But Wait...There's More!

Dizzy Blonde Studios and Beach Bunny Yarns are honored to be partnering with several amazing makers in our industry.  Our next item in our exclusive event collection is this amazing stitch marker set designed exclusively for Stitch the Magic 2022 by Fangirl Fibers.  

This set of 6 stitch markers depicts various characters and meaningful objects from the story of Moana.  Emily of Fangirl Fibers creates these beautiful stitch markers by laser engraving on maple plywood.  Due to their lever-back rings, these markers are very versatile.  They can be slipped onto your knitting needles like conventional markers, or by utilizing the lever back, they can be used as knitting row-markers or crochet markers.  The attention to detail is superb!

 The set will be available for order, along with the yarn and project bags very shortly.  

Meet Your Hosts: Laura Wilson-Martos

aka

 Dizzy Blonde Studios

Laura grew up in Southern California and her childhood was a busy one.  She started playing classical piano at age 5, and in high school she was a choir and drama geek.  When she was 10, her family moved to a house with a little bit of acreage, and she was introduced to 4-H, where she excelled in the home arts, mainly baking, canning and home decor.  She tried her hand at the fiber arts, and had limited success with crochet, and no success at all with knitting. 

After graduating high school, she enlisted in the Air Force, and spent 2 years stationed in England, with the remainder of her tour spent stateside.  After 8 years, she moved back home to CA and attended college.

She didn't start knitting until 2004, when her best friend informed her that she was going to learn.  Her friend worked in the film industry and was getting tired of losing all of her knitting friends when the show wrapped.  She told Laura that if she learned to knit, she'd always have someone to knit with.  They even wrote a knitting blog together:  JenLa and kept it going for almost 4 years.  She also co-hosted the KnottyGirls podcast with another friend for 2 years.

In 2008, Dizzy Blonde Studios was born.  Now, most people think that Laura's the Dizzy Blonde.  While indeed blonde, and at some times, very dizzy, the Original Dizzy Blonde was Trixie, her much beloved rescue dog.  Since then, she has rescued many a Dizzy Blonde, each with their own colorway.

Dizzy Blonde Studios specializes in hand-dyed yarn using various methods.  Each of the colorways in the Signature Collection was inspired by a famous blonde.  Dizzy Blonde Studios also has Showcase collections, inspired by one geekery or another.

In 2013, Laura hosted her first ever "Knit Dizzney" event at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA.  Each year, a Disney theme is chosen and colorways are developed inspired by the chosen theme.  2023 will mark the 10th anniversary of Knit Dizzney.  

And, now living on Florida's Treasure Coast since 2018, Laura will be co-hosting the inaugural year of Stitch The Magic...a similar-yet-different event at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, FL.  Hope to see you all there!

I Know the Way

 

For me, one of the most visually stunning scenes in the entire movie is when Grandma Tala's spirit swims under Moana's canoe and then appears to Moana in human form, and later the voyaging ancestors make an appearance to Moana as well in "I Am Moana (Song of the Ancestors)".  I love how vast the ocean feels, and that you can't determine where the ocean meets the night sky, except for the placement of the stars.

This pivotal moment of Moana's journey is the one that inspired "I Know The Way".  Deep azure and sea breeze blue with a touch of white reflects the image of Grandma Tala's manta ray spirit swimming though the night ocean to advise and encourage her granddaughter.

"I Know the Way" comes from Dizzy Blonde Studios.  The yarn is 434yds/115g of an amazingly soft 80% wool/20% silk blend and a joy in your hand whether you knit, crochet or do any other fiber art involving yarn.  It has a soft sheen with just the right amount of drape.  "I Know the Way" will pair perfectly with "The Journey Home" for your favorite two-color projects. 

Oh, and did I mention?  Part of the proceeds from the sale of both colorways will be donated to The Marine Science Center.  So, fabulous yarn AND contributing to an amazing cause?  I'd say this is a win for everyone!  Stay tuned for pricing and pre-order information, coming soon.  

Meet Your Hosts: Alicia Coulombe

 

Crochet Designer Extraordinaire

Alicia began her yarn journey when she was just a kid, watching her mom crochet exquisite doilies with thread and a tiny hook.  Alicia had a bigger hook and some chunky yarn and, in retrospect she certainly made a mess of things, but at the time she thought she was doing an amazing job!

Fast forward to when she was a pre-teen.  Her best friend had one of those circular knitting machines and together they would make dresses for their Barbie dolls.  They thought they were high class, and rightly so.  Who else's Barbies were decked out in haute couture?

Now, really fast forward to married life.  One of Alicia's friends was crocheting a baby blanket for her future child.  Alicia thought that was a fabulous idea, and started crocheting baby blankets of her own.  This time she had learned how to properly create stitches and how to accurately count which, of course, made a HUGE difference.  After that, she occasionally crocheted afghans and hot pads and cute little toys.  This is about the time her husband, Ron, learned to crochet; amazing man that he is, he offered to help her finish the lapghans that, in a stroke of brilliance, decided everyone in their family needed that year.  After that, his interest in the fiber arts really took off and he learned to knit and began knitting everything under the sun.  He taught Alicia how to knit, and while she can do both crafts, she never excelled in knitting like he did.  She fell back to her first love: crochet, and began creating shawls and other garments.

