August Yarn Club is inspired by Emily Kame Kngwarreye
Emily Kame Kngwarreye (c. 1910-1996) was an Anmatyerre elder from Utopia in Australia’s Northern Territory and is regarded as one of the most significant contemporary Australian artists. Her 1996 painting Merne (Everything), created shortly before her death, reflects her deep connection to Country and cultural knowledge. With sweeping layers of acrylic paint, the work captures the rhythms of desert life - plant cycles, ceremony, and ancestral presence.
Although she began painting late in life, Emily produced over 3,000 works in just eight years. Her distinct style marked by layered brushwork and her signature “dump dot” technique, transformed Indigenous art on a global scale. Her bold, abstract compositions are often compared to modernists like Monet and Rothko, yet her work remains rooted in the traditions and land of her community.
Merne (Everything) exemplifies her ability to convey vast knowledge and emotion through colour and movement. Kngwarreye’s influence continues to resonate, with her work held in major collections worldwide and celebrated for its spiritual and artistic power.
What I love about her works
Emily’s work moves me in a way that’s hard to put into words. Her paintings feel vast and alive, like they’re breathing with the land itself. The way she layers colour and gesture captures something far deeper than the eye can see - it’s emotion, memory, and ancestral connection all woven into the canvas. I’m especially drawn to the rhythm in her work, the way it dances between abstraction and story, chaos and calm.
There’s a freedom in her brushstrokes that feels intuitive and fearless, but also deeply respectful of the knowledge she carried. It reminds me that art doesn’t need to be exact to be powerful - it just needs to be honest.
I fell in love with Aboriginal art while working at Kakadu and Uluru, where I saw firsthand how deeply art is connected to land, language, and culture. Emily’s work brings all of that into every mark she made, and it continues to resonate with me on a personal level - both as a maker and as someone who carries a deep admiration for our countries first people; their culture, their connection to country and their stories.
What colours are planned for August?
This month’s colourway is bright and vibrant so expect bright desert golds, hot pinks, vivid oranges, and electric reds - tones that capture the intensity of the land in bloom and the joyful abundance of plant life. These colours pulse with life, echoing Emily’s fearless brushwork and deep connection to Country.
To balance the brightness, you’ll find crisp whites and sunlit yellows peeking through, creating a palette that feels joyful, untamed, and full of spirit; a bold and vibrant tribute to one of Australia’s most iconic artists.
How does it work? Our Blackwattle Sock Club is a 'purchase as you go' type of club. Love January's colours? Snap up your favourites from the January collection. Prefer August’s palette? Pick from the August selection.
No subscriptions, no pressure - simply order the months you adore.
Pack options available for your mix and match:
- 2 x 100 gram solids (light + dark)
- 2 x 100 gram variegated (light + dark)
- 2 x 100 gram solid and variegated (medium + medium)
- 1 x mini skein
- 2 x mini skeins
- 3 x mini skeins
- 4 x mini skeins
- 5 x mini skeins
The mini skeins will be solid colours that will contrast/coordinate with the 100 gram skeins. The 3 variegated colours and the 3 solid colours (100 gram skeins) will fade into each other: light, medium and dark.
Each month we will create new colours....insert excited Angela here! Fun fact about me.....I LOVE creating new colours!!
When do they open and when do you post them to us? Sock Clubs open on the 1st of each month. Clubs will be posted at the end of each month. If you order other products at the same time, we will hold your order until the Sock Club yarns are ready to go. All packages will ship with tracking. You will receive an email letting you know the club has shipped with a tracking number (Australia Post Tracking Number).
Looking for sock pattern ideas? Here are a list of FREE sock patterns, available through Ravelry, that we think would work with our hand dyed yarns:
- Beauty and the Beast Socks by Elina Maaria
- Confetti by Karin Fernandes
- Twisted Lace Socks by Jennifer Anne
- Lemon Drizzle Socks by Debbi Ford
- Rickrack Socks by Nicole Simmons
- Krufka Socks by Comfort Zone Knits
- Sank Socks by Lotta H Lothgren
- Pine Tree Socks by L'oro unico
- Villiviini by Tiina Kuu
- Extranilla Socks by Meaghan Schmaltz