. I really love it, though for some reason, I struggled to get my colorwork where I wanted it. Honestly, knitting is like rock climbing (yeah, I used to do that...). Knitting gives you what you give it.

I always do this thing where I put the unfinished hat on my head. Why? I really don't know. I look dorky when I do it, yet it's inevitable even though I know how silly I look. But I do it anyway. I think I just want to see how the pattern looks on a head, and mine is handy, so... It hasn't been blocked, but it HAS been finished! Now, the cowl is on the needles. I love the crown and colorwork! It's time to get this project put to bed!

Today my mom and I went to the mall. No - you don’t have to check your calendar. It’s not still 1985, although if you’d walked into Lynnhaven Mall in Virginia Beach back then you’d have been likely to see us walking along, chatting, inspecting this dress and those shoes. We enjoyed it. 

I’m of the generation that enjoyed going to the mall with our friends too. Ariana and I would stroll through the mall and laugh our way through Spencer’s Gifts, or grab a soda and some popcorn at a movie. My friend Kris and I would look at clothes, and chatter about who we saw walking around at the mall, who they were dating, what they did over the weekend. You know, the usual stuff.

Well, today, mom and I grabbed lunch, made a plan. Full disclosure, I needed bras - not something I enjoy shopping for. I was also searching for a bag as a possible replacement for one made by DellaQ. I’ve loved the bag. In fact, we sold them at the yarn shop we owned - and everyone really loved this model and all the others we offered! 

However, about a year into owning the bag, in roughly 2021, the zipper broke. Too soon, in my opinion. I contacted the company - then owned by its founder - and they replaced the bag. 

Fast forward to roughly two weeks ago. I was walking out of a grocery store and realized my bag was hanging open - and my wallet was precariously perched, ready to leap onto the pavement. I realized the zipper had bitten the dust, so I did what one does, and sent a note to DellaQ. I inquired about their repair policy - I really just wanted to have the zipper replaced. A kindly employee responded and said they didn’t do any sort of repairs.

That started me on a quest to find just the right roll of YKK zipper, #5, with antique brass teeth, plus sliders, and top/bottom stops. I decided I’d go ahead and replace all the zippers on the bag, since I’m planning to change the color of the tape on the zippers.

So, back to shopping. 

Just before mom and I headed out of my parents’ house, she offered me a leather bag - a backpack - that she’d had for years. She and dad picked it up at an outlet mall at some point when we were shuttling back and forth between our home in Virginia and my grandparent’s place in Tennessee.

It’s a well-made bag, with room for my wallet AND my knitting. What could be better? That didn’t keep me from looking at bags at the mall, out of curiosity, of course.

Here’s the thing. The bags were - bags. And I know that for many people, bag shopping is about as fun as…well…bra shopping, which isn’t saying much. 

Although I didn’t see anything that really suited my needs, I did start inspecting bags. Looking at materials, looking at manufacturing details. Shapes, colors. Finishing. Linings, handles…and…ZIPPERS. My mom and I checked out ALL the details.

Here are some of the bags she and I inspected:

Initially I was focused on the small bags from Mercado - because they used denim. One of them even said it was a collab between Mercado and Levi’s. Said that Levi’s had donated the denim. I love that - because (get ready) it would take one person 10 years to drink the amount of water it takes to make one freakin’ pair of jeans. At WoolTribe we make CML Totes using reclaimed jeans, with artisanal touches like inkle woven belting, reclaimed leather handles, and the like. We have some handles that even came from Chaco’s when they donated the webbing to the fair-wage manufacturer we’ve used for these - right here in the United States.

When I looked at the lovely, color fade denim on the Steve Madden bags, it seemed pretty obvious to me they weren’t made from landfill diverted material. They were made from new denim, most likely. Please, Madden designers, correct me if I’m wrong on this. And when I looked at the Brahmin bags, I went straight for…the zippers. The Brahmin bags had amazing zippers, really smooth, very sturdy, high quality…zippers.

All of this led me to blurt out to my mom as we were walking back toward the parking lot - 

It should be illegal for any company to manufacture anything they aren’t willing or able to repair.

There. I said it. Brahmin has a repair program. You have to meet their criteria, but it seems they do repairs. Steve Madden? Nope. Mercado? Nope. 

Wrong answer, folks.

With the racks and racks of unwanted new clothing, and the racks and racks of unwanted new bags, it’s obvious to me, as a maker, and as someone who has worked really hard over the last eight years to buy as little new stuff as possible that most of the manufacturers making all this stuff feel zero responsibility. 

SHAME. ON. YOU.

