Cool Climates interveiw with Rachel Suntop and *Giveaway*

Describe Cool Climates.

I am drawn to northern (cool) places, such as Iceland and Alaska. Although I hate the cold, I'm drawn to these places for the beautiful landscapes and interesting cultures. Many of my yarns and fiber art are directly inspired by these places.

Tell us how you've come to be a fiber artist.
When I was 5, my mom taught me how to sew on a sewing machine. When I was 6, I learned to knit through a babysitter. I got hooked and throughout my childhood, I knit, sewed doll clothes, did embroidery and other craft projects. My interest has continued until this day.

What inspires your creative use of colors and textures?
Many are inspired by places I've traveled or geographical places I'm intrigued with. I'm very drawn to nature and use the colors I find in natural settings. I'm also inspired by cities and culture, and will make yarns that are inspired by those. I also like to use people (mainly celebrities) as an inspiration. I will spin a skein of yarn that "represents" that person, through physical appearance, behavior and interests. Lastly, I'm just attracted to colors and will just throw some together to make an interesting new color combination.

Do you have any spinning mentors? If so, whom?
I don't know a lot of them, but I really like Lexi Borger of "intertwined". I also have been really inspired by some of the other artists in the Phat Fiber club and artists in the Novelty Yarn and Fiber Friday groups.

Tell us about your favorite yarn.
Hard to say, but I really like the "Garden of Earthly Delights" yarn I spun recently, inspired by Heironymous Bosch's painting. I feel that I really captured the mood of the painting, both in the colors and texture (and objects).

Describe for us, the least favorite yarn you've spun.
There are several of those, mainly the first yarns I spun on the spinning wheel. Some of them are just plain ugly. Whereas others are interesting in their own way and I'm combining them with other yarns to make interesting yarns.

Do you listen to music while spinning? If so, what is your spinning soundtrack?
I almost always listen to music while spinning. I listen to all kinds of stuff: David Bowie, Cocteau Twins, Bjork, Antony and the Johnsons, Bruce Springsteen, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Varttina, Sigur Ros and U2 to name a few.

Your yarns are distinctively textural- describe the process you use to create them. Do you plan it out first and then sit down to spin?
Usually, I just create the textures as I spin, it's an impulse or an intuition. Sometimes I will plan to have certain textural elements before I spin the yarn, but I almost never think about it in depth. I will just create them in the moment of spinning, as I experience the yarn being made.

Which of your current creations for sale is your favorite?
Probably my Gamla Stan Stockholm necklace on my Etsy site: www.coolclimates.etsy.com

It's not handspun yarn, but a necklace knit from Irish linen with many interesting beads. It seems to have drawn a lot of positive attention.

If you were to make a self portrait in yarn, what would it look like?

Hmm, that's interesting. I would most likely incorporate greens, teal and coral/salmon as those are my favorite colors. It would be bulky and full of texture, changeable. It would most likely have several plies and novelty items such as beads to bring out the complexity in my personality. I consider myself to be a very outgoing and extroverted person, so the yarn would be showy. But it would also have darker, more private elements. I might add little bits of knitting (since I love knitting) and small souvineers or found objects from places that I've traveled that would have great meaning to me. I also love to bake and cook, so it would be interesting to incorporate an element of food into the yarn, whether it be real physical food or something evoking it. I might even spin some of my own hair into it, which would literally be a part of "me" in there.

We're happy to be giving away a beautiful handspun skein of Rachel Suntop's art yarn called "Deep Tropics". Please visit her shop, find something you like, and post about it below. We'll be drawing for a winner on Friday (barring any inland hurricanes). Remember, I will count your plurks, tweets, facebook, Ravelry posts and blogs as extra entries!


Thank you so much, Rachel, for sharing a little bit about yourself! We always enjoy your artful samples!