A Knitter's Paradise...

Sheep at Home

Elaine Eskesen

On a leisurely outing to Maine one year, I found a 30 acre farmstead on the banks of the Sheepscot River. I had always summered on the Maine coast and stepping back in time to the smells of pine forests and ocean breezes was not difficult. Buying a farm meant cows, sheep, chickens, and a neighbor's pig which soon moved in with myself, my husband and four young children. Being at home and closer to the natural rhythms and changes in seasons, gave me the sense of color that would later be found in my craft. As my children were quickly growing up, I wanted to find satisfying work that would allow me to stay at home. I had always loved to knit and I began designing vests for a Madison Avenue boutique. This adventure lead me to another, my passion for putting colors together in an unusual way; the dyepot was my only salvation as I found commercial yarns did not have the range of colors for my knitting projects.

From this, Pine Tree Yarns was born in 1988 as a small store and dye studio in my summer kitchen. We have since moved the business to a historic house in the coastal village of Damariscotta. I continue to dyeing using the wacky and wild color combinations I see in nature and every day life.

Elaine has authored 2 books: "Dyeing to Knit" and "Silk Knits" (to be released fall 2006). Her writing has appeared in Family Circle Easy Knitting, Knitter’s Magazine, Interweave Knits, and the book KnitLit: Sweaters and Their Stories, among others. Pine Tree Yarns was one of the businesses selected for inclusion in the book Knitter's Stash.