About

Marina sits in an armchair, chin on hand, wearing a hand-knitted colourwork yoked jumper in teal and brown.

My name’s Marina, and I’m a yarn dyer and hand-knit designer based in a small village in Wiltshire in the South-West of England. I started dyeing wool yarn as a hobby in 2015 and was immediately obsessed. After a couple of years fitting my dyeing and knitting around my full-time work in publishing, in 2017 I quit the day job to focus fully on Marina Skua. It was completely obvious to me then that I needed to be creative in my work and create products I genuinely care about.

Create knitwear you can live in

My yarn all has character – whether it’s a matte, grippy wool that’s ideal for colourwork or a soft, delicate alpaca with luminous drape. I dye colours and design patterns that I enjoy and wear myself. Rich, semi-solid jewel tones; muted, delicate pastels; unusual variegations. While I enjoy bright colours, I try to avoid the garish. I create yarns and designs that fit smoothly into a wardrobe; that can be worn in daily life – not just when we want to sling on a hand-knit to show off at a yarn show. 

Sustainability and provenance

Over these years I’ve honed my processes and product offering to align with a strong set of values. I believe that as knitters, craftspeople and human beings, we should care about the provenance of the materials we use. 

  1.  Supporting local. The yarn I offer is all made from locally sourced fibre, grown by happy, well-treated animals on farms I’ve visited numerous times. My yarn is all spun at small mills in the UK – I aim to reduce ‘yarn miles’ wherever I can. 
  2. Considerate dye practices. I reuse dye water as many times as possible, use non-toxic dyes and ancillaries, and ensure that no materials are wasted. Residual water from dye pots is disposed of in the garden, where the slight acidity will benefit certain plants. 
  3. Biodegradable packaging. All orders are sent out in unbleached and undyed paper and card packaging, which can be safely composted at home or recycled. 
Five skeins of hand-dyed British wool yarn in pinky red-brown, peridot green, a pinky taupe, a dark bluish green and a peachy pink

Marina Skua Podcast

I create a monthly video podcast in which I discuss and document some of my creative work, including the dyeing of some of the yarns you’ll see in the online shop, the process of creating many of my knitwear designs, as well as promoting the longevity of clothes and hand-made items, and other seasonal making. You can watch the videos on YouTube. There are additional (often more detailed) videos and written content on Patreon, which is the subscription platform I use to help fund the creation of the podcast. 

You are welcome here

People of all races, orientations, abilities, sizes and cultures are welcome here. Craft and creativity are empowering, and there is no place for exclusionary barriers around them. I will not tolerate discriminatory or harmful behaviour in any of the spaces I control (physical and online). 

If you have any questions or feedback, don’t hesitate to contact me.