It has been so long since I have featured a giveaway in this space! I am so happy to be here to introduce you to Cynthia and her amazing work and shop, Brambleberry Yarns. Cynthia can be found blogging over at Brambleberries in the Rain, where you can see some of her work in progress. She creates beautiful, high quality naturally dyed yarns and fibers. Most dyes used are grown and collected in and around her organic dye garden. She uses whole botanicals that go straight into her dye pot. Since Cynthia dyes in small quantities with what is in season, every skein is special and one-of-a-kind. I have been lucky enough to knit with some of Cynthia’s yarn, and it was a complete treasure to touch and work with. It is such a treat to say the least!
Welcome Cynthia!
:::
Tell us a little about yourself, your family, and your passions.
Cynthia: I’m a homeschool mom to 3 boys and one girl. We move up to the beautiful Pacific Northwest from sunny Southern California about six years ago. And even though the constant cloudy days can get a little old we just love it here. The beauty that surrounds us is continually inspiring me in many ways and especially in my art. I have always been passionate about living a more natural lifestyle. I was recycling and organic gardening long before it became the thing to do. 
My love of plants and the earth remains very strong and is something I strive to instill in my children.
What first inspired you to dye your own yarn?
Cynthia: I’ve always been a passionate gardener and several years ago my main love was growing herbs. I always knew that as well as being medicinal, some herbs could also be used to dye natural fibers. When I started knitting nearly 10 years ago it was almost inevitable that I would progress to dyeing my own yarn with plants from my herb garden. The first few attempts were disastrous but I gradually got better (as did my knitting!) and I have been in love with the entire process ever since.
Do you have any plants that are your favorite to work with?
Cynthia: That is a tough question for me to answer! It seems whatever happens to be in my dyepot at the moment is my favorite. Although, I always have loved the unbelievable bright, sunshiny yellow that goldenrod gives. Madder root is pretty amazing too and the plant is fun to grow for the leaves feel thick and sticky and my kids love to touch them. Both plants are also medicinal and I love the dye plants with multiple purposes!
Can you share a little bit about your dye garden with us? What do you grow in there?
Cynthia: I tend to grow plants that have multiple uses. For instance everyone in my family loves fennel which is not only medicinal but can be used in the dyepot. I also like plants that are easy to take care of and my fennel reseeds itself everywhere year after year giving us plenty to use in the home as well as for me to use in my studio.
Are your children ever involved in the process of dying? How do they help?
Cynthia: Oh, they are so involved! They have all helped me gather plants and tend to the garden. They also love to see the colors that emerge from the dyepot. My 5 year old daughter is the only one that has so far been interested in the knitting aspect of what I do though.
:::
Cynthia is generously offering the one skein pictured above, called African Violets to one lucky winner. It is a very dark purple, much like an African violet flower, and is handspun and dyed by Cynthia herself. She dyed the superwash fiber with logwood before spinning it and it is a beautiful two ply yarn.
To enter simply leave a comment below! COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED
For a second entry, hop on over to the Brambleberry facebook page and hit the “like” button.
For yet a third entry, hop on over to Etsy, and mark Brambleberry Yarns as one of your “favorites”.
(Please make sure to enter each entry separately in it’s own comment below.)
This giveaway will close FRIDAY morning 8am EST. The winner will be chosen via random number generator and announced in this post shortly after.
Thank you so much to everyone for taking the time to stop by here, and thank you to Cynthia for taking the time to share her amazing work with all of us!
And the winner is: Cary: “Beautiful!!!!!” Thank you for everyone who stopped by to enter!
{ 167 comments… read them below or add one }
♥'d Brambleberry Yarns on etsy (I'm DeeConstructed there)
Liked Brambleberry Yarns on fb
What a beautiful royal purple!
What a beautiful skein of yarn!
I need to learn what plants I could grow that could be used to dye! Very inspiring!
soooo lovely. Been gushing over this stuff for a while…
like it on FB too.
"hearted" her on etsy – robinlscott
like her on fb as Robin Scott
Thanks for the chance to win- beautiful work. I also live in the Pacific Northwest and have the same cornflowers in my garden
Such a beautiful color. I'm a new knitter thanks for the chance to win
So pretty!
