Club Questions & Answers can be found here.
When can you expect your "dyed to order" yarn to arrive?
We let you pick your color and the yarn base and we dye the yarn just for you! The majority of our 4 oz skeins are dyed to order and ship in a week or two, usually. Sometimes we'll have the yarn on hand and in that case it ships immediately. All of our kits, mini skein packs, and Blossoms are typically in stock and ship the same or next business day. Shipping usually takes about 3-7 days in transit, depending on how far from Vermont you are.
Will my yarns be the same dyelot?
Yes, each colorway you order will be from the same dyelot. In other words, each color will be dyed at the same time, by the same dyer to ensure they are as consistent as possible.
What should I make with this?
Everything! Check our Patterns page and see what we've done with our yarns. Check the Ravelry database, where you can click on our different yarn options and see thousands of other projects knitters have paired with our yarns. Also, follow us on Facebook or Instagram for lots of show-and-tell.
Where do you source your wool yarns? And what about mulesing?
The majority of our yarns are spun in Peru, and the fiber is sourced from South America and South Africa. Our fibers come from mulesing-free sources. Our Unicorn is from Japan, and our Summer Silk from Italy.
My skein has a knot. Is that typical?
Not generally! However, knots can happen from time to time. Sometimes this means a skein was spun during a bridge between batches, so yes, knots happen from time to time. There are many clever ways to hide them, though! Have you ever tried the Russian Join, the Braided Join, or the Magic Double Knot? Our wool yarns are superwash, so try some of these techniques, as spit-splicing will not work as well.
How do I wind my skein into a ball?
Our two favorite methods are to use a swift and skein winder (worth the investment if you’re an avid knitter!), or the good old-fashioned buddy method. Buddy method? Yes, it’s great bonding time! Have your friend hold open the skein of yarn while you hand-wind it into a ball. If you don’t have a buddy in the immediate vicinity, two chairs work just fine! Here’s a great little tutorial on winding into a center-pull ball with a toilet paper tube or paper towel roll. Happy balling!
How do I wash/block my Finished Object?
Although our yarn is superwash, we recommend hand-washing your finished knits, for the sake of longevity. Warm water and unscented wool wash are best. Did you know that some scents and essential oils can pull dye from textiles? If you are working with colors that have notorious bleed-potential (turquoise and fuchsia based, specifically) or have highly contrasting colors, it is best to test-wash your swatches (you do swatch, don’t you??) before you wash a finished project you have spent many blissful hours making. We recommend drying flat, and if your item needs to be blocked, you can do this on blocking mats, or a towel.
Speaking of dye, what kind of dye do you use?
We use acid dyes, which are so named for the pH required to set the dye. We use a simple food grade vinegar to set our professional dyes.
Is your yarn colorfast/lightfast?
The aforementioned dyes we use are professional grade acid dyes that are colorfast and lightfast. We exhaust our dyes carefully and completely. However, there are certain colors that are quite saturated and/or difficult to exhaust, for any dyer, and so we caution that you test-wash with colors that are based on turquoise, fuchsia, and red.
Are your felt bags fair trade?
Yes! Our felt bags are made from our designs by a group of artisans in Nepal. Felt-making is a traditional craft in their culture, which has made a comeback in recent years in the form of fun, brightly-colored items. These items are all fair trade. We work with a family-owned company, employing a skilled group of artisans under excellent working conditions.