Later, Ron got into yarn dyeing and started his own hand-dyed yarn business, Beach Bunny Yarns.  It was all his own thing for a bit, and then he recruited Alicia to do the, um...let's call it the "fun" stuff (aka skeining from cones, washing, twisting and tagging, website development and maintenance, formula sheets, storage, etc.)

In her spare time, Alicia would crochet up swatches of his colorways.  It was her tendency to play with different combinations of stitches and has designed a few motifs.  This eventually let to Alicia writing up some simple patterns, mainly for herself, using her own brand of shorthand that must have made gobs of sense at the time, (but later had no clue what it meant.)  When her local yarn store asked for a copy of one of her designs, Alicia had to redo her work because she couldn't for the life of her remember what her coded notes meant.  Since then she has learned to keep better notes.

Alicia loves translating textures she sees into crochet stitches.  They don't always work out the way she intended but sometimes she gets exactly what she envisioned.  Making knot after knot after knot is meditative to her and she will continue to play with thread and hook.  And maybe, just maybe, help to create a zen for other crocheters too.

Besides being the other half of the Beach Bunny team, Alicia is also our crochet designer for Stitch the Magic, and we can't wait to see what she has in store for us!

Keep your eyes on Beach Bunny Yarns Patterns site for more designs from this up-and-coming designer!

The Journey Home

 

We’ve all been there right?  You just saved a goddess from herself, with the help of a demi-god who, incidentally, caused the goddess to go ballistic in the first place.  BUT, your trusty canoe got destroyed in the final grand battle.  Ugh, really?!  You almost can’t even.  Fortunately, the now chill goddess grants you a new canoe to complete your heroine’s journey and return home to your family, chicken in tow.

The Journey Home colorway is inspired by the bright flowers that garland the canoe gifted to Moana by Te Fiti.  The underlying soft wood tone provides a warm backdrop to the bright tropical colors.

This super soft 80/20 wool/silk blend is wonderful in both knit and crochet!  Luxuriously lightweight, while still retaining stitch definition and structure.  Colors pop randomly on a tonal background giving the appearance of little flowers of color on your project.  The neutral background will contrast brilliantly with bold colors or blend smoothly into other neutrals.  Either way, add some paradise to your fiber!

I Have a Question . . . .

Stitch the Magic 2022

So I’ve been getting questions about what exactly Stitch the Magic is supposed to be.  In the famous words of a now-Disney character, D’oh!  I guess we’d better tell everyone what we’re doing!

Stitch the Magic will be an annual meet-up event (this year is our first!) at Walt Disney World for Disney fans who happen to be fiber artists as well.  Dizzy Blonde Studios, Beach Bunny Yarns, and Not Knots Project Bags are your hosts and chief Maui-seketeers (see what I did there?).  Each dyer has created a custom colorway based on this year’s selected movie theme and Not Knots has designed a themed project bag.  Yarns and project bags will be available for purchase before the event.  Ordering will be opening soon!

With this inaugural year’s theme being Moana, it’s only appropriate that we hold the meet-up event at the Polynesian Resort!  We’ll meet in the O’hana Restaurant Lounge and waiting area.  Psst, there are dole whips available just outside the lobby!  Goody bags will be handed out to registered attendees.  Space is limited, so keep watching this blog for updates!

During the meet-up, we’ll have some fun games and prizes.  Come prepared to show off your knowledge of Disney trivia and fiber knowledge!  Did I mention prizes?  Yeah, we got those covered.

Here’s the big question (and answer): How Do I Get to the Polynesian Resort?

The first, and coolest, option is to book a room at the Polynesian, Contemporary, or Grand Floridian Resort.  Then, you’re right in the action and the Poly is just a monorail hop from the Contemporary or Grand Floridian!

The second option is to pay to park at the Ticket & Transportation Center (Magic Kingdom parking lot).  It’s a short walk to the Polynesian from there.  Just follow the signs!

Or the third option, grab an Uber or Lyft that can drop you right off at the front door of the Polynesian Resort.

E taunuku te malaga

 

"E taunuku te malaga" ("The Journey Has Begun")

The Stitch the Magic 2022 inspirational theme for or our inaugural year is none other than Disney's 2016 full length animated feature, "Moana".

This is an enchanting tale, mythical adventure set in the distant past and across a series of islands in the South Pacific.  It is a coming-of-age tale of self-discovery for Moana, a teenage girl destined to be chief of her tribe.  The story draws on folklore of the Polynesian people, and is one of our favorites.  We are dyeing (see what I did there?) to take you on our own colorful journey through this year's Stitch the Magic exclusive offerings and events.

Save the Date

 

Saturday, December 3, 2022

1:00 pm

The Walt Disney World Polynesian Resort

Ohana Restaurant Lounge

Sponsored by

Dizzy Blonde Studios

Beach Bunny Yarns

Not Knots Project Bags

Virtual Event:  TBD

Exclusive Stitch the Magic 2022 Yarn Colorways Project Bags and Stitch Markers will be available for pre-order.

As with our California counterpart, Knit Dizzney, we will select a theme  each year from which we will take inspiration for our yarn colorways and project bag fabrics.  This year, Stitch the Magic inspiration will be...

...revealed in the near future.  Please subscribe to this blog, and follow us on Facebook to receive up-to-date information on this new amazing event.