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the dyer who couldn’t

I miss dyeing. I am a dyer, a job I love.

I am a dyer whose time is preoccupied with other jobs, a lot of them.  All of these jobs are important and need to get done and some of them of even fun

however, none of them are dyeing.

This has been weighing on my little colored heart lately and inspired some “interesting” late night musing.

You know that moment when you are filling out an “official” form, and you come to the line that asks for occupation? Well,I don’t know about you but this has often caused me to pause and ponder . The pause is natural and logical if you are one of those people that change careers, work experiences…jobs. I am most certainly one of these people. In almost 52 ( shh) years wandering the planet I have been a sound engineer, sous-chef, manager, therapist, musician, baker, advocate for rape survivors and mother ( and yes I do consider this a job). These are the ones that stuck for the longest and meant the most.

The last 10 years I have spent dyeing and building my own business.  As a small ( I swear it is) owner one of the things you end up doing a lot and is not one of my favorite parts, is the filling out of the a-fore-mentioned forms.  At this point in time I am a business owner, CEO if you want the official title. Funny isn’t it? Makes me laugh all the time.

I wear many hats in running Blue Moon and in all honesty pretty much enjoy them all. Some of these jobs I rock at others not so much. I have learned just so much, a staggering amount of knowledge, experience and a ton in the personal growth and development department.

Running through all of this, every single fiber and thread of it is the thoroughly set truth that at my core I am a dyer. I have loved and learned from all of my career choices and they certainly mirror who I am. This whole dyeing thing though, it is cellular for me, my life-blood. It physically hurts (someone) if I go too long without mixing powdered colors together to translate what I have seen or dreamed or feel or love onto yarn. It has been too long, way too long.

So today I am a dyer that is not only going to work on sock summit, ad work, pattern proofing, write a blog post… but since my head is so full of color thoughts I am also going to take a couple of hours and go play in the barn with dye and yarn.

p.s. You know that dream I had of a marketplace filled with us dyers?  Guess what? It is really happening. We have so many hand dyers coming to be a part of the Sock Summit Marketplace. Have you seen that vendor list?  So much color joy. If you cannot find me at the summit just look up because I will be floating on a color cloud.

I almost feel like we should give the marketplace a name to reflect all of the color glory.  Any thoughts on this?

21 Comments
  1. E #

    Sounds like a cityscape of coulour and fiber delights. May i suggest:

    ChromatiCity

    chromaticity |ˌkrōməˈtisətē|

    noun

    the quality of color, independent of brightness.

    or… a word that’s not a word:

    chromatopia (chroma-toe-pia!) :o)

    May you get LOST in those few hours of chroma-time! May they imbue you with light and charge you with creative energy. May they leave you feeling rested, balanced, at peace. xxo.

    November 30, -0001
  2. Wen #

    I suggest “The Happy Place”. (Not to be confused with ‘the h@ppiest place on earth’ since the owners of that slogan like to sue) Alternately you could also use “Garden of Happiness”, “Heaven”, or “The place you’re going to go happily broke”.

    Man, I wish I was there in the barn with you squishing and mixing.

    November 30, -0001
  3. If not “The Happy Place” what about “Somewhere over the Rainbow!” Yarn heaven, of course, is what it will be!!

    Wishing you a fabulous day of dyeing and reenergizing!!!  I too wish I was there! I’d be a good sous-dyer, I think…pass me the blue, write that down, yes, that is pretty!!  hehehe…

    November 30, -0001
  4. Amy #

    The Sock Summit Spectrum (not to be confused with the Sock Summit Speculum, coming to a gynecological conference near you!)

    November 30, -0001
  5. How about Colorama or Sockorama?

    I like it when you dye, too! I hope you had a wonderfully colorful good time.

    November 30, -0001
  6. How about Tina’s Rainbow of Dreams?

    (((hugs)))

    November 30, -0001
  7. LorileeB #

    one vote for “chromatopia”

    November 30, -0001
  8. michele #

    Another vote for Chromatopia!

    November 30, -0001
  9. Joan C-M #

    Any thoughts?  Hooray!!!!!!

    “Have you been half asleep, and have you heard voices?  I’ve heard them calling my name…someday you’ll find it, the rainbow connection…”

    November 30, -0001
  10. liz #

    Tina, honestly, you(and your color thoughts!) are an inspiration for not only making dreams a reality but also being open learning something everyday.

    And who says being a mom isn’t a job? I don’t have children, but of course it’s a job and a calling – I’m guessing your kids would agree.

    November 30, -0001
  11. Two phrases popped into my mind:

    Color Me Happy

    and

    The color of your dreams

    Oh its going to be so amazing!

    November 30, -0001
  12. The Coloration Station!

    November 30, -0001
  13. Theo #

    Is there going to be a special Sock Summit colorway- just in case you wake up screaming and need to dye in the middle of the night?  C:  Tina’s coat of tutti frutti colors of love????

    November 30, -0001
  14. Sue #

    Tina’s amazing technicolor dreamcoat!!!! You go girlfriend

    November 30, -0001
  15. Katie M. #

    How about Dyer’s Haven?

    November 30, -0001
  16. Chromaticity and Chromatopia offered above both grab me. The first is the most fun to say, the second the best description.

    November 30, -0001
  17. Yes, like AlisonH I like the Chromacity and Chromatopia!  How about Coloration Sensation rather than “The Coloration Station”d? 

    And it is funny that you have had such a hard time filling out that “Occupation” line when I often have the same problem for the reverse situation:  same State Agent career for over 20 years.  And so I have come to call it ‘State Agent’-kind of generic but works for me and my boring life, not that I’ve not done other things, too!

    Glad to see you back and blogging-I figured you were up to your eyeballs in the other stuff that fills your time-and particularly Sock Summit!

    November 30, -0001
  18. Mary Kay #

    Have I seen the vendor list???  No, I haven’t, and I’ve been wondering whether that was going to be a surprise… Would you care to share that info with us?

    November 30, -0001
  19. Colors From The Heart

    Color Clouds & Clusters

    Come On & Get Happy!!

    Once In A Lifetime Stroll

    Souls Of Color

    Colors Of Our Labor

    Sunglasses Available At The Door

    Ha, just alittle scribble on a Sunday morning which I never get to do.  Love to think of new names or titles.  Thought I’d just throw a few in.  This is the way I feel and can’t wait to get to Portland!

    November 30, -0001
  20. Chris Hanner #

    I totally understand the need to dye! So, I’m still wondering why in the heck Sock Summit wouldn’t accept me as a vendor when all I wanted to do was help folks to dye a skein of yarn in their choice of colors in my booth. Why do we have to let the convention center be the boss of us?? Safe? Yes! Messy? No! Just like you, I hate it when I’m not taken seriously!

    November 30, -0001
  21. I thought I’d chime in on a name for the market place and call it simply Rainbow Heaven. I’ve seen everyone else’s choices thought and love them all! One In a Lifetime Stroll…how cute is that? I sure hope it’s not once in a lifetime though…I really am hoping Sock Summit will become an annual event.

    Any chance of getting 5 tix to Sock Hop though? I thought exhibitors would have tickets reserved for us and wouldn’t have to be quite as click-happy but I got not a single class…not even the opening dinner or Sock Hop. I’m very sad {insert frowny face here}

    Anyway…great work on this event and very proud to be part of it!

    November 30, -0001

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