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The Cryptozoologist is having an update today at 7 p.m. GMT (2 p.m. EST/11 a.m. PST). Once again we’re offering a host of vibrant and exciting colourways all in 100% British BFL/nylon sock yarn.

There’s a literary theme running across some of the yarns this time, with The Gracekeepers and The Gloaming both inspired by the enchanting books of the same name by Kirsty Logan. Since both novels are soaked in seawater and have strong LGBTQ+ themes, it seems fitting that both of these yarns support the Mermaids charity, which helps transgender and gender variant children across the UK. We will be donating £3 from each skein sold to Mermaids.

Elsewhere, new colourway Ketterdam is inspired by the city in Leigh Bardugo’s novels Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom. Leigh paints an industrial cityscape with a rich history, and accordingly Ketterdam is full of deep rusts and aged bricks, and speckled with soot.

Also making its debut this update is Velaris, which draws its inspiration from Sarah J Maas’ ACOTAR trilogy. Velaris is also known as the City of Starlight, and this deep rich blue yarn is evocative of clear nights spent watching the stars emerge as Twilight fades into dark. Sally we can’t provide you with your very own Rhys!

Away from the pages of fantasy works – we do have a life outside of books, honest! – there are new colourways in the form of Somnus Flower, a bewitching blend of lavender and aqua accented with pops of pink and yellow, and Roseate, a bright and joyful yarn bringing pinks together with mustard, greens and browns – just the thing for a spring shawl or sock project.

So whether you want to escape to a fantasy realm as you knit, or just pick up a pretty skein or two, why not have a poke about at The Cryptozoologist’s newest additions?

The Cryptozoologist will be updated on July 28th, 7 p.m. BST (2 p.m. ET, 11 a.m. PT)

It’s going to be chock full of 100% British, squishable BFL/nylon sock yarn.

We’re exploring neutrals with a pop with the gorgeous Flying Snow and Broken Sword — gorgeous watercolouresque blends of blue, grey and white with a handsome helping of sprinkles and speckles.

We’re also adding some winged friend-inspired wool with Pigeon Feet. This colourway absolutely gleams with rich teal, emerald and grey with pops of pink, lilac and turquoise.

There’s also some old, reworked colourways including Moonfire and The Diver’s Wife, a former club colourway that was so popular I had to tweak it and bring it back!

Finally, we’re adding a bunch of shawl sets for any of your favourite three skein patterns. There are ocean-inspired kits, summery pinks and more neutral tones.

So, whatever floats your boat — why not set sail for The Cryptooologist update and come and snag yourself some gorgeously snuggable yarn?

The Cryptozoologist is a one-woman indie yarn slinger based in Yorkshire, UK specialising in 100% British yarn, dyed up in dreamy shades to represent fantasy, literature, pop culture and video games.

I had to retire my shop briefly while battling with illness, but I’m back with a bang and more colour than ever!

What’s changed?

The method I use to dye has changed to reflect my lifestyle. I blend, speckle and paint to make multi-layered colourways that will burst into colour on your needles. I’m launching with a solid collection of eleven colourways and will be adding more as I play, explore and refine at the dyepots.

What’s the same?

I still use 100% Yorkshire reared and processed yarn. It’s a beautiful blend of snuggably soft BFL and hard-wearing nylon to ensure the yarn is powerful enough for socks, but slinky enough for next-to-skin wear.

The sense of fun and fantasy has stayed. I like to put magic into every skein, whether that’s traditional style magic or the zing of something new. I like my colourways to be interesting to the eye, always something new to find.

What’s hot?

I joined Countess Ablaze’s Tits Out Collective and my colourway For The Girls has been hugely popular raising a lovely sum of money for Days For Girls, a charity that endeavours to end period poverty and provide sustainable menstrual care and education to girls.

There’s also a new core collection of colourways that would work marvellously in fade designs. From velvety purples and pinks with Wicked Like A Wildfire, Holes in Your Heart and Cold Clay to zingy brights like U’Ghamaro, The Beekeeper and Las Vegas 2049.

One of my favourite colourways, and one I’m finding it incredibly hard to relinquish into the world in The Gracekeepers. Inspired by a book by wonderful British author Kirsty Logan, it’s a stormy mix of blues, blacks and rust. Kirsty herself saw the skein on Twitter and said “WOW. I have to say, while writing a book you never think about what wool colours it might match. And yet this is the absolute perfect colour for The Gracekeepers.”

Such high praise (and yes, I did dance around my living room a bit when I read this).

I hope you’ll join me for the joy of my relaunch, and that you’ll find something beautiful that speaks to you.

I’ve decided to change the way I list colourways in my shop recently, and to a lesser extent the way that I dye certain OOAK skeins.

When I first started dyeing, I had so many ideas in my head about colourways that I dyed just one skein at a time to get as many colourways as I could out into the world. I would occasionally add multiples of incredibly popular colourways, but most remained with just having one skein dyed, one skein listed.

