The Heritage Collection: WWI & WWII Blog Tour

Hi Friends! I am so pleased to have Rohn Strong taking over my blog today on his Heritage Collection Blog Tour. Welcome Rohn!

Hey Guys…this is Rohn Strong, author of The Heritage Collection WWI & WWII, and I am here visiting Rachel on her blog! Now, as many of you may know, or may not know, the book that I wrote is primarily focused on history, so many of the stops on the blog tour I am doing have been focused on just that, and although I could drone on and on about historical knitting, I wanted to switch it up a little!
So, we are going to do an interview. I am turning the tables on Rachel and asking her questions about herself, her yarn, history, and knitting! Let’s do this!
Hey Rachel! Thanks for having me on your blog and thank you for being a part of the tour!
Thank you Rohn, it is a pleasure having you here!
Tell everyone about yourself a bit!

Most people here know that I live in Owls Head, Maine with my husband, 2 daughters, 5 goats, 4 chickens, and 5 bunnies! I am a Stay-At-Home-Working-Mom, with heavy emphasis on the Working. I am a spinner, an indie dyer, and a knitter!
Something most people may NOT know about me is that I am obsessed with cooking and often pretend that I am on the cooking show Chopped. I most often knit my sweaters with short sleeves because I am ALWAYS hot. And I love legwarmers.
You produce some of the most beautiful yarn I have ever seen, how did you get started doing that?

In college I decided that I wanted to knit for a living. After graduation I worked at a One Lupine Fiber Arts making nuno felt scarves and apparel. From there my love affair with wool began. After leaving One Lupine I started selling my own felted goods and knits online and at craft shows, which lead to hand dyed wool, and handspun yarn!

I am not sure if you know this, but before your yarn, I had never really worked with handspun yarn…I didn’t like it much! However, you hooked me! Why do you think your yarn sets you apart from others?
I am so glad to hear that I've changed your opinion of handspun yarn! I work tirelessly to make balanced and beautiful yarns that are great for knitting, crochet, and crafting. I am a practical girl myself, and I really want that to translate into my yarn. I try and make my yarn so that it can be worked into patterns that call for commercial yarn so it is easy to make the switch to my handspun.
When I do craft shows people are always telling me how much they love my colors. I get so excited to hear that! I never would have considered myself a "color" person, but it's turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the process. I put a lot of time thinking about how the color will translate in a finished piece, making sure it is both wearable, and fun to work with.
Also, I've always believed that a persons energy is transferred into everything they touch, that's why I always say my yarn is "filled with positive energy". I love spinning so much, and it brings me so much happiness to get to do this for a living. In turn, that energy is put into every inch of my yarn! Now, about my book, how did you feel when we approached you to be in the book? I vainly have to ask…did you like the socks I designed with your yarn? (As I type this I am wearing the socks HA!)
I was so excited when I was approached about being a part of your book. I had already heard so many great things about you through the fiber arts grapevine, and couldn't wait to see the final product! I must say that the book is both interesting in content and beautiful to look at.

As for Lloyd, the pattern you used my yarn for- I love Love LOVE it! It is such a cleaver and user friendly pattern! Plus, it really is so great for handspun. I'm always telling people to choose simple patterns when working with handspun so that the yarn really stands out.
What are your future plans?
Since I went full time with my business this past January, I've been diligently trying to grow my brand. I am working on a new line of hand dyed yarn using locally sourced wool, specifically from small farms. Maine has a long tradition in the woolen industry and I am so lucky to have so many wonderful farms to work with! I am also going to be adding a variety of kits and more fiber art supplies.
Where can people see and buy your wonderful yarn!? Right now my handspun yarn is available through my Etsy Store, ontheround, at my LYS Over the Rainbow Yarn in downtown Rockland and at various craft shows all over the state of Maine. I will be launching my own website this spring. I will also be opening up my show schedule in the next year!
Anything else you think we should know? Yes! I love hearing from other knitters and spinners. Check out my Facebook page OnTheRound Fiber Art , and you can also find me on Twitter as ontheround. So there you have it folks! An awesome interview with Rachel! Make sure you check out her yarn in my new book, The Heritage Collection WWI & WWII, which is now available on Amazon and Ravlery! For more of Rohn Strong’s designs, please visit his website at: http://www.strongandstone.com.