November 2015

By Diane Ivey
CEO of Lady Dye Yarns, LLC

Lady Dye: The Yarn Vibe
PODCAST EPISODE #1

A couple of months ago, I wrote a blog post regarding the lack of diversity in the yarn industry. I was inspired by Viola Davis’ Emmy winning award speech for which she discussed the lack of roles for women of color in the film industry.

Her words of inspiration allowed me to reflect on my own experience as a minority business owner in the yarn industry. When I wrote the blog post, I wanted to share my opinions and feelings on what was going on in the industry. Since then, I have received many compliments and words of encouragement from so many people regarding what I wrote. But the biggest question that many people had for me is, “What will you do next?”

After much thought, I believe it’s important for me to address the issue of diversity in the yarn industry and one way I will be doing that is through podcasting. That is correct we have launched our podcast titled “Lady Dye: The Yarn Vibe”

This podcast is not to “complain” or focus on the “negative” aspects of diversity in the yarn industry, but to have:
1. An honest discussion about the current representation of diversity in our industry
2. To highlight diverse populations of people from designers, dyers, bloggers, and knitters.
3. And finally, sharing the rich cultural history of textiles from around the world and the impact it has had in our present industry.

I am so honored to have as the first guest, McKenzie Mullen.

McKenzie Mullen has spent the last two years working and teaching at yarn/fabric stores and has recently migrated from Oakland, California to Boston, Massachusetts. Her passions are knitting and sewing garments to create a long-lasting handmade wardrobe. She identifies as fat-positive, latina, queer, and femme and is currently in grad school to decolonize archives.