Interview | Green Elephant Yarn

I love sharing insights in to the craft world and in particular Indie Dyers and Designers stories on the blog. I think it’s important to get to know the people behind those luxurious hand dyed yarns we all covet. Today on the blog I want to introduce you all to Fiona of Green Elephant Yarn. Readers, you may remember her from the Irish Love Collection a collaboration with Mina Loves Designs in which Fiona dyed her favourite colour on a beautiful merino sock base. You may also know Fiona as part of the Irish Dye Junkies on Facebook so I thought we could invite Fiona to tell us a little more about herself.

Can you tell us a little about yourself and where you are based?

Hello! I’m Fiona, the lady behind Green Elephant Yarn. I am a yarn and knitting addict and its a fab community to be a part of. I am based in Waterford, not far from the City. I have a little home office where I stash all my yarn and plan my colourways! I dye all Green Elephant Yarn in my kitchen but hope to build a studio beside our house in the near future. I spend most of my time looking after my two little girls but manage to fit in some craft time when I’m allowed.

Why did you start Green Elephant Yarns and where did the name come from?

It all started a few years ago when I convinced some friends to attend a yarn dyeing workshop with me. I loved every second of it and haven’t stopped dyeing since. I crocheted for almost a year before that and discovered some lovely dyers in the UK and had to find out more. The possibilities with dyeing your own yarn are endless and I love that.

There’s no big story behind the name; I love elephants and I love green!

Party Punch

What is your favourite base to work with?

I love watching the different outcomes when you dye on different bases. I’ve just dyed on a Merino/Silk base for the first time and I am totally in love. The way it takes the colour is fab and it’s so so soft. I can’t wait to make something with it!

What do you think helped you the most to build your business?

Encouragement from my husband and family and an obsession with yarn to start with! Instagram has been a great place for me too, getting to chat with customers and making new like-minded friends is a great bonus to having a small business.

Standing Stone

What does a typical day look like for you?

At the moment it’s summer holidays so it’s a bit more relaxed than during the school year. My girls are my top priority so I spend most of my time running around after them. On a dye day, I’ll spend a few hours in my kitchen making potions and hopefully creating beautiful yarn! I try to plan beforehand to make sure I know what I’m doing to make the most of the time I have to work with the yarn. Most days I find a few minutes for knitting too!

How do you stay motivated and keep the shop updates going?

I love dyeing yarn and seeing everyone’s reactions to the result. I guess that’s what keeps me going and makes me want to keep trying to create something special.

What does running a creative business mean to you?
It means putting a lot of yourself into the business which I think reaps the best rewards. If I didn’t love what I was doing then I think you’d be able to see that in my product. I always want to keep the yarn I’ve dyed for myself and I think it should be that way. I love knitting and crochet too so being able to create things and seeing other people create amazing things with my yarn is a massive win for me.

What does the future hold for Green Elephant Yarn?

Who knows? Hopefully, my amazing customers will continue to support me and I’ll keep doing my best to create yarn that people love!
The near future involves vending at a new yarn festival in Belfast called Yarnfolk this weekend. I’m currently up to my elbows in yarn 🙂

You can follow Fiona on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and if you want some of those delicious skeins in your hands you can find her website here. You can also find her yarn as part of the Irish Dye Junkie nights on Facebook here or in the following stores:

Winnies Craft Cafe – Dublin, Ireland

The Constant Knitter – Dublin, Ireland

The Baldy Sheep – Longford, Ireland

Thank you so much, Fiona for taking the time to come and meet us. Best of luck at Yarnfolk this weekend!