name that colorway!
Wednesday, March 28, 2012 at 4:58PM We are {sob} sending 17 old friends into the vault very soon to make some room for new best friends.
This is distressing, I know. You hate change. You don't want me to tell you can't have something you like. It's like your mom telling you you can't eat the Halloween candy for breakfast when you're four.
(If you don't recall this from childhood or parenting, it goes something like this: "Please? PLEEEEEEASE can't I have just ONE PIEEEEEEECE? PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE?" And then when the level headed mother thinks, Peanut butter cups for breakfast can only bring bad things and says "No, maybe you can have a piece after lunch if you eat everything on your plate," the child has no choice. They must respond, "You're not my mommy anymore. My real mommy would let me eat as much candy as I want.")
Unless, of course, you're blessed with a mild mannered four year old who obeys your every instruction without arguing. In which case, I would suggest keeping that to yourself. Thanks.
I've already gotten my fair share of "Mean, mean, mean, badbad Yarnista" comments. And that's OK. I'm prepared to be the mom in this situation. That means you get to be the four year old. And in case you don't remember from childhood or parenting, four year olds are easily distracted by shiny objects.
Look! It's a yarn picture!
It's a contest!
It's a sale!
Our soon to be released collection of colorways has 34 beauties in it. Put 17 to bed, bring 34 guests to the party. See how, being the benevolent Yarnista that I am, I'm actually increasing your colorway options when this is all said and done?
Thirty-four is a lot of really good colorway names to come up with. And I am picky. I have been known to ruminate on these things for days. We've brainstormed some names in the studio, and I have some I like. But I could use some more suggestions. (Note: picky does not always equal mean. One can be selective without being an ogre.)
So, here's your chance to offer your colorway name suggestions. If we pick your name, you'll get a skein of that colorway when it's released. No catch. No "just pay separate shipping and handling, which is really like paying for item." I will send you a skein for honest-to-goodness free.
A couple of hints to increase your chances of winning:
1. No names that are currently in use. You can check out our colorways here and here if you're not sure.
2. No names that are impossible to pronounce. People do not always want a lesson in etymology when holding a skein of yarn. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I will not be choosing Deasmumhnach, Larfhlaith, or Oilleog. If someone can't even take a stab at it in English, I probably won't choose it.
3. The name has to have a pleasant sound, feel, or connotation without being overly trite. I'm not as attracted to names like "Holding hands under a rainbow made of angels," or, "Fairy skipping across a pond of enchanted lily pads." Conversely, I also don't tend to choose names that have negative words or sounds in them, like "Kill him," "Parseltongue," or, "Moaning Myrtle."
4. Names should not be shared with other well-known products currently being sold. In other words, I'm not going to name a colorway "Bounty Paper Towels," "Tide Free and Clear," or, "Land O'Lakes Butter."
5. Names should not be something my nine year old son would find hilarious. You know exactly what this means, don't even ask.
6. I especially like groups of names that are related to each other somehow. Previous colorway collections have been things like Bayside, Driftwood, Skipjack, and Salt Spray. They sound pretty. The relate to each other. My brain likes that.
To enter, leave your suggestions in the comments here. I'll close the comments at the end of the day on April 2nd, so you have time to think about things. You can enter as many times as you want. Please leave a valid email address in the email box when filling out the comment. I need to be able to reach you. If you leave it there and not in the actual comment itself, no one else will be able to see it.
And while I've bent your ear, the 17 colorways that we're saying goodbye to are 20% off for a limited time. Grab them while you can.
Ready, Set, Go!
Reader Comments (223)
My entries: Larkin, Fiona, Maureen (because I'm ever so glad my sister pleaded hard enough and my mother didn't name me Edith. Not that there's anything wrong with that name.), Svea, and Lindsay. That pretty much covers all of the females in my household including our two cats. Svea is Swedish and "Mother Svea" is a symbol of Sweden a little bit like Uncle Sam is for us. My daughter (Larkin Fiona) got Svea the cat when she lived on an island off the coast of Gothenburg Sweden so I associate her name with the intersection of black and white domesticity (the cat) with wild rocks, scrub and ocean of the island.
