It’s been just over two years since Tabetha Hedrick joined us, taking the lead on driving new knitwear design development for SweetGeorgia. She has been instrumental to our team since day one and this past June, we tossed out an idea about how Tabetha should finally create a Club colourway inspired by her return to the South. Here is her story:
Colour // Moonshine, by Tabetha Hedrick
It’s been a little over a year since I’ve moved to East Tennessee, where lush vegetation, southern hospitality, and slow-cooked bar-b-que have quickly filled my heart. Situated right outside the great Smokey Mountains, the towns here boast a somewhat slower-paced culture with a surprising, yet fascinating focus on music, hand-made crafts, and family tradition. And one such tradition that encompasses all of those aspects is the legacy of moonshine.
Long before these hills became a national park, entire generations of farmers in the Appalachian backcountry came into the occupation of distilled liquor. It’s not a pretty history, per say, but one that highlights the land, economy, and folklore that has threaded its way through every genealogy. Recipes for moonshine, within a single family, go back over 200 years! It took a while, but moonshine has made its way into legal standing, bringing its rich, handcrafted past into present Tennessee tourism.
The sultry, smoky-green hills of my surroundings here, where the distillers of Appalachia made their mark on history with an unwavering attention to “craft,” inspired this colourway. The deep, prideful connection to moonshine is as entwined in southern history as bluegrass bands and rocking chair porches.
— Tabetha Hedrick, Design Director, Knitwear (Instagram @tabismiles)
Yarn // Panda Sock
Panda Sock is a our favourite fluffy and silky blend of 60% superwash merino, 30% bamboo viscose, and 10% nylon spun up into a 3-ply fingering weight yarn. Each 4 oz (112 g) skein has approximately 430 yards which is typically enough to make a pair of women’s medium socks.
The combination of soft washable merino, strength-building nylon and breatheable bamboo makes for an ideal sock yarn blend. The bamboo fibre doesn’t absorb the dyes we use, so the yarn takes on a heathered and slightly shiny look.
Fibre // Panda
Panda is a divinely fluffy and silky blend of 60% superwash merino, 30% bamboo viscose, and 10% nylon. The combination of soft washable merino, strength-building nylon and breatheable bamboo makes for an ideal sock yarn blend.
The bamboo viscose fibre does not absorb the dyes that we use and the dye process results in silky white streaks alongside intensely coloured fibre. While this fibre is machine washable, avoid putting it in the dryer!
Interested in seeing what some of our Club members are making with their yarn and fibre? Check out posts by Rachel, Katrina, and Charlotte to see what they are spinning and knitting up with each monthly installment!
Each month, we dye a brand new, unique colourway for our Spinning Fibre and Sock Yarn Clubs. This post is all about what we sent out to our members in August 2017.
