On a recent vacation my husband and I were lucky enough to go to Hawaii. I’d been to the Big Island before as a kid and it was wonderful walking him through my memories of such an amazing place. We also went to Kauai which I found to be one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. We hiked, kayaked and swam in waterfalls. It was perfect.
But to the point.
While wandering around a small town on Kauai called Hanalei, we found ourselves in a Ukelele and Yarn store. Yes… ukuleles and yarn. The shop is called Hanalei Strings. It’s tucked away in a shopping center across from beautiful mountains with flowing waterfalls.
The minute I saw the store had yarn I had to go in and discovered some of the most amazing yarn I have ever seen. It’s made by Hanalei Hand Dyed, the former owners of the shop before they decided to dedicate themselves to fiber arts.
Each skein of yarn is inspired by an element of the Hawaiian Islands. The colors vary from the soft turquoise tints of Summer Sea Spray, to the bright vibrant hues of Rooster, inspired by the roosters that now roam the island after hurricanes freed them from their pens. Each was more beautiful than the next and to say I wanted them all is a massive understatement.
My husband had to coax me out of the store with promises of poke, but not before I purchased a skein of Pele Fire (inspired by the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes and fire) and the aforementioned Rooster. What I plan to make? No clue. But to make such an amazing find so far from home I wasn’t going to miss my opportunity.
Were the skeins cheap? No. There was a reason I only ended up with two, but the yarn is high quality and the craftsmanship is undeniable.
Which brings me to why I wrote this post (other than being super excited about my yarn that I have no idea what to do with).
Seeing the yarn, learning the stories behind each color combination, was awe inspiring. Though it left me wondering how it had found its way into a ukulele store. It wasn’t until I got home that I found the truly inspiring element of the whole story.
It takes amazing courage to open your own store front. Especially one as niche as ukuleles in a small town in Hawaii. However, to go one step further and give that up to dedicate yourself to your art and creating yarn to sell in that same small shop, now THAT is dedication. And talk about Niche! Who goes searching for yarn in Hawaii?! Well, if I ever get the opportunity to go back to the islands, I can tell you the one thing I won't be leaving without.
Kudos and congratulations to the Hanalei Hand Dyed team. Your dedication to crafting is inspirational. Keep it up, we see you! Mahalo.