Why 20g Mini Skeins? Testing a Brand New Gradient Colourway
- Jenine Biggins
- Mar 19
- 2 min read
Yesterday I welcomed you into the world of Piglet & Squid. Today I want to invite you a little deeper into the studio and show you what a typical week looks like when I’m preparing something new.
Right now, my main focus is winding and preparing a fresh batch of 20g mini skeins for the new gradient set. A beautiful transition from deep, velvety purple into softer lilac, lavender and delicate mauve hues. These little skeins are my favourite way to test a colourway before I commit to larger batches. They let me play, adjust, and fall in love with how the colours shift before anything goes live in the shop.
It’s not just yarn and dyeing that is being focussed on this week though.
I’m sorting through beautiful quilt fabrics, cutting fat quarters that will soon be listed in the shop. There’s also a special baby quilt / lap quilt that is almost ready for quilting. I hope to offer these unique pieces that will become a gift and family heirloom someone special in your life.
In between all of this, I’m thinking about the more practical, behind the scenes tasks of running a small fibre business:
Designing simple skein wrappers that feel as beautiful as the yarn inside,
Figuring out postage options that keep things affordable yet safe for delicate fibres, and slowly learning the technical side of Etsy so everything is ready when the shop fills up.
Working out a weekly schedule for all the tasks that a small business needs to make sure are kept under control.
Building my new website, one slow step at a time.
And then there’s the dyeing itself. This is the part that still feels like quiet magic even after all these years.
I work with small batches using my own secret recipe of dyes, carefully measured. This means learning and testing techniques like OWG (On Weight of Goods), SSC (Stock Solution Concentration), Alkalinity and different ways to physical dye fibre.
It sounds technical, but it’s really just a repeatable way to get consistent, nuanced colours I can trust. Just like following a recipe, once I’ve tested if the recipe works. For this purple gradient I’m playing with tiny adjustments in concentration and timing so the transitions feel smooth and luminous rather than striped or muddy.
I’ll share more of the actual process in the coming days; it’s one of my favourite things to talk about.
Through all of it, I keep reminding myself to slow down and love every single step. The winding, the measuring, the careful cutting of fabric, the hand-stitching on that little quilt, even the admin side of business. Each one is part of the same mindful rhythm.
This is what Piglet & Squid is built on. Not rushing toward the finished product, but savouring the making itself.
If you’re a maker too, I’d love to know:
Do you have a favourite part of the process — the planning, the prep work, the actual creating, or the finishing touches?
Or have you ever tried dyeing your own yarn and discovered your own “secret recipe”?
Drop a comment below or send me a message. I read every single one and truly enjoy these conversations.
With gratitude and purple-stained fingers,
Jenine @PigletandSquid Melbourne, Australia
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