Yarn Dyeing with Cashmere and Coconuts

Have you ever seen a skein of yarn and had tons of thoughts about how you wanted to use it or just simply LOVED the color because it just stunned you with its beauty? This was me when I happened upon Cashmere and Coconuts’ Radioactive Rainforest as well as Dragonfly in Amber :). Then I saw her shop and simply wanted ALL the yarn. :). Maybe it’s just me, but I’ll let you decide when you look at her beautiful work of yarn art that you can work with yourself. :) She also shares advice for new dyers, what inspires her for new colorways, how yarn dyeing is a science, and much more.

Cashmere and Coconuts Hand Dyed Yarn Art

Note - This post contains affiliate links, which means I will make a commission at no extra cost to you, should you click through and make a purchase. Please note that I do not recommend products or websites unless I use them or would use them myself. I have spend countless hours on Etsy (and purchased products from there extensively) and love seeing all the small creative businesses on there. :)

You can find more of her stunning yarn on Anastasia’s Etsy Shop and tons of behind the scenes as well as upcoming projects on her Instagram profile.

What gave you the idea/inspiration to start Cashmere and Coconuts?

Well, about 16 years ago or so I learned how to crochet, and for a number of years I sort of half heartedly worked on various hats, scarves and blankets—-I never LOVED it, but I enjoyed making things and I didn’t know how to knit, so that was all I could do at the time. I always had a deep desire to learn how to make socks though, and for that, I needed to learn to knit. When Covid hit, I suddenly found that I had the time to try to learn, and so I started watching tons of YouTube videos….once the lockdowns ended I very quickly realized that yarn—especially good yarn—is expensive! I needed a way to fund my yarn habit without hurting the family finances, and realized I could definitely dye yarn. A few books, some dye and a little bit of fiber later, Cashmere and Coconuts was born!

How did you get started in dyeing yarn?

Haha, well I guess I sort of answered this above, but really once I started dyeing yarn, I very quickly realized I absolutely loved it. My dad was really gifted with art and I always had this sort of disappointment that I didn’t get his artistic talent… until I started dyeing yarn. Then I really realized that artistic talent comes in so many different forms, and just because I can’t draw to save my life, doesn’t mean I didn’t get any of his gift. The more I learned, the more I enjoyed it and the mountains of yarn began to stack up in our living room. Eventually I opened an Etsy shop, and about six weeks later it basically took off—-and I haven’t stopped since!

What’s your favorite colorway to dye?

My favorite….oh goodness. I don’t know if I could possibly name a favorite. I do DEFINITELY have a least favorite, simply because of how long it takes to make it—-but I’ll never tell which one it is!

How do you choose the colorways you create – ie is there something that you take inspiration from when you start a new colorway?

I have a lot of different places I draw inspiration from. Much of it is from my day to day…it could be a flower I found on a walk with my kids, a plant in my house, the sunset after a rainstorm….but I also recently purchased the Sarah Renee Clark color catalogs, which give you endless ideas for colorway combinations. They’re actually meant for people who draw, paint and so on, but I have found them extremely useful in creating colorways that maybe the average person wouldn’t think to make—-color combos that you just wouldn’t think of unless you saw them together somewhere.

What do you wish people understood about dyeing yarn?

I think the biggest thing I wish people understood is just how much work it really is. For example, you can’t just throw dye in a pan and expect it to come out right. I have certain dyes that I know I can’t use on certain yarn bases, because they’ll do what is called splitting…meaning that they’ll break into their blue/yellow/red components and those components might adhere to the yarn at different times. The result of that is you may have started with a blue dye, but you will get sections that are blue, and maybe a few spots that are purple or even pink or light red. That’s just one issue you have to watch for, and while sometimes we WANT this to happen, when we do NOT want it to happen, it can be a real pain. Another thing is that the order you add certain colors really does matter—you can get yarn that looks COMPLETELY different just depending on if you add say, black, before or after other colors. What we do really is a science of sorts, we have to calculate carefully documented recipes if we want to repeat our colorways….really the list is endless. I love what I do with a passion, but there’s so much more to it than people ever realize. I had someone recently tell me my yarn was too expensive….which I completely understood her perspective on….but the thing is, for how much time we put into it, we really are not making very much. Most dyers dye because they love to do it,  not because it’s super lucrative.

What would you tell a new yarn dyer or fiber artist for encouragement?

Don’t be afraid to put the dye on the yarn. You’re going to have skeins you hate, and that’s totally ok. But you’ll never find the ones you love unless you’re willing to jump in and go for it.

What is something you are passionate about and why?

Non-yarn/fiber related? Definitely my kids/family. They’re my reason for existing and what gets me up every day.

How has COVID changed or impacted your vision/strategy?

Well Covid really started it all, so I guess it gave me the motivation I needed to try something and just go for it.

What is something that has helped you get through during this global pandemic? Something encouraging or positive?

Really its been a combination of this business and my kids. It’s been a hard few years for my family on many levels, pandemic aside, but when I’m dyeing yarn, it just sort of takes it all away for while. There’s something that is very healing about creating—-especially when you’ve suffered a tremendous amount of recent loss, on serval different levels.

If you had one (or several) things to share with a woman entrepreneur, what would it be? What would you encourage them about?

I think that it’s important to remember that women can be both your greatest source of encouragement, but also have the potential to really bring discouragement at times. Its so important to surround yourself with women who will uplift you and encourage you… if you find that someone is bringing you down, or not giving you the encouragement you need (and I’m not talking about giving constructive criticism) then you need to find a new source of encouragement. Surround yourself with women who will build you up and remember that you have value, no matter what you’re doing.

What are three tools in your workshop you could not dye your yarn without?

Ooph. There are definitely more than 3, but if I can only pick three then I guess my warmers (what I cook the yarn in), my dyes and well, the yarn!

Fun question – if you could meet one person in history or present, who would it be and why?

I think it would be really interring to meet Elizabeth I of England. If you know much of her history, she was a woman who really went against a lot of the “expected” roles of women—she had such a positive impact on England during her reign, and I think it would just be Dacian time to meet her.

What is your dream for Cashmere and Coconuts to be (where do you see Cashmere and Coconuts in 5+ years)?

It’s funny, because it’s almost difficult to say for sure. I would NEVER have dreamed my little kitchen started dye shop would have exploded like this in 18 months, but it’s exploded even beyond my wildest dreams. If I could though, I’d have a studio where I could hold shops, teach others how to dye yarn, knit, spin, etc. I’m not 100% sure I want a brick and mortar yarn shop, but I’d love to somehow incorporate the online store with a teaching studio.

Is there anything (message or topic) you would like to talk about that we did not ask about?

Not that I can think of? Your questions have been great!

How can I and my readers help you with your dream for Cashmere and Coconuts? 

Well, I’d never say no to someone wanting to buy a skein or two! Lol. But really, if would help tremendously if they followed me on social media (I’ll list them below) and just help out by liking/comment on posts they see, that helps so much!

Facebook: Cashmere and Coconuts Hand Dyed Yarn

Instagram: @cashmereandcoconutsstore

TikTok: cashmereandcoconuts

Thank you for joining us for this interview with Anastasia’s Cashmere and Coconuts! I’d love to see what you make with her yarn! :). Tag us on social media or comment below. Take care my friend!