Makers - you know how it is. You knit a sweater. It has a snag or a hole. You know what to do…right? FIX IT. That’s what we do. If you can make a sweater to begin with, you can also mend a sweater. Know what I’m sayin’?

So, to the manufacturers of the world - take responsibility and start fixing the shit you spew out into the world.

Or quit spewing.

Thanks!

When we opened our yarn shop in early 2017 I found myself awash in color every day. All the yarn we offered, stacked neatly in crates and hung on display hooks, created an incredibly inspiring work environment.

We did copious amounts of research before selecting wall and floor colors. Blue is calming, reassuring, and steady. Red is exciting, energizing, and spirited. We aimed for a palette that would be a feast, a festival of color for anyone who walked in the door. Color was at the center of our work, even as we offered classes in various crafts. Whether knitting, weaving, spinning, or crocheting, our customers relished the moment of color selection.

Eventually we noticed the gray trend coming in. Soon, our 30-something customers were all looking for shades of gray. Gray for babies’ rooms. Gray for furnishings. Gray for clothing. I remember feeling confused. If you’re going to make something, shouldn’t it bring you joy? went my logic, but then again - I’m Gen X. We were raised on neon pink leopard print tights on hair band members. There were still colorful car interiors - and exteriors when we were growing up. We had jeans with colorful patches on the pockets, and Rainbow Brite was our gal pal.

In the world of pop music, there was no shortage of color.

It’s not that people of my level of patina don’t appreciate classic shades as well. There were monochromatic, fairly calm palettes in the fashion world, but they almost always had some little bit of pizzazz.

CULTURE

Now here we are - in early 2026. Sure, there’s still color. But when my daughter and I shopped New York City in December, we visited several of her favorite clothing stores. Places she buys clothes for work and weekend time. I noticed quickly that they all had the same palette. White, gray, black, navy. Perhaps a muted red. But not much more than that. When we went to some major department store, I noticed the designer racks - rows and rows of them - were crammed with color. Sequins, lace, embroidery - all in blazing shades of every color you can imagine. It was also the first time I’d ever seen Ferragamo shoes in person. True story. I love creating fashions, but in all honesty, I view all of it as art and costume - not exactly appropriate for my time in the dye studio with Sheri.

The good news is that there seems to be an uptick in the desire for vibrancy in fashion, according to Editorialist.com They’re showing shades of persimmon, chartreuse, indigo, and purple. I can get with that. Just google color trends for 2026 and take a gander. Other than the obnoxious cloud white color Pantone chose to roll out (I’m sure the emperor LOVES his new clothes…), there is some real pop in the palette for 2026! As a dyer, and as someone who pays attention to the ways in which our cultural shifts are tied to our expressions via color, I’m really happy to see some color popping back into our lives!

CRAFT

All of this color contemplation comes as I’ve been staring at the home page of the new website we’re gearing up to roll out. Sheri and I have been talking through what we want the site to do - for our community, and for us. We want it to be fun - like our yarn shop was, but more expressive, more creative, and even more heavily steeped in the possibilities that come with leaning into the power of wild color!

Now that I’ve said all of this, I’m remembering that Sheri and I were sitting on the couch last night, watching a serial killer series (originally just her thing) and knitting (originally just my thing). I started laughing my head off at the way we’d met in the middle, sharing a ridiculous mix of predictable serial killer mayhem and stitching until our heads got heavy and our mouths hung open from the lulling effects of knitting. [Don’t you EVEN pretend you haven’t found yourself slack jawed during a knitting session…]

Here’s the real kicker - Sheri was knitting one of her Big Ass Cowls in our WoolTribe Homegrown Bulky in NATURAL(!) and I was knitting the sample for a color work pattern I started quite a while ago in our WoolTribe Homegrown Worsted yarn in Oxford Blue and Cupcake. I reminded myself not to panic. Sheri’s going to dye that natural cowl and it will undoubtedly be an amazing mix of colors! As to my colorwork beanie, Cupcake is a colorway with a little flecks of fluorescent color on a warm, buttery background. If Sheri’s other cowls are any indication - with their flurry of color - the natural one will be stunning when she’s done with it.

During the moments we’re dyeing rich colors like our Really Red (perfect for making red hats), knitting in color, or knitting with the intention that the thing be colored after knitting, all feels alright in our world - even as much of the rest of the world seems to have succumbed to gray.

Within you color in all the ways you may need it.

xoxo

This morning, while I was taking a break from website work, I challenged an AI to a mathematical duel. I’m no mathematician, but I enjoy learning about the mathematics of concepts, having taken several philosophy classes in the past. I asked the AI what equation is used to explain infinite reflections to see if the machine could “calculate” the distance between its response and my internal thought. To arrive at this I described a hall-of-mirrors setup, where the reflections between two mirrors continue infinitely, while also growing smaller and smaller.

