New Lord of the Rings Colorways

I am so very excited to bring this new Lord of the Rings collection to you! When I made the 2023 Advent calendar last fall, I used Aragorn’s journey through The Lord of the Rings as the inspiration for each colorway. Some of you asked if I could add some of those colorways to the shop. If you saw last week’s newsletter, you know that I have been doing just that and loving it! Based on your favorites and mine, I chose seven new colorways to create.

I finished the last colorway yesterday! I dyed each one on Sock Perfection, Stained Glass Sock, and Squoosh DK. Here are all the new colorways together on Stained Glass Sock:

Last week we talked about Chasing Orcs and Hobbits, The King of the Golden Hall, and The Palantir, so let me tell you a bit about the four I dyed this week.

The next one chronologically is Eowyn Pleads with Aragorn. Here it is on Squoosh DK:

This colorway was inspired by the moment when Aragorn meets Eowyn while he is on the way to The Paths of the Dead. She begs him not to go that way but to come and join the battle instead. She is certain he will die and waste his life going that way. The colors include several shades of green (Rohan and Eowyn) as well as deep blue, gold, turquoise, and purple.

The next colorway is The Paths of the Dead. In spite of the darkness in the book, I thought the colorway turned out quite lovely! Here it is on Sock Perfection:

In this colorway, Aragorn risks his life going down this forbidden path to ask the dead kings of old to join him in battle and redeem themselves. They had broken their oaths many years ago, and he and he alone has the right to command them, allowing them to fulfill their oaths and go to their rest. The colors are quite ethereal. They include purple for Aragorn, gray for the spectral army, brown for the path, and gold for the kings of old.

The next colorway is The Coronation of Aragorn, which happens in Gondor when the war has been won. It is a moment of solemn joy in the book, so the colorway is deep and regal with dark greens and browns as well as gold and purple. Here it is on Sock Perfection:

The final colorway is The Wedding of Aragorn and Arwen. Arwen is an elf-maiden and the daughter of Elrond. They have loved one another for many years but could not marry until he became king. Marrying him means she will have a mortal life instead of being immortal like the other elves, but it is worth it to her. Here it is on Squoosh DK:

I chose a white background for this one for the wedding along with gold, turquoise, blue, and purple.

What I really love is how easy it is to mix and match colorways from the collection. Each one of these works with several others, or you could put them altogether for a beautiful fade project. They also go with my other Lord of the Rings colorways, including Galadriel’s Gift, Lothlorien, Mithril, and The Hands of the King. Here are all the ones I have in stock on Sock Perfection together:

You can see all of the Lord of the Rings colorways together in their own collection right here.

Some Personal Thoughts on the Fiber Arts

I had a little more time to knit and weave during the Christmas season, and that gave me a chance to think about the nature of the fiber arts and what it means to me. I would love to hear if the same is true for you or what your experience has been.

I did everything backwards from most people. Instead of learning to knit or crochet like normal people, I decided completely out of the blue about 20 years ago that I wanted to learn to weave. I started learning on a rigid heddle loom and then quickly decided to learn to spin as well. Those two kept me quite happy for a number of years, but eventually I decided to relearn to knit. My mom had taught me the basics when I was in my early teens, but it didn’t really stick.

Let me preface what I am about to say by mentioning that I am not by nature a patient person. Even when it comes to things like hikes, I just want to get there. I want to accomplish what I set out to do. Nonetheless, the longer I practice the fiber arts, the more it becomes about the journey more than the destination. That always sounds a little cheesy, but it really is true in this case.

I love having something to keep my hands busy when I am waiting to pick someone up, waiting for a doctor’s appointment, or giving my youngest sons their spelling sentences. But it’s more than that. Knitting and weaving and spinning bring me peace. They decrease my stress. They make me more patient. They keep me from getting bored. They give me satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment when I finish a project. They give me the opportunity to make something for someone I love. They give me an opportunity to create, and I think that act of creativity is a distinct part of our nature as human beings. Above all, the fiber arts bring me joy, and I hope the same is true for you. Let me know. I’d love to hear what the fiber arts means for you.

Have a wonderful week!