Circus Tonic Handmade ~ Review and Giveaway...

 **This Giveaway is not close. Thank you for all who entered! **

Happy Sunday!

I have been having a lot of reviews and giveaways over the past couple of posts , this one sort of ties up the enabling posts in a nice neat polka-dotted bow...I am talking about Circus Tonic Handmade! What an absolute thrill to be able to tell you about my love for this yarn as well as giveaway a skein to one seriously lucky person.

 

 

I first met Hannah  the owner and creator of Circus Tonic Handmade when she sent me a Ravelry message. She  is the kindest and it felt like an instant friendship. The message led to her offering to send me some of her yarn.

 

Why is it every time I look at the photo of these three beauties in my head I think, "Something beautiful this way comes?" True story.

Before getting to my thoughts of this yarn I thought it would make for a nice treat to hear a little about the dyer and artist by asking her a couple questions.

 

Tell me about yourself~

I live in Sydney, Australia with my three kids and husband. After growing up in the Middle East I returned to Australia, trained as a molecular geneticist and worked sequencing genomes for the past several years. I loved my job but after my third baby found juggling work and family life too much. I decided to take a break and with sudden clarity figured out how I could make a business out of my ever growing love, addiction and admiration for yarn and knitting. Science was all I’d ever known and I’m a relatively new knitter so was exploring the world of artisanal hand dyed yarns and the incredible resources that is Ravelry and Instagram! It has all fallen into place with so much inspiration everywhere as indeed you can run a small business from what used to be the man cave in your home, in a far away pocket of the world and still easily connect with an avid knitter and yarn hoarder in Upsalla!

How did you get into yarn dyeing~

I began experimenting with colour and dyeing, trying to source local yarn and materials and be as frugal as possible with water use. I felt under confident with my colour theory and so did what comes naturally to me…… Hit the books! National Geographic, big old Botany and Fauna textbooks, bird watching manuals. All the beautiful, colourful and inspiring materials I had unwittingly collected for so many years ( many scientists do this to counteract the sterility of the work week) came in handy! Who knew my collection of antique books on gemstones, insects, butterflies, birds and flowering plants would become my main focus for my business! I felt that if I liked what I saw in the natural Australian environment, then I would still like it as knitwear around my neck!

What inspires your colors~

So I mix dye to echo natural beautiful things. This collection is all based on Australian native birds. It started with Mallard, Fairy Tern, Grey Hawk, Adelie Penguin, Spangled Drongo and White Browed Woodswallow. The collection has grown to include vivid green parrots, cockatoos and galahs, the very well recognized blue and purple fairy wrens and the ever present magpie.

 

Artist like Hannah, just leave me awe-struck. Alright what do I think of this yarn? The words butter, smooth, soft and luxurious are just a few that popped into my head when I was caking the yarn. Yep, just winding the yarn. Then within a few stitches I knew this was going be a lovely knitting experience and wouldn't you know it, I was right.

 

 

Have you ever knit with Australian Merino? If you have then you know, there is a feel to it. It is springy with much stitch definition. I can see some cables seriously popping with this yarn. It should come as no surprise that the next item I cast on with this yummy yarn is going to be a pair of socks and I am seriously already excited. The thought of being able to knit once again with this yarn makes me pumped.

 

Pattern~ Melodia  Yarn ~ Revelry Sock Fingering Weight in the colorway Musk Lorikeet.

Upon deciding on a pattern for this yarn, I figured that I would try and choose one that let the yarn speak and not to choose one where the beauty got lost in the pattern. Truly, I think no matter which pattern I would have picked, this yarn would have stood out. You would almost swear that there was silk in it because of the shiny beauty of the dyeing.

 

Revelry Sock Fingering 4-ply  80% Australian Superwash Merino 20% Nylon. 409 yards in the colorway Sabine's Gull.

When Hannah sent me these yarns it was with the intentions of trying it out and she so generously thought of you all by asking if it would be okay if she sent one for a giveaway. Despite it being absolutely painful to choose which one to giveaway, I made that tough choice. This beautiful skein which is more of a steel-grey in real life, is going to the winner.

