Wool & Palette

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Wool & Palette

Naturally Hand-dyed yarn. Responsibly sourced wool. Grown and milled in the U.S.

05/01/2026

Last November at Sacred Sheep, something special happened.

in Portland, OR.

walked into my booth—we hugged, caught up (not our first time meeting), and she started looking at the color combinations on display.

Then it happened.

Her eyes locked in. Total focus.

She said, “I have an idea for a beginner-friendly colorwork sweater.”

Right there, in the middle of the booth, surrounded by other fiber people, we started pulling colors together. It was loud, busy, and a little chaotic. It was completely electric.
If you’ve ever been shoulder-to-shoulder at a fiber festival, you know that feeling.
 That kind of creative energy is rare. It buzzes.

Then she went back to Colorado and did her thing.
And one day, a full bank of photos landed in my inbox.

All three pieces are stunning. Even better, they speak to each other!

One of my favorite details: she used the leftover yardage to create two sister pieces, a hat & a cowl, flipping the color dominance completely. Same yarn, same technique, but a totally different visual story.

Nothing wasted.
 Everything is intentional, just like itself.

That kind of design takes planning. And math. And vision.

And it all started in a crowded booth, with a spark.

Pattern and yarn links in my bio ✨

Designer:  Yarn: .and.palette Worsted weight Yarn, contrast color: custom blend of Dream State

colorworkknitting

02/14/2026

Guess what? I have help in the dye studio now.
Well… not NOW now. Lis of has actually been helping me since October. If you stopped by my booth at Sacred Sheep, you probably met her and saw some of her beautiful knitwear designs in person.

Last summer, I put out a call for studio help and was completely blown away by the response. So many of you are curious about natural dyeing and eager to learn. It made choosing incredibly hard. But Lis came in with an amazing mix of talents that felt like a perfect fit.

She’s worked in the yarn industry for years as a coordinator, manager, designer, and stylist. A true creative triple threat. And as if that weren’t enough, she’s also a natural dyer herself. She understands the slow magic and the science.

Please give the warmest welcome to the calmest, most grounded, quietly-anticipates-what-I-need-before-I-even-say-it human, Lis Smith.

I am so thrilled to add her to Wool & Palette. She’s helping keep this place humming along and making sure the saturated, consistent colors you love keep flowing out of the studio.

Her designs have been published in numerous magazines and books. And most recently, she is this year’s RCYC Mystery Knit Along designer. Casual. No big deal. 😉

Welcome, Lis. I am so thrilled to have you on board!

—

11/15/2025

It’s Sacred Sheep Day 2 for all those who celebrate.

Lis and I are here to help you search for the perfect naturally dyed color. Come squish all the soft yarn!!

11/12/2025

The Path to the Perfect Color
 This weekend at Sacred Sheep, I’m unveiling my newest shade — Auburn.

Developing this color was its own chemistry journey: thirteen samples, three experiments, and countless tests of time, temperature, and pH. The result is a warm, balanced hue that sits between red and brown — vibrant, earthy, and deeply layered.

You’ll be able to see the full color story in person at my booth, alongside the finished yarn. Every purchase comes with a free sample of Unicorn Fibre Rinse — a pH-balanced wool wash that helps protect naturally dyed colors.

I’ll be in Booth 18, joined by Lis Smith of . Come say hello, see the Auburn display, and find your next project.

✨ — Portland, OR 🏢The Redd on Salmon 🗓️ Nov 15, Saturday 10-5, Nov 16, Sunday 10-3 📍 Booth 18

11/09/2025

Thank you, Jen at for highlighting all these makers stories. I’m grateful to be included.

I got to chat with Audrey of , Sarah of and Jen Joyce of in a really fun and energizing conversation about science, agriculture, and sustainability!

This was carryover from a panel discussion during .

Click the link in my bio to watch the video on YouTube.

09/05/2025

Another day, another color test!

What do you think? I’m almost there, just need to make a few adjustments.

Problem: every bag of cutch I have differs in color so my results keep changing. It’s a total moving target.