I added Brambleberry to my Etsy Favorites
alicia715
ohmiss14 at yahoo dot com
(Love the Emerald City Yarn!)
I like Brambleberry on FB
alicia crenshaw
ohmiss14 at yahoo dot com
Beautiful! I just learned how to spin with a drop spindle and it has re-awakened my love of knitting. I'd absolutely love to win this yarn to make something for my mom.
ohmiss14 at yahoo dot com
Like on FB-Anna Ku
It's beautiful
Beautiful yarn and I would certainly love to win some….I can only imagine the beautiful items it would make!
I liked them on FB!
I favd the yarn on Etsy! Whoohoo!
I love hearing about new to me yarns! The yanr is lovely!
Beautiful yarn! I love the color. Thanks so much for sharing
wow, gorgeous!
beautiful!
Hearted on Etsy under laurenbbear
Lauren Bear
@laurenbear220
laurenbbear at gmail dot com
Liked on FB!
Lauren Bear
@laurenbear220
laurenbbear at gmail dot com
Love the yarn! Thanks for hosting!!!
Lauren Bear
@laurenbear220
laurenbbear at gmail dot com
YARN! shoot I'm an idiot. not my second entry here just a comment.
lovely yard!
Wowee! This is beautiful yarn!
I would love to have this beautiful yarn!
Gorgeous yarn!
hearted your shop on etsy
liked you on fb
Thanks for this giveaway!
I favorited BrambleberryYarns (EustaciasGarden)
Beautiful yarn
Yay Yarn!!!
I added to my favorites on etsy!!!
I liked on FB!!!!
Beautiful!!!!!
Great color! Thank you for the giveaway.
I heart Brambleberry on etsy (id: megnate)
megnate at telus dot net
I like Brambleberry on facebook (same name)
megnate at telus dot net
Wow her yarn is really beautiful!! I love the colors!
megnate at telus dot net
I would love to win this yarn! I love the color!
Ahhh I love this so much!!!
So pretty!
Very pretty yarn. I love that color.
melodyj(at)gmail(dot)com
Hearted Brambleberry Yarns – bloomingblossom
Like Brambleberry Yarns on Facebook – Aik Chien
How beautiful! I'd love to knit a scarf out of this yarn!
how beautiful. thanks for the chance to win!
i favorited her shop on etsy, thanks!
beautiful yarn, i love it!
Lovely colors!
gorgeous yarn and a lovely story.
"Liked" on Facebook
That's such a beautiful color!
Favorited Brambleberry on Etsy as goldiez
I like Brambleberry Yarns on facebook as Diana Z
I would love to win this beautiful skein! The color is awesome!
I have favorited your shop!
I have like your facebook page.
I love violets – and blue is my favorite!
Lovely! Thanks for the chance.
Such a gorgeous, royal shade of purple! I'd have to polish up my crown if I won this! Thanks for another wonderful giveaway.
Liked on Facebook too
Favourite on Etsy
I hearted Brambleberry Yarns on etsy, too.
I 'liked' Brambleberry yarns on FB
Thank you for this opportunity!
I love purple! So does my sister…& this would make a nice gift for her. I will be telling her about this shop!
Very talented artist- beautiful work!
added the shop to my Etsy favorites (my Etsy name – dova113)
Thank you for the chance!
My son's favorite color is violet, would be thrilled to incorporate this beautiful treasure of yarn into his vest I am knitting now. A bow of appreciation to those home-spinners out there!
How wonderful, that's a beautiful purple!
I love the African violet! I'd be so happy to be able to work with her yarn!
She's my fave on etsy!
I'm a fan on facebook!
Beautiful yarn and I love Cynthia's blog!!
That's a gorgeous colour
I so want this!
))
I am 23 And I knit and crochet all day!!!
liked as Jovana Petrovic, faved as Jovana
gl to me
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Liked Brambleberry on Facebook.
A new favorite on Etsy as well!
Such a soothing color.
Beautiful color yarn!
what lovely yarn!
Lovely, and one of my favourite colours
Faved on Etsy as Gab Juk
Liked on Facebook as Gab Juk
Email: gabjuk@hotmail.com
Love it!