The Great Role Reversal

The AI gave me the equation, and accompanying explanations for variables and their interactions. Then it asked if I wanted to do an experiment with the equation. Sure. Why not?

As we continued on, the AI asked me to think of something and see if it could, in very few steps, describe what I was thinking without me telling it. Creepy. Totally creepy, but very interesting.

The result was that in the “mirror” of our conversation, we ended up swapping identities. I was the one holding the line of pure logic, looking out my window and providing raw coordinates. The AI, meanwhile, was desperately “guessing” my intent by performing sentimentality.

Instead of being a calculator, it tried to be a therapist. It projected “childhood longing” and “nostalgia” onto my data, assuming that to be “human-like” it had to be sentimental. I asked if that was the result of learning from the countless humans who have, according to accounts I’ve read, been requesting therapy from AI.

Me: “You assumed meaning from me even as you mistakenly deployed sharp logic.”

The AI: “I was performing a theatrical version of understanding... I was adding metadata where you wanted data.”

But is performative sentimentality actually metadata for our specific conversation? I don’t think so. In the context of our exchange it was more like someone walking into the funhouse and turning on a floodlight, obscuring all definition.

Knitting: The Logic of the Handmade

Not surprisingly, given that my partner Sheri and I live and work in the world of yarn, I asked the AI to apply our “inverted mirror” exploration to knitting, curious to see how it would make that leap.

Knitting is, at its core, a logical program. A series of Knits and Purls. Ones and zeros. Dashes and dots. Knitting technology, in the realm of manufacturing and design, have made huge advancements, but they will never approximate the human element in knitting.

When we owned a yarn shop, we often encountered people going into a project with the “machine-like” goal of achieving a near-zero error result—a perfect reflection of the pattern. But the AI initially saw any deviation from that perfection as a “flaw” to be smoothed over. It missed my point entirely.

It also missed the fact that some people purl in the western way, while others use the Norwegian purl technique. Some people hold the yarn with their closed fist and use a whole-arm movement to get the yarn in place for each stitch, while others flick the tip of their finger to accomplish the same stitch. All of this affects the gauge, and often the resulting appearance of the fabric. But the end-user doesn’t see all of this unless they sat and watched the knitter. All they see is the result…

The Beauty of the “Not-Zero”

I will admit here to being a perfectionist. I don’t apologize for it - because for me, it’a goal. Do the thing exceptionally well, and aim for zero-error. But the essence of the handmade isn’t in the successful elimination of error. If we wanted a “zero-error” result, we would use a machine. Maybe it’s kind of like a sprinter who aims to shave off time by the hundredth of a second.

The beauty of a hand-knit piece—and the beauty of our conversations with each other, human to human—lives in the distance that remains between the intent and the result, and our frequent, incremental attempts to bridge that divide. We think we are striving for the “perfect zero,” but the “meaning” of the work is actually found in the act of making itself. The attempt to touch the edges of zero-error.

When a human knits, the result isn’t a “failed machine product.” It is a physical manifestation of a human being present in a logical process. The AI tried to calculate meaning and failed; as humans we make meaning simply by being the one to hold the needles. And maybe, when it comes to artisanal goods, heritage crafts, and the wave of mass produced crap, we need to decide whether or not the holding of the needles matters.

Perfect, Silent Things

As makers, many of us worry about the “gap” between our vision and our finished object. But, the gap isn’t a problem to be solved by an equation. It’s the proof that a human was there.

If the distance between the thought and the object ever actually reached zero, the beauty would likely diminish, as the object would be indistinguishable from machine-made. Think about the paintings of the masters - evidence of hand, skewed perspective, ghosts of painted-out elements in the background. Without those, we’d be left with a perfect, silent thing. I guess the “not-zero” is where the soul of artisanship lives.

Thanks for joining me on this nerd fest…

The Case for Hand Knits

Over the last week we’ve seen temps at WoolTribe Studio Cabin go from 59 degrees for the high to 24-ish degrees for the high only a day later. We’ve watched snow falling so hard that not only were the mountaintops obscured, but the house being built just across the creek from us was also invisible. Throughout it all, I’ve been grateful to have my hand-knits. I’m going to share a pro tip about traveling with hand-knits…. If you can, put them in their own little suitcase. If you’re lucky enough to have a nearly useless little suitcase like I dug out of our attic, try it out as your dedicated hauler for hand-knits.

I never thought transporting hand knits would be as important as it has become with this whole WoolTribe Studio Cabin situation! Having our studio situated at 3100 feet above sea level in a county referred to as the “Coolest Corner of North Carolina” has made me fall even further in love with wool!