What I learned: I prefer adding a small amount of madder extract to redden because that way I’m building color. Adjusting pH can also redden but depending on the richness of the cutch, increasing pH can actually darken or sadden the brown leaving me with more of an umber rather than an auburn.

Fun fact: altering pH can shift color but also has potential problems when people wash the yarn with different soaps. They could unwillingly shift the color by undoing the original pH shift. I’ve been learning more chemistry and didn’t realize this phenomenon until recently. Before I would have happily forced the pH as high as it would go.

Another reason to use madder instead of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is that the fibers remain soft. Raising the pH towards alkaline actually opens up the scales and can make the fiber feel rougher. If you want to shift color slowly you can use baking soda or soda ash when looking for dramatic shifts.

I’m definitely not against shifting the pH, most dyers use this trick. I think for this color and all the varying degrees of color among bags of cutch, the safest way to get my preferred result is to adjust with dye. I am going for more vibrant.

09/03/2025

It’s time to develop a new color. I’ve been on the hunt for a rich, warm, reddish brown, think auburn.

All these colors are achieved from 1 plant - cutch from the acacia tree. It’s a tannin and can be used on its own or with other mordants and dyes. I tried some without a mordant at all and adjusted with iron and soda ash afterwards. They weren’t successful at getting me brown at all.

The yellow hues are nice but also not what I was going for. The copper experiments got me much closer, but I’m not quite there.

Next test run I’ll try a combo of things: copper with varying amounts of cutch, then adding a tiny amount of madder to build the deep rich red over the medium brown. I think I’ll also try adding some logwood. I don’t see that working, I anticipate that being a darker, grayer brown. But I have to try. I could also see if walnut extract over the cutch will get me there. I just don’t know yet!

What have you tried to get a deep rich, reddish brown?

08/11/2025

When I signed up for this show I was so excited but also terrified. How could someone like me, with my slow dye process, ever make enough product to fill these shelves and display amongst the best in the industry? The past few months pushed me physically harder than I thought I could be pushed. There was a lot a sacrificing, uncertainty, and self doubt. But I knew the event was the prize. Really, it’s the people who make it great. I’ve never felt a closer community than the fiber community. All these makers and fibers nerds all under one roof was absolutely magical. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of it.

And I’m especially grateful for Makenzie of for being the other half of my brain and amazing work wife. 😆 I’m still standing because of you 😘

is a very special experience. Keep doing good in this world. We all need it.

08/07/2025

Opposites Attract — Fern Edition
Same inspiration, wildly different paths. 🌿

When my designer fronds and and I sat down to explore the theme of ferns for our upcoming collaboration, I had no idea just how fernomenally different their interpretations would be.

✨ Frondly Yours by Karel is organic and dynamic, capturing the beauty of a fern in full flourish.
 ✨ Ferntarsia by Seth is crisp, graphic, and bold — a geometric take on a very whimsical plant.

Both designs use the same two naturally dyed yarns: Fern and Seaweed in sport weight, but they made them completely their own. That’s the magic of colorwork and creative frondship.

Come meet these two at this Saturday!
 📍 Booth 109 🕐 1–2 pm Designer Meet & Greet 🎁 Free stickers for anyone who stops by — no purchase necessary, just come say hi!

Photography: .and.palette
editing:
Knitwear Designers:
Yarn: .and.palette sport weight yarn in Fern and Seaweed

07/10/2025

🌿 Limited Edition Alert 🌿
Meet Pathfinder — a two-tone sock pattern designed for movement and meaning.
The featured green yarn? Naturally dyed with Black Knight Scabiosa, grown right in my garden. This year’s harvest was small, which makes these kits extra special — when they’re gone, they’re gone.
🧶 Each kit includes:
• 100g Scabiosa-dyed Shaniko Fi*****ng (Sea Foam or Pistachio)
• 25g White Fi*****ng for heels + toes
→ $44
🎯 Pattern by is 60% off with code SOS through 8/1.

⬆️Yarn Kit and pattern links in bio

Address

508 Se 58th Avenue
Portland, OR
97215

Website

http://woolandpalette.com/

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