I had the pleasure of interviewing Christa about the new chapter in her life shortly after becoming a full-time dyer.
Christa stretches her artistic skills continually as the founder and artist behind her yarn company, The Frosted Stitch.
Her passion for colors shines with each new, seasonal collection or the monthly yarn club Mr. Stitch’s Drive-in. Perhaps more remarkable than her excellent color sense is Christa’s ability to share her inspirations as they come, in whatever form they take.
The colors have a richness that brings a promise of each wool’s character to the forefront: enhancing the shine, the slight halo, or matte softness.
Tell a little about yourself.
Hi! My name is Christa (she/her). I’m a crocheter/knitter and indie yarn dyer from Northern Ontario (Sudbury) Canada. I live with my husband (married since 2009) and our 11 cats (yes, 11 – my husband is crazy for cats). I’ve spent half of my adult life (18.5 years as of August) managing a local gas station for two of the most wonderfully supportive people in my life. When they chose to retire in August, I did too!
Pursuing dyeing full time has been a dream for a couple of years now and I’m finally in a place to “shoot my shot”.
In addition to crochet, knitting, and all the yarn things, I love to read. I have a rather extensive collection – over 450 – of books. I enjoy fiction, particularly mystery, horror, adventure, and of course some of the classics. My musical tastes are also quite diverse – on any given day I’ll jump from Disturbed to Shakira to a movie score in one sitting. SPEAKING OF WHICH, it feels pertinent to mention that I am unabashedly OBSESSED with Pirates of the Caribbean (and it’s been the inspiration for a lot of my work) – these movie scores are ALWAYS appropriate dyeing music.
I’m also a baker! Not professionally or anything, but I’ve loved to bake since I was young. Cookies, bars, squares, loaves, muffins, and cupcakes. I’m not a pastry maker/eater – I leave that up to Mr. Stitch.
I did do some post-secondary education but never pursued either stream. I’ve got a degree in Forensic Anthropology and a diploma as a Residential Electrician (didn’t finish the on-the-job parts). I learned so many wonderful things, about both subject matters AND myself, and definitely do not regret either experience.
Also, I DESIGN PATTERNS! It’s often overshadowed by the yarn but I am in fact a designer as well, and I look forward to continuing that path in the future!
What inspired you to start your business as a dyer?
To be honest, and I think this might be the case for many of us, cost.
When I stumbled into the world of hand-dyed yarn, I was SMITTEN. But I could not afford to work exclusively with it at the time. And while it grew out of “necessity”, it became SO MUCH MORE.
I spent most of my life as a very analytical “left-brained” person. Math, science, logic – that’s where I thrived. I didn’t think for a second that I had any creativity to unlock BUT I WAS WRONG. The joy I felt when putting colours together in the pans is indescribable. Not to mention the incredible response I had from those around me. It was their motivation that ultimately pushed me to start selling.
What is your favorite part about being a dyer?
COLOUR.
I LOVE COLOUR. ALL OF IT.
Being able to dream up combinations and turn photographs/ideas into yarn is just wild.
As a full-time dyer though, the ability to work from home, for myself, on my own schedule, is an incredible bonus. That, and the feeling I get when I see the works of art others create with yarn I’ve dyed is just BEYOND anything I could ever have imagined. The feelings of joy, pride, appreciation – I can’t quite put them into words. I honestly get a little teary just thinking about it.
What’s your source of inspiration?
Everything around me.
I know that sounds cliché, but it’s true. I’m inspired by nature – vegetation, changing seasons, weather.
I’m inspired by the effects nature has on humanity and man-made objects (rust, oxidation, weathering, erosion, reclamation, decay – hence the Echoes Collection). I’m inspired by books and movies and music (the aforementioned Pirates of the Caribbean obsession has spawned a yearly surprise box collection).
I also find that sometimes, even just the dyes inspire me. I’ll start adding things to a pan and they take on a life of their own, sometimes motivating me to create a fade or collection around them!
I also use PHOTOS. For many collections, such as the Traveling Skeins Monthly Club from 2021. I created colourways inspired by photographs that were submitted to me by fellow makers. Similarly, our Mr. Stitch’s Drive-In Monthly Club does the same thing but with movie posters as the inspiration!
AND ALSO MAKERS IN YARN. This ongoing series is one of my favourite things. I use a photo of a fellow maker and turn them into a personalized colorway. I view it as a way to capture their essence and share it with the world. To commemorate them and show them how much they inspire myself and others in the community! They are chosen at random – whenever I find a photo that inspires me, I run with it (but of course before going ahead, I get their approval).