Horatio, Algernon, Ernest, Oscar (Wilde), Pims, Dido, Ariel, Caliban, Freya. That's all I can think of for now. But I may quickly think up more, and post them too. Imagine, I thought I would only be posting one name.
See, already I have more: Cecily, Gwendolyn, Lady Bracknell, Lane, (Miss) Prism, and Irish Brogue. I shall try to contain myself.
I know you've done names before...but I like Lenora, Alicia, Colin, and Bridget.
Ale, Lager, Porter, Stout. Think shades of gold. A perfectly poured Guinness. Mmmmmmm.
you should name a pinky-salmon one Tola. no? okay then, how about Micheal after my husband? that's the Irish version of Michael, which he answers to when we are in Ireland. he likes greens. and Percy is a good English name, and it's my mother's name.
Lianelle. Isabelle. Resilient Pewter. Deep and Dazzling Darkness. Ona. Niamh (does that fall under unpronounceable?).
The dude asks, the dude receives:
Cinco de mayo
Bastille day
Sherlock
Watson
Moriarity
Mycroft
Summer night
Firefly
S'mores
Campfire girl
Boy scout
Olympic torch
Decathlon
Marathon
Westminster Abbey
Big Ben
London Eye
Dog Days
When Pigs Fly
Monkey Jar
Batty, Batty, Bat
Dwight
Whitney
Glowworm
Monarch
Just a smattering of what's in my head. (Scary eh?)
Skylight, Stargazer, Avonlea, Arabesque, Tibetan Snow, Spice Islands, Seafarer, Red Empire, Opulent, Luminaries, Doeskin...I'm thinking a garden of lilies.
Shire, Daffodil, Candy Apple, Sail, Azure, Chambray, Clay, Mist, Laurel, Margeurite, Zuzu's Petals, and of course, my callsign: Duchess :)
-Caity
Thames, Nile, Mississippi, Amazon, Rhine, Rhone, Danube
Michigan, Huron, Ontaio, Erie, Superior
Crisp, Tart, Rich, Ripe, Smooth, Sharp
What a fun contest! How about some starry names - Betelgeuse, Alpha Centauri, Sirius, Regulus, Aldebaran. Or constellations themselves - Cassiopeia, Andromeda, Cygnus, Lyra, Aquarius (I think there's one for every Zodiac?). There are too many to name...
Or what about Greek or Roman gods/goddesses? I think I already saw an Aphrodite among your yarn. Jupiter, Saturn, Juno, Diana, Ceres, Mercury, Apollo, Mars, Persephone.
Well, you have an Aidan (my daughter's middle name) so I am suggesting Connor and Owen
Trail Walk (my new hobby) which should include Shenandoah, Appalachian, Smoky Mountains, Catskills, Blue Ridge, and Catoctin.
Smells Like Spring - Dogwood, WIsteria, Honeysuckle, Lilies
Ummmm. I have to keep thinking.
Lizz!
Paradise lake, log cabin, fir, tranquility, loon, wild strawberries, pollen, and Elmira (that last one sounds weird but it is the name/brand of my parent's (red) gas oven at their log cabin on Paradise Lake BC...)
I know I'll have more, but for now Stella, This Side of Paradise, Amory, MIlo, Tatum, and I think you need a yarn named Gillian to go with the scarf pattern :)
You have a couple Shakespearean names already (from Midsummer) - how about some of Shakeseare's other famous ladies? Beatrice, Ophelia, Viola, Desdemona, Miranda, Rosalind, Cordelia, etc. And of course, the men - Benedick, Mercutio, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern (impossible to separate those names), Malvolio, Petruchio, Prospero - you get the picture!
Baby Nicknames - Punk-a-doodle, Petite Choux, Sweet Pea, Babycakes, Cuddle Bunny (or Cuddle Bun), Doodle Bug (June Bug, Love Bug, lots of Bugs).