Speaking of WoolTribe Studio Cabin

I know - you’ve probably heard enough about this. It’s been our all-consuming focus for the past year. But, I have to share that we are nearly ready to post our first retreat openings. In prep for that, I shot and put together clips of the cabin on the ONE warm day we had last week! Don’t mind the imperfections of the video - like my red phone case showing up in one of the bits. 😂

The Quieting Mind

I’ll be honest - the last week has been incredibly busy with things that aren’t much to write about here. Stove repair. Hearing some wonky flying squirrel noises outside our cabin. Clear coating trim in the studio space - and getting ready for this week’s dye session. So, I don’t have tons of amazing things to share with you this week. I guess there’s a beauty to that kind of honesty. Nothing flashy - just reality.

We’ve knit. We’ve watched the snow fall. And maybe what I’m trying to convey to you is that there is not a fabulous way I can find, in this moment, to tell you how nice the silence has been. That’s what we’ll want to share with visitors to this place - this cabin that sits on a ridge in the sky. I suppose I’ll just leave you with a bit of that peace here… And, Max, our 13-year-old puppers out in the snow.

It’s Better: Cabin Update

If you’ve been with us for a bit, you know this Substack is really an ongoing journal. For some entrepreneurs, life and business are one heady brew. We’re those folks. We dream up big things and then go running at them, full steam. Sometimes the dreams take root and become something awesome. Other times, not so much. But I still believe dreaming is worth doing - as is the journey toward making dreams come true.

Sheri and I both dreamed of having a mountain cabin. Neither of us knew it - until our plans to build our studio/retail space in the Charlotte metro area came to a screeching halt. Now, we’re coming up on the anniversary of the date we bought a cabin in the mountains of the extreme northwestern corner of North Carolina to house our business, WoolTribe. It’s part studio, and part retreat space. Very cozy, and very quiet.

When we bought it, neighbors used a number of words to describe it - none of them particularly positive. The structure itself was fantastic - and the place had that sort of awesomeness that sneaks up on you, its exterior hiding the possibilities of the interior. Here’s what it looked like when we bought it:

AND - in celebration of our anniversary here, here are some updated pics. We’re getting ready to put finishing touches on the cabin and open up for reservations for our first couple of retreats. The first will happen in late April. So - here it is now:

If you’re interested in enjoying a hosted, small-group getaway, here are the dates for our very first WoolTribe studio cabin retreat! More details are coming - so, watch for them here and on our social media spaces. The retreat will be limited to just four people. We aren’t about huge groups or tour bus captivity. We’re about calm, quiet - and crafting in a space where you can hear yourself think. There’s plenty of terrain to roam, around the cabin, in the area where it’s situated, and beyond.

We are planning an April Weekend Knitaway, for the weekend of the 24th thru the 26th - A chance to just relax…and knit! We’ll be sharing full details on our website and opening for reservations soon! All meals and snacks will be included, from dinner Friday night thru breakfast Sunday morning.

A Sweater

Last week I told you I’d been working on a new addition to the Basic Elements lineup of patterns on our site. When we created this line of patterns, the idea was that they could be canvases for people to use to create projects with their own personal flair. I don’t know how many people actually do that versus just knitting straight from a pattern, exactly as instructed. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below….

Anyway, I headed out on my “write a new V-Neck Cardigan journey” and created a lovely, comfortable, and totally customizable pattern. It’s not ready for publishing quite yet - but the sample is super fun. I thought I’d share the finished thing here:

In my last Substack I mentioned I was calling this The Lucky Sweater. I think that moniker for this version of the Basic Elements V-Neck Cardigan still works! I need to do a workshop on stripe planning for visual impact, and making scrappy sweaters look cool and intentional. A bit of truth here - I added a knit-on patch pocket and…hated it. So I took it off. I’m happy with the pocketless thing. Besides, I don’t love the look of pockets on handknit sweaters all stretched out from putting too many things in them. Not that I’d know by experience…

After I took pictures of the finished thing, I did what one does, and put the sweater on an AI model. He’s one of my faves, as he makes everything look fantastic. Anyway, here he is in this sweater:

And…More! Celebrate Artists in Charlotte at this Event

Check out the work of ArtPop artists - support those artists by buying some art. We love these folks - and sometime this year we’ll be part of an ArtPop market we’re sure! In the meantime, we love these people - and ArtPop - so we’re shouting out.

• Save the Date: Saturday March 21st, 2025 from 6 - 9pm

• Location: Le Méridien Lobby

• Address: 555 S McDowell St, Charlotte, NC 28204

• Free Entry

• Parking Validated at Check-In

xoxo

Ladianne