Also fully intend on using my cats as inspiration for a collection one day. In case you were worried I hadn’t thought of that LOL.
What makes your work special?
Oh gosh. I don’t feel special? LOL
There is such a multitude of talent in the community that I feel like a blip – a small potato.
But for the purpose of this, I guess I can talk myself up a bit.
I’m proud of my ability to provide people with moody/saturated colourways all year-round. Like, I have a way of capturing Spring (for example) without the traditional pastels (if that makes sense?).
I also think that my catalogue itself is special. There is so much to choose from – and almost always available – that people can create the most beautiful and perfect palettes for their projects. Many of my colourways (from any collection) work together!
I also think, like any dyer, I have methods of dyeing that create unique features in the yarn (be it specific pooling trends, speckling, colour blending, layering).
I think that with the incredible array of talented dyers and gorgeous yarn to choose from, ultimately it’s the interactions I think that makes me stand out. My customers mean the world to me and I’ll go to GREAT lengths to help them. The designers in this community mean so much to me and I will collaborate and work with as many as I can. I want to help get hand dyed yarn into the hands of as many people as I can and as affordably as I can (while still paying my bills) – this includes yarn support, sweater discounts, sales, share-a-skein program (will be bringing this one back in the future).
How often do you restock?
I’m never NOT restocked TBH. I dye-to-order all the time. You can order almost any colourway in my catalogue ANYTIME and on any available base. I typically estimate 4 weeks for it to arrive (but those who know me know it’s more like 2, including shipping time LOL). I have a constant supply of bare yarn at home to fill orders, and if I run out I immediately order more.
In terms of collections, however, I usually do 2-3 a year – a Spring, a Fall, and a Winter. I’ve also implemented something new this year – seasonal semisolids – which have a limited run (4 months), to see how that goes! And I also usually have a few bundle sales a year, when the overflowing inventory becomes unmanageable here at home (because I dye to order, I often have to fill the pans with extra yarn to fulfill an order, leaving me with extras).
You have a lot of beautiful skeins. Do you have a favorite shade?
Well. This is not fair.
Junkyard because it was one of my first.
Oxidation because I adore rust.
My favourite semisolid is Olive-You.
I can comfortably say anything green, mustard or rusty orange would be my favourite.
How do you like spending time outside your dyeing work?
Mostly knitting/crocheting, and snuggling with the cats. As I said before I love to read and bake, though admittedly I do less of both than I used to. I’m not at all an extrovert, rather, more of a homebody so I don’t do too many exciting things LOL.
What’s in store for the next season?
OH MY GOSH SO MUCH.
Fall 2022 – Echoes Launch, Yarn-a-Long
- Two new colourways
- Two new MAKERS IN YARN colourways
December 2022 – Library Semisolid Launch - Pirate Winter Surprise Boxes
2023 (At a glance) – Two new semisolid collections (along with bringing back the old ones) - One new full collection
- FOCUSING on my catalogue. Reintroducing old colourways, modifying and perfecting old dye methods and colourways. I want people to know and see ALL the gorgeousness that is always available. Instead of always spewing new stuff – stop and “smell the roses” as Lauren said, and admire and appreciate what I’ve already accomplished.
- Stitch-A-Longs with any Frosted Stitch Yarn
- Collaborations with more designers (AND DYERS????)
- Hoping to do a yarn show/festival and considering wholesale!
- Also really need to finish building the studio at home
- DESIGNING – I miss it so much. I’d like to create new crochet designs, perhaps one or two in Tunisian, and MAYBE KNIT?!
- Also want to update all my old patterns (format, template, etc. and make new samples in hand dyed yarn).
Where can we find you?
On IG – www.instagram.com/thefrostedstitch
On Facebook – www.facebook.com/thefrostedstitch
On the Web – www.thefrostedstitch.ca
Ravelry – www.ravelry.com/stores/the-frosted-stitch-designs
You can also tag my yarns on Ravelry when uploading projects!
Conclusively, businesses with attainable goals built on knowledge and research rooted in passion are, in my opinion, the most successful. A founder with a passion for the product plus kismet involved (or you can call it magic) makes the perfect marriage.
Such is the case for the beautiful yarns labeled The Frosted Stitch, and I’m so happy to welcome Christa to my blog.
Note: All opinions and writing are my own, and I was not paid in any way for the placement of this product.