Island Sweet

Shawn O'Hagan, the visual artist-turned tactile goddess, has sent in mini hanks of her gorgeous art yarn! "Best Boy" Marcus, came up with a great question after I cooed and gushed over the samples in his presence: What makes it art yarn? I was only too happy to explain it to him.

When a being invests careful thought, planning, emotion, and previous training (whether they be from institutions or life) and creates something to achieve a result that is deemed significant- it becomes art. Well, at least to me (and who am I anyway?).

Island Sweet is Shawn's shop. She lives in Newfoundland with her husband and adorable puppy. This is another blog you will need to blogroll, because the photos she posts of her walks with abagail are breathtaking and will make you want to pack your bags for the great white north- even this time of year! When I approached Shawn about January's theme being "Wintery Mix", she set about creating yarns that explored different aspects of winter. Akin to a photographic macro, Shawn hit the feelings and textures of winter on the head.

"Pond Ice", a yarn I featured in the youtube video, is a soft blue-green, almost undulating, bulky yarn complete with the sun's reflection off of the ice with patches of sparkling angelina.

"Hearth Fire", is an amazingly brilliant yellow and orange bulky weight that, much like fire, is hard to look away from. I see hints of blue and purple much like a very hot and comforting hearth fire. Delicious.

"Thinking of Spring in Winter", is a gorgeously sparkly and funky-spun lime green and pink yarn. There are the obligatory black streaks of eyelash novelty yarn- which are representative of the cold reality; that this fancifully bright daydream is coiled from the dark night of winter.

Finally, "Glitter Storm" is a mixture of many whites- spun from merino, corn fiber and ramie with angelina glitz and a sprnkling of glittery novelty yarn. I can envision a perfect snow-queen winter shawl stitched out of this pale beauty!

I am now going to amaze you further, by telling you that Shawn has only been spinning for a year!!! I am keenly interested in what she'll come up with next! Please hurry over to Island Sweet's shop and get your art yarn fix, and if you would, beg Shawn to contribute her amazing handspuns to future boxes!