The last shop update is now live at Spirit Trail Fiberworks!
Who would have thought, when I took that dye workshop with a friend at Stony Mountain Fibers in Charlottesville, VA, way back in 2002 that, 18 years later, I’d still be dyeing yarn? When I came home from that workshop and announced I was going to start a business dyeing yarn, my family thought I was more than a little bit wacky. Yarn? Really? Who’s gonna buy yarn from you? It was pre-Etsy, pre-Ravelry, pre-Instagram. It was even pre-Facebook. Hard to believe.
It was one of those weird experiences in life: I just knew I was going to do it. I had such a strong image in my mind, it’s no surprise it happened pretty much the way I saw it. The picture in my mind was that strong and vivid. It was a “lightbulb moment.”
I never really thought about how long I’d be doing it. I wanted a business where I could work from home, so I could be with my kids and have a flexible schedule. They were toddlers at the time, so their whole lives up until this point have been Mom dyeing yarn in the laundry room (or, starting in 2016, my studio), and stinking up the house with that wet sheep smell (I kind of love that perfume; the rest of my family, not so much).
It’s been a great ride, and was a helpful second income for our family. This business did just what I needed it to do: it allowed me to stay home with my kids but still work. It gave me a job that was creative and flexible. It permitted me to bring color and a little bit of beauty into my life as well as yours, and gave me the great honor of creating something which, in turn, sparked your creativity and inspiration to make beautiful things.
I can honestly say that every moment of dyeing yarn has been a joy, and that’s remarkable. It’s been the best experience — creating colorways, playing spontaneously with the lucky pot one-of-a-kind colors, having the great fortune to meet customers in real life at the festivals, retreats and other events I’ve done over the years — and having many of you become friends in real and cyber life. Traveling to shows with some of my best and closest friends, who I met because of this business. It’s given me so many gifts, and I’ve treasured each moment, each friendship, each meeting, each email and each message.
It’s been a great ride, but it’s time for me to retire my dye gloves and move on to my next adventure. My last shop update is now live! Thanks for checking it out!