Cat and I are both fascinated by the transformative process of creating fabric from fibre. The transformation begins when the fibre is dyed, and continues through spinning to the creation of a fabric, whether knitted, crocheted, woven or felted.  Colours that stand out boldly in a fibre blend to create a completely different feel in a yarn. They behave differently in the finished fabric as well, some colours popping, some retiring to the background.  It’s always unexpected, and every iteration is a marvel. Sometimes it’s hard to believe an end product is related to the original fibre, they are so different. 

Such is the case with our colourway, Khal Drogo. We’ve both been sipping the Game of Thrones Koolaid for years now, and quite a few of our colourways are inspired by characters we love and love to hate.  The base we used for Khal Drogo was one of the first three blends I created.  My mental image of it was glorious – a vibrant concoction of rich green and gold, woven through with imperial purple silk.  When it arrived it was harsh and clashing and I instantly hated it.  I put it on the wheel to see if it would improve and I hated it even more.  It was a huge disappointment. I vowed to give up blending fibre forever. I may even have thrown myself to the floor. I can’t imagine where my daughter gets it from. 

Cat took pity on me and whisked the fibre away to ‘see if she could do anything with it’. For several weeks I forgot it had even existed. Then she came back one day and presented me with the most amazing braid of fibre – deep blue-green with depths of bronze and gold. The combination of dyes she’d used and soothed the brash yellow and given depth to the bright but flat green. We held it aloft and proclaimed it a blend fit for a bronzed Dothraki warrior, and Khal Drogo: The Blend was born. 

I’m happy to say that now that Game of Thrones is back, although Khal Drogo is sadly dust and bones (SPOILERS), his gorgeousness lives on in this dark and moody colourway.  You can see its evolution in these photos, from original blend to dyed fibre, then to yarn and the finished fabric. It’s like magic every single time.