Variegated Yarn Tales: Lise Condis, Fiber Artist Who Explodes With Color

I recently joined an inspiring Facebook Group, FiberBoss Collective with KnitFitch. I put out a request for diverse fiber artists to interview on my blog, and Meret Bützberger-Brunner was kind enough to suggest I speak with Lise Condis. I was immediately intrigued when I went to Lise’s website: TréLiz.

Lise specializes in luxurious hand dyed yarns and fibers, and uses color without fear. I adore so many of the beautiful colors and yarn that can be found on her website.

Let’s get to know Lise better, shall we?

What inspired you to start knitting or crocheting?

I am a very energetic person and I always seem to do something outdoors, from horse riding to kiting. I was trying to figure out a more indoors hobby.

My first idea was to learn how to sew with friends but we always bummed to knitting patterns, and then we asked her mum to teach us how to knit…and then crochet…and we never stopped.

Has knitting or crocheting gotten you through a difficult time in your life? If so, how did it help?

After a couple of months I started knitting, on Christmas Eve I fell and cracked my head. (Not even a party accident, LOL.) It took a lot of time to heal, and I couldn’t really concentrate on my knitting, but I surfed the internet and that is how I found out you can dye yarn and spin wool…and it was like the door to Narnia has opened up for me… of course my Ravelry queue got very long at the time.

What keeps you obsessed?

The endless combinations of color into yarn, and how unique each knitting item is… it has a story to tell, and you can wear it!

What’s your favorite project that you’re working on right now?

I am lately working slowly in my Find Your Fade, I am using scraps and wanna make it as colorful as I can…and I am casting on this weekend in a LYS in France the Shusui Shrug and I am very excited!

What project are you most proud of? Why?

My Sous-Sous sweater as I never thought I could make it…and my Someday Sweater, because it looks so perfect and it fits me like a glove <3

What’s the best knitting or crocheting advice you have received?

As a person that has done a lot of sports and experienced with quite a few hobbies, is that there is always the time where you feel you won’t achieve a certain level specially at the beginning even the knit stitch seems a like a mountain you can’t climb…the advice I got was from a tennis coach and it was simply: if you don’t try you will never learn…and that is true for anything.

Can you tell me more  about your artist-named line of colorways? I love the Frida color line. Do you have plans to expand your colorways?

I love to work with themes, and launch a few colorways at a time.. I tend to name my colorways with things that I love, move me in a way…that simply inspires  me.

I have always loved arts in general, but painting in particular. I will for sure be expanding this collection…with all kinds of influential artists.

Do only visual artists influence your colorway inspirations? I noticed one was called “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.” Are there any other pop culture influences in your work?

“Girls just wanna have fun” is the name of a collection which the colorways have girlie names. They are most inspired by women I met and have been friends to via my yarn adventures and their favorite colorways.

Pop culture is fun and bright and colorful.. and I like those 3 adjectives very much…so I guess my work is definitely influenced by pop culture.

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