Recently the demand for some colourways has been huge, and they have been selling out before people manage to get their hands on them — so I have decided to add pre-orders to my Etsy shop. This is for a key range of some of my most popular repeatable colourways, such as my Tokyo Mew Mew range and my Adventure Time range. This means you can now purchase up to five skeins of them at a time, and I will custom dye them for you.

To begin with I have added the following yarns to the store as pre-orders: Team Rainbow, Glamour Prism, Ichigo, Zakuro, Mint, Lettuce, Celestial Resonator, The Nightosphere and Electric Sheep.

In addition to this I have also added two new colourways to my core range. The Grand Budapest Hotel as the first part of a Wes Anderson-inspired line and Burmecia as part of my long-running Final Fantasy range.

So, at the moment the shop is full to the brim of bright colourways waiting to grace your needles and bask in the sunshine to become socks or a shawl… or whatever else you can think of!

I hope to see you there!

Hello, it’s a bit of a bumper update from me again. There’s a nice mixture of Adventure Time, Final Fantasy and some limited edition Halloween yarns to be added.

So, let’s start with the Adventure Time yarns. They almost round off the entire collection. To begin with I’ve dyed up another skein of Lady Rainicorn. I’ve had a few custom orders for this colourway, and last time it was for general purchase it sold very quickly. So, if you want it – get to the shop! There’s also two new yarns joining the flock – how could I do an AT series without the two most righteous dudes, it’s FINN and JAKE!

Jake is a totally gown-up blend of mustardy yellow, black and white and would make tops bloopy socks for anyone. While Finn is a bright, energetic blend of greens, blues and white, so you can match the sartorial choices of the lumping coolest human ever.

Now, let’s move on to the Halloween yarns! There are three on the Unicorn Sock base, and three on the Cait Sith DK base (which is a lovely plumpcious Jacob wool).

First, let’s talk about my inspiration. Clearly the coolest witches in Halloween history – the Sanderson sisters!

Are you a Winnie, Mary or a Sarah? Winnie is a blend of greens and blues all topped off with a carrotty orange – just like her hair! Mary is a witchy blend of red, brown, purple are orange – understated but punchy, like the lady herself! Sister Sarah is a ladylike blend of purples and pinks – rocking the perfect eerie-girly combo, and is also available in DK weight.

Also on the DK base are No Nicer Witch Than You (a candy-spattered mix of white, pink, purple and turquoise) and The Black Flame Candle (a bewitching brew of white, black, orange and purple).

And last, but not least is a very special yarn. I’m a really dedicated Final Fantasy fan – and I’ve become absolutely obsessed with FF XIV recently. So, I knew what the Moonfire Faire special event began I KNEW I had to make a special yarn.

Throughout August 14 and September 8 I will be stocking the shop with very special OOAK skeins inspired by the festival. If you like one, be sure to grab it, because these skeins will not be replicated.

So, the update is tomorrow – August 18 at 7pm (BST), I hope to see you there!

I’ve been incredibly busy in the dyeing kitchen (aka…my kitchen) over the past week cooking up some new colourways, as well as re-dyeing old favourites and working on commissions. I have to tell you the hot British summertime is not conducive to dyeing yarn! The heat is both unexpected and unwanted — though it does mean I can dry the skeins naturally in the Yorkshire sunshine while I sip iced tea and watch the birds at my feeders in the garden.

As well as dyeing, I’ve been squirrelling away at something else — which I’m really excited to tell you about — but will have to wait for when I don’t have lots of new yarns and scrummy pictures to show you!

So without further ado… the yarn!

I was working on the remaining colourways for the Tokyo Mew Mew series I introduced recently, when it occurred to me that it just wasn’t right not to have all five Mew Mews together. The feeling grew in me, and I felt so uncomfortable splitting them up that I re-dyed the Mint colourway (which sold pretty quickly last time) so that I wouldn’t be keeping them apart. So that means I have a whole set of five up for grabs at the moment. There’s Ichigo, a summery blend of pinks, red and white, which I shared in my last update post, and Mint, a rich blend of purple, turquoise and blue and the new colours…

Lettuce is a blend of lime green, leaf green, white and pink. I absolutely LOVE this combination. When I was growing up my mum always told me “pink and green should never be seen,” but I think this yarn disproves the rhyme completely. The pink adds a lovely summery punch.

Pudding is a really cheerful blend of oranges, corals and yellow. Proud and punchy like the adorable little creature herself. This skein took a lot of blending, but I really like how sunny it is.

Zakuro is a sophisticated mix of purples, pink, white and brown. Strong and eye-catching, just like Zakuro the Mew Mew.

As well as completing the Mew Mew series I’ve added a new colourway in the Adventure Time series. It’s everyone’s favourite Korean unicorn — Lady Rainicorn! A hot blend of rainbow and pinks — I like to think that the Lady would it!