To enter this giveaway please visit Circus Tonic Handmade's shop and tell me your favorite color in the comments below. When prompted you have the options to leave your email address (privately), but if you chose not to please let me know your Ravelry ID# so that I have a way to get in touch should you win. This giveaway is open worldwide and will close Saturday March 26th at midnight (PST). The winner we be announced via a blog post on Sunday March 27th.

Before leaving you I need to let you know who won the Knitlandia book giveaway- the winner was...

#24 Leanne

My favorite is Rhinebeck. It gets better every year. And for my DREAM knitting travels, a trip to Shetland and Scotland with knitting friends, good food, wooly sweaters, wine and laughter.

Leanne, I will be in touch with your shortly.

 

Have the best day today!

XO,

Andi

Comments

[Andrea @ This Knitted Life]

It is so amazing how small the big world has become. Beautiful yarn with an inspiring story.

[Elaine]

Hard to pick but I think king quail is my favorite. Elainemaxseb

[Dorota]

Hi,

my favourite colour would be Yellow Honeyeater.

[olivia]

Oh, i love the princess parrot. Gorgeous colour with wonderful bright pops

[Dizzy]

Princess parrot is lovely, I love the bits of blue and pink with the purple.

DizzyStitchin on rav

[Lisa]

Hi Andi, happy Sunday to you too. Great giveaway, I was hard pushed to pick a favourite colour but I love Galah and think I'd knit some socks in it. Have a lovely day.

[Jessie]

Rav ID: yarnovernewyork

My favorite Circus Tonic Handmade colorway is Paradise Parrot

Thanks for the giveaway!

[disou]

Ohhh this is so cool!!! Thank you for organising this giveaway!! :)
I agree with everything you mentioned about Hannah's yarn.... just pure bliss! And Hannah herself is such a beautiful soul!! <3
My favorite color is Galah! It was the first one I bought and I love it so!! :D
Thank you to you both! :))
Disouxxxxxxxxxxxx

[Nadine]

Paradise Parrot is just too beautiful

[Lisanne]

I'd have to say that the King Quail colorway is my favourite. I just love the different shades of purple together!

[Diane]

I met Hannah at the knitters build yarn tasting in Sydney . Her yarns are so very soft and she is such a friendly person . I am currently lusting after a gradient set in a brace of ducks on her etsy page . I think my resolve will not last the week . I am Diane on ravelry .

[inês g.]

I absolutely love the grey hawk colourway! inesverdusthewool on rsv

[Chaya]

I actually love Sabine's Gull, what a lovely tonal grey!
I'm chayacrochets on Ravelry.

[Christie]

Princess Parrot would thrill my grand daughter as she loves anything and everything - purple!

[Jessica]

Paradise Parrot is my favourite for certain! Love Australian Merino as a fellow Aussie - we are so lucky with our local yarn artists!

[Amy C]

I always seem to pick green, but I fell in love with the deep blues of Spangled Drongo. So gorgeous! I'd make Little Church Knits' Barnswallow socks (again) with it.

[Alison McDonough]

Hard to pick, but Paradise Parrot is my favorite!

[Inga Rós Unnarsdóttir]

My favorite is the Spangled Drongo, I love all the tonals.

[Dawn]

I love Magpie!

[Jacqueline Webb]

Oh masked owl would be my favourite it just looks like liquid gold, but cape barren goose would have to be a very close second

[Gabrielle]

Good morning Andi!!! Oh the beautiful yarn in your post...so amazing!!! I love them all!! If I had to choose a favorite then it would be Paradise parrot.
Have a great knitting Sunday!!!

[Sue J]

Australian merino imho is the best yarn in the world....I know I'm bias...I'm an Aussie living in NC. Hannah has captured the colors of Australia so beautifully. My favorite is galah. She has represented the colors of those crazy birds that used to fly over my house every morning.

Congratulations to Leanne, for winning Knitlandia.

[Grace]

My favorite is Paradise Parrot.

[Meta Miske]

Paradise Parrot is to "dye" for!!! Gorgeous. :) mmiske

[Fuego Azul]

Oooh!! What beautiful colorways! The Frilled Monarch is talking to me, surprisingly. Somethig about that speckled turquoise blue makes me sigh.

What fun you've been having on your blog while I've been away, lol. Thank you for all of the lovely reviews & giveaways!