Unwind with Juno Fibre Arts

Well, it's time to head nearer to Brighton for the last vendor today. Juno Fibre Arts will be joining Unwind as a vendor so I asked her to answer a few questions and share some of her crafting experiences with us...

Please introduce yourself and your business in 2-3 sentences.

Juno Fibre Arts is an artisan yarn and fibre company producing a uniquely hand dyed collection of yarns and spinning fibres.  Run by Asti Johnson, out of a home studio and busy family home in  Devon

Aileron by Dieuwke Van Mulligan

 What treats can we look forward to seeing at your stand during Unwind?

Juno Fibre arts is proud to be unveiling a few collaborative  projects at Unwind.

A secret new pattern and yarn will be launched, a beautiful new shawl pattern with corresponding new luxury base and colours will be available too.

Frangipani by Helen Stewart

We will have some fabulous samples on display and will be hosting Helen Stewart from Curious Handmade with her beautiful shawls made with Alice, on Saturday between 3 and 4.

There will be the unveiling of Bliss, a new ultra decadent laceweight and a high twist version of the ever faithful Buffy sock yarn……

Bliss, Camel and Silk Laceweight

Where does your colour inspiration come from?

I love natural earthy tones, colours that you would see in nature, the brights of flowers and so on. Living here provides a wealth of inspiration.  My comfort zone is definitely muted natural tones though. 

Mood and memories can also affect the colours produced on any given day and both form a large part of my creative process

What is your work space like?

My studio is within the grounds of the house, up the garden path in an old workshop. It’s pretty ‘rustic’ (or ramshackle) but that suits me down to the ground as I often have 4 muddy dogs keeping me company as it gets very warm in there with all the gas burners on!
It’s pretty rural around here and we live in the sticks, on a working farm.  The farm is not ours but our house is the original farmhouse, so we are surrounded by all the action!

Inspiration in Farm Surroundings

What fibres do you most love to work with?

I love angora - angora yarn, angora blends to spin.  Thats my idea of heaven! Just sooo soft. It can be a bit of a pain to work with as its so short and fine but a little goes a long way!

How do you manage to juggle running your own business, taking care of a smallholding and looking after a family?

I tend to think I'm superwoman and my daily 'to do' list is way more than I can achieve in the given time :) That school run time sure comes round quickly! I think its probably the same for anyone running their own business. It's all about  getting the work life balance right, which can be a bit of a struggle.

Organisation and not adding any more animals in to the mix, is the key!  Neither are my strong points.
I take it from one day to the next, make the most of quieter periods, work hard when its not and try not to get too caught up. Having a family life is important.

Tell us about one of your more unusual yarns or fibres.

I’ve recently been dyeing some merino/silk/flax combed top  for the updates which makes fascinating spin - soft, rustic, strong and shiny all in one!

What are you looking forward to the most about Unwind?

Its our first show for a while and I’m looking forward to meeting customers and designers and other dyers I’ve only met online, as well as old friends. Having everyone in the same place for a weekend is so exciting!

Juno will be showcasing some beautiful patterns and yarns too - I’m looking forward to seeing the reaction to those.

I hope I’ll have the opportunity to do a bit of shopping too!

A big thank you to Juno Fibre Arts for taking the time to share some insight into her knitting world. You can find Juno Fibre Arts website/ etsy shop by visiting www.junofibrearts.com. To keep up to date with all of the latest Juno Fibre Arts news, keep an eye on Twitter as @JunoFibreArts,  Instagram (junofibrearts), Facebook and the blog.