Finally Team Rainbow has been restocked. I’ve added three skeins this time, so if you want to make a larger project you can do. It would make a wonderful, bright shawl!

The shop update will be Friday evening, UK time. I hope to see you there!

There’s a shop update over at The Cryptozoologist. There are five new yarns up for grabs, all on my unicorn sock base, a lovely, soft, warm blend of BFL and nylon.

Not only are the colourways new, but they launch two new themes that I will be using for inspiration in the coming weeks.

Firstly….ADVENTURE TIME!

How could anyone watch this TV show and not be entranced? I’m a huge fan of the surreal cartoon, and especially Lumpy Space Princess — she’s like totally my hero.

So, the first yarn up is Lumpy Space Princess. As per the lady herself, LSP is a blend of lots of different regal purples, topped off by gold. I’m so fond of this yarn, I’m having trouble saying goodbye to it!

Also up is Princess Bubblegum. How can you not love a princess who is fond of pink, and science! So, it’s only right that this yarn is a blend of tonal pinks, and a totally royal gold.

The second series I am working on is inspired by Mia Ikumi’s lovely manga series Tokyo Mew Mew. I’m such a huge fan of both the manga and the anime. I REALLY want to be a mew mew. So, again how could I not use it as inspiration? And the plus point? They are all gorgeous colour combinations!!

First up is Ichigo, a lovely blend of red, white and tonal pinks. It blends Ichigo the girl with the Mew Mew alterego and is purrfectly representative of one of my favourite cat girls.

Secondly, Mint. In the series, Mint is kinda mean and spoiled, but that girl has style! She wears my favourite colours of purple, turquoise and blue — and looks great doing it! I’ve been gripping this skein in my hand feverishly debating whether to sell or keep it. But, here it is — for sale!

Finally, it’s a bit of an oddball. From time to time I like to try out new dyeing techniques, blending and colour mixes. Ponyo is one of these. It’s a lovely summery, beachy mix of blue, orange and sand. Doesn’t it just make you want to hotfoot it to the nearest beach? If you want this skein, then snap it up as it’s a OOAK and will not be dyed again!

So, hopefully (health willing), there’ll be another update next week — and normal service with health, internet and dyeing will be resumed!

The shop has been updated with three 100% BFL aran, two BFL/nylon sock and two North Ronaldsay lace weight skeins.

The lace weight is a new base for me – and is 100% British heritage wool. North Ronaldsay wool is pretty rare, but is a lovely strong, sturdy lace perfect for lace shawls. Both of the colourways are Robot Unicorn Attack II-themed. Veil of Wrath is a lovely goth blend of purple, lilac and deep black, while Celestial Resonator is a blended mix of blues and purples. Both are inspired by unicorn body parts from the game, so I guess a little morbid gothness is right!

I’ve also restocked Team Rainbow – which seems to sell within the same day every time I restock! It’s one of my favourite colourways, I love how the white space blends with the bright colours and I love that it’s showing Team Rainbow pride!

Cotton Candy is a new colourway for me – and is inspired by a 1980s My Little Pony. It feels odd to be using the American word rather than candy floss, but I’m going with the My Little Pony name! This is shaping up to be one of my favourite colorways – both to dye and the finished product. It’s also available in 100% BFL aran.

I’ve also added a pretty special skein – based on a myth about Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. Rumours are flying about that it was designed to be played alongside The Wizard of Oz. I’m not sure how true the rumours are – but it made a pretty unusual yarn – Dark Side of the Rainbow!

Finally, I’ve added a couple of semi-solid colours. Both are inspired by myth and legend – which seems only right considering I am the CRYPTOzoologist!

Firstly there’s Gorgeia – inspired by the Greek legend about the origin of coral. And finally there’s Kelpie, inspired by the Celtic myth about tiny little water spirits.

All are currently available in the shop!

The shop has been updated to include a pair of 100% British BFL Aran-weight skeins.

The first is called Carbuncle, named after Final Fantasy 8’s adorable little green pixie pal who you can summon to protect your party. He’s such a cute little scamp I couldn’t not dye a colourway inspired by him. And as it turns out, it looks beautiful — the blue and turquoise meld perfectly, while the red adds a pretty cool pop.

The second skein is inspired by the insidious Team Inferno from Robot Unicorn Attack II. My husband (who is in Team Inferno), pointed out that I have a Team Rainbow colourway… so it’s only fair I include a Team Inferno. I’m torn up upside, although I bleed rainbow for my team, this skein is PRETTY. It’s a blend of fiery colours inspired by hellfire and smouldering coals.

The BFL base takes colour beautifully, and just glows in the sunlight, and I’m proud to be supporting the British wool trade. These skeins (and all of the yarn I sell) were spun in my home county, which just fills me with pride.