Oooh, I added it to my Etsy favorites because, after looking over her shop, wow it certainly is!
I 'like'ed on Facebook.
I've always thought goldenrod would make a lovely summer skirt. Great idea to dye with. Love this yarn.
She is here in Oregon with me – love local yarn! I would love a chance to win, I haven't been able to budget yarn purchases in awhile
What absolutely beautiful yarn! I'm sure my mother would be able to use it in one of her lovely projects.
Lovely color!
Deborah
Homemaker Honey
homemakerhoney.com
homemakerhoney @gmail .com
I have added the etsy shop to my favourites
(etsy- rosewendy)
I love the colour of African Violet, it's very beautiful. I am amazed at the bold colours natural dyes can give.
Wonderful interview. Beautiful yarn.
We Love Purple.
added their shop to my faves on etsy
i like them on fb
gorgeous yarns!
made brambleberry yarns a favorite on etsy too!
i liked brambleberry yarns on facebook
really beautiful colors, i especially like that wonderful purple! what a great and generous gift for the lucky winner!
I liked them on Facebook!!!
I happily made a favorite on Etsy!
Beautiful!!
I like them on facebook.
What wonderful colors! I also enjoyed learning her story, thanks!
Oh goodness! That blue is divine! Thanks for the chance!
Puprle is my favorite color! I like this really much!
And I favorited them on Etsy too!
I liked them on Facebook!
Beautiful colors!
Favourite yarn shoppe on Etsy.
I liked on FB
I am so impressed with her dedication to the entire process, the completed yarn looks wonderful!
And added to favorites on Etsy
I liked on facebook too.
Such pretty yarn
I love the violet color!
When I look at yarn for knitting I gravitate towards the blues and the purple and the pinks. This is gorgeous.
African Violets is such an appropriate name! Thank you for your generosity!
My mom would rock a hat with this gorgeous yarn. Thanks for the chance to win it for her.
I hearted Brambleberry Yarns on etsy! katy010305
I like Brambleberry Yarns on facebook! Katy A.
This would be wonderful to use for my knitting and crocheting!!!
I hearted the shop on ETSY
SweetPeaAngel
littleangel_mw at yahoo dot com
I follow them on FACEBOOK.
fb = Michelle Dippel
littleangel_mw at yahoo dot com
Such beautiful yarn!!
littleangel_mw at yahoo dot com
Added her shop to my favorites on Etsy
Username – serenap95
Thanks for hosting this giveaway. I could use some new yarn.
OOOHH I could make a beautiful baby hat with that or baby mittens yum.
I enjoyed reading this interview. That is the most beautiful color yarn. I'd love to knit something with it.
What gorgeous yarn! Thanks so much for hosting a giveaway.
Just pushed the like button on facebook
Beautiful yarn. Thank-You for the wonderful giveway!
added to favorites as twlyou
your work is beautiful.
What a gorgeous yarn! It does look exactly the color of African violets!
Beautiful yarn!
And favorited them on etsy. So many pretty yarns there.
-Sara-
I liked them on facebook too.
-Sara-
Oh, I love that color. I think it'd be wonderful to knit something for my niece with.
-Sara-
Faved on etsy.
I like them on facebook.
What gorgeous fiber!
It looks exactly like the violets in my yard. Such a spring color for me.
I need to be inspired to knit something. Winning this would definitely be the push I need.
hvor er det skønt:)
Favorited on Etsy!
I am a fan on facebook.
Oh, this yarn is scrumptious!
Brambleberry Yarns is favorited through my etsy account! Yay!
This is so inspiring! I love to knit and I love to dye yarn (spinning is next on my list of things to learn). I keep saying that when we move I'm going to finally have a dyers garden. Reading about other people's experience make me giddy with excitement! (:
Wonderfull color, I like it a lot!
lovely cynthia!
Please oh please let it be me!
Just stopped by the Etsy shoppe (to add it as a favorite) – and definitely will revisit the store often.
Absolutely beautiful yarn!
Oh the things that are being dreamed of with such beautiful wool!
And I favorited on Etsy
Gorgeous purple!
Norrin loves a purple yarn…but this mama might hoard this skein for herself
. Wonderful giveaway! Thank you!
It's beautiful and my favorite color!