Featured Artist : Monica Thoune PetrosUp North Yarns

I am Monica Thoune Petros. I live in the beautiful God’s country called the Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan. I lived in the big cities downstate for about 30 years and in 2008 I made an intentional move back to my hometown in the UP. I have been a high school science teacher for almost 30 years. I have been crafting in one way or another since I was 11 years old. Sewing, painting, cross-stitch, crochet and knitting – I like all natural fibers. I may talk myself into learning how to spin wool yarn before I die. Giggle.

I dye wool blend fingering yarns, usually a superwash merino/nylon blend. I use a variety of methods – kettle-dyeing, steaming, hand-painting, microwaving, and I recently fell in love with ice-dyeing.

I hand-dye fingering sock yarns in the colors I see abounding in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I gain inspiration from nature, the four seasons; gorgeous hues from my flower beds and food gardens; the Great Lakes, and even the amazing colors I see in the rocks I collect from all over the UP. My insatiable quest for scientific knowledge opened up my eyes as a child to the beauty that surrounds me. I translate the beauty of nature into yarns you will enjoy in your creations.

I use DTC acid dyes and purchase all the other things I need from there, too, such as DTC professional textile detergent and Milsoft. I continually refer other indie dyers to DTC because…..well, you are simply the best to work with.

I often reach out to others in the many yarn groups I have in my Facebook and Instagram feeds. Perhaps they need help with a pattern that has them baffled, or advice on a dyeing problem. I have a habit of sharing my yarns with others who may need their day brightened. In one of my groups many of the members recently donated yarns, needles and all kinds of fun things to a soldier who is in Afghanistan right now. I’ll bet she will about fall over when she opens up that shipment of fiber-related goodies. I was proud to send a skein.