I first learned of Mad Scientist Yarns when I saw their 2018 Advent Calendar. It was fun and vibrant, while being its own style. Michelle & Scott agreed to let me interview them for my blog, so like the other interviews in this series I’ll shine the spotlight on their words and photos from their Instagram feed and Mad Scientist Yarns store.
How long have you been dyeing yarn?
Just over a year
What inspired you to make your dyeing a business?
Wanted to raise money on a regular basis for multiple charities whilst also having some fun away from the day job
Where did your company name come from?
We both come from a laboratory background and are mad!!
What do you like about what you do?
The fun in creating colour ways and seeing them made up into so many wonderful items
What fuels you in your work?
Fun and raising money for charity – the yarn business is a weekend / evening business only
How does your environment inspire your work?
For us it is our background of working in science and the fun that can be had experimenting that inspires
What is your approach to your work?
To have fun whilst being safe
How do you approach your work on a colorway?
Sometimes there is a plan other times it’s just about what colours pull at us on those days.
Who in the knitting and craft community inspires you and why?
We have no 1 person we could point to, instead we are inspired by all – through this community we have made new friends world wide, supported indie designers, bag makers, accessory makers etc.. and when we need a shoulder they are there and in general everyone works together. There is much work to continue to do so everyone feels included and benefits from how we have been made to feel though
What makes a beautiful skein of yarn?
Everything!! Sometimes it’s brights, other times it’s pastels, then some days speckles, variegation, gradients. Then you get onto the bases – they all have their place not sure where to even start as even though we don’t dye it Tencel is a great vegan yarn I have many in my stash, but personally I love silk on its own or mixed with other fibres
Craft tool you cannot live without?
Interchangeable needles
Finish this sentence: “When I am not dyeing yarn I am… “
Knitting
Anything else you want to share or reflect upon?
It’s all about having fun
What a fun interview and don’t you just love the vibrant hues they create? I’m thrilled to be including their yarn in two patterns in my upcoming Ultraviolet Knits book.
You can read other interviews with hand-dyers, artists, designers, and creatives HERE in the Community & Interviews category of EvinOK.
