Next up on the Westknits’ Yarn A Long 2023’s flower parade is Malene’s whimsical Sysleriget! Based in Århus, Denmark, Malene started hand-dyeing yarn eight years ago in her small kitchen before moving to a combined workshop/store where all her luxurious skeins are hand-dyed and shipped worldwide.
Malene ambitiously took upon herself to research the hand dyeing process when it was still very new in Århus. She dove into the colour pool to find a fun hobby before focusing all her creative and fun vision on her yarn business when more and more people wanted to buy her gorgeous skeins.
Malene’s inspiration stems from nature, the spectacular changing lights during the Scandinavian seasons being her favourite time of the year. Her children’s drawings fill up a big portion of Malene's inspiration since she loves reproducing their colour combinations in her studio.
Malene takes great pleasure and pride in the slow and manual process required to create magnificent products which is why she chose to name her yarn company Sysleriget. The name Sysleriget comes from the local dialect of Malene’s hometown in southern Jutland and is derived from the verb ‘at sysle’, loosely translating to ‘to putter’ (to do things in a relaxed manner and without rushing), just like a hopeful bud takes time and patience before becoming a stunning bloom. The second part of the word Sysleriget - ‘riget’ - means empire, and Sysleriget is therefore Malene’s humble empire of puttering, exactly like a breathtaking flower garden.
Malene's ideal flower arrangement changes throughout the year. At the moment it would include colourful Tulips but comes the Summer, her homegrown Dahlias will conquer her heart.
