a gorgeous fiber fest with lulubeans' aprill newman

photos (and handspun pinwheel blanket!) by aprill newman

a handmade talent i most definitely do not possess (but have a lot of respect for those who do) is knitting. i especially love looking at hand-dyed and handspun yarn, and all of the wonderful things that can be made with it. today i thought i'd share the lovely work of portland's aprill newman, the super-talented force behind lulubeans. she has a great eye for color, and her yarns are so lovely that even though i'm not a knitter i've been known to place skeins in a bowl just to admire as works of art.

i asked aprill to share both local and non-local resources and inspirations for all of you fellow fiber lovers out there.  here's what she had to say:

around portland:

i love knitwit's bright and cozy munjoy hill shop.  the store is full of eye candy: lace knit curtains are framed by robust morning glories in the summer; gigantic handmade mittens and pompoms adorn the shop in winter.  they have a lovely selection of patterns and beautiful yarns.

central yarn  is my go to place for the yarns i think of as staples in any knitters stash.  they have a good selection of lopi and lamb's pride and often mark yarns down with great sale prices. and i definitely second amanda's praise for their button selection! 

the ladies at the portland fiber gallery taught me how to spin yarn on a wheel a few years ago.   they are a great resource for all things fiber related, from needle felting to weaving classes, to picking up an extra drive band for your spinning wheel should your small child get a little too excited about having her own pair of scissors.  ahem.

and online:  (links for knitters and non-knitters alike!)

i am absolutely smitten with jared flood's brooklyntweed blog. his photography and overall design sense blow me away! 

i recently found the work of artist nikko moy via flickr and i love what she is doing with wool, a lot. 

joana vasconcelos' work with textiles, knitting/ crochet and lace makes me so happy.  (her website can be a little tricky, but well worth peeking around.)

the same goes for the beautiful work of helle jorgensen.  this woman is so brilliant.

when i need a visual battery recharge, i go to flickr or the yarn museum.  i really love to see the work of spinners who are making yarn that is very different from mine.  there is so much amazing stuff out there!

thanks so much, aprill!!

Comments

[Nikko]

Thanks for the mention! I am honored that you like my work!

[Nikko]

Just a heads up!