I know that it has been awhile since I have made a blog post on my website. I have been making several post via Instagram. I wanted to share with you some things that I have been thinking about since early April.

As most of you know, the crafting industry has been reckoning with the issue of racism and discrimination in the industry since January.  This isn’t the first time I have had this discussion with everyone about the lack of diversity in the crafting community but in early January there was an incident  (and Click Here for a summary) in our online community that went viral making it’s way to some major publications including Vox and The New Yorker as examples.

Since then, many people have shared via Instagram personal experiences dealing with racism, providing resources for people to learn about their own biases, and more. For me personally, I have seen Lady Dye Yarns grow extraordinarily in the last several months. I believe this is due to the discussion we have been having in the community. We are grateful for that but we also know it is important to have great customer service. We had over 800+ orders since January and we have been engaging in conversations via Instagram on racism and diversity. I also had many other requests for collaborations, etc. We really needed to slow it down.  We had orders that got mixed up and that did not sit well with me as I want people to be satisfied.

So, we closed our online shop for yarn, t-shirt, and buttons orders early this month. More info about our next shop update coming next week. The reason why we closed the shop for a little bit, is 1) to catch up on orders but 2) we need to slow it down and get a little more perspective on how I want this company to run since we have had this discussion.

I have found myself in the last several months spending more time educating people on the inequalities in this industry and what ACTIONS we should take to improve it. In return, I have been shown gratitude from online orders and support. But there’s something that I realized that is equally important. Although many of use are having this conversation via Instagram, there are many people who are not on Instagram who do not know what’s going on or heard a little bit about it but do not know the work that people have been doing since then.

Therefore, I want people to understand this:“It is much easier to have a conversation with someone on Instagram whether it is nice, constructive, or just outright bullying. It’s much harder to actually have a conversation face-to-face with people and to talk about the issues. It feels like the same people are talking to each other online and we need to take this message beyond Instagram.”

If you go into Instagram and look at how much time you spend on it, you will find you spend quite a bit of time. How do we take this conversation on racism and diversity from Instagram and into our communities? Some people will say that people should get on Instagram but many people do not want to be attached to Instagram the way some of us are now. Furthermore, Instagram connects us with other crafters around the world which is a stepping stone to the larger conversation of where change should  happen not only on the industry leadership level but locally within the communities.

Two weeks ago, I was very fortunate to hear Tim Wise speak. Tim Wise is an anti-racist speaker. He is acclaimed and supported in the black community for the work he has done around anti-racism for the past 25 years. It was a conference I attended at Harvard on Diversity. I have added the youtube video of the conference below. Time Wise speaks around 2:00.16 in the video. I highly recommend listening to what he has to say.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy3FbmSj88Q

I just want people to stop and listen to what’s going on in their community. If you are part of knitting and crochet group, ask people if they know what’s going on around our discussion on racism and inclusion. If they are not, engage in conversation. For many of us on Instagram, we are aware of what’s going on. Now it seems like we are talking to ourselves and not the larger community as a whole. As much as we think there are tons of crafters on Instagram, I promise your for every 1 person on Instagram, there are 5 that are not. I think it’s important to spread the message to a broader audience. I believe one way is to talk with your local knitting group if you do not have a local knitting group, consider hosting a forum at your local library opening it up to anyone to come who wants to engage in this conversation. Or ask a yarn store to host a talk about it.

In addition, make sure you pace yourself and take time for yourself. There’s still a lot more work to do and it’s okay to step away from social media a little bit for self-care.

ALSO! Sign up for the FUNKADELIC 10! We have 33 slots left!

We are excited to share the list of classes I will be teaching this fall and winter. I will be teaching locally as well as in Plymouth, MA this December and in Rhode Island in January. I hope to see you there. Please see below with more information.

We are still raising funds for our Vogue Knitting Live show. We are so close to meeting our goal. We are about $1,200 away from that. We are doing a self-crowdfunding campaign to help with the cost of the show as well as funds to grow the business. We want to thank all of you for your support and we are thrilled to go!

Here is the amazing deal we are offering: whatever amount you contribute we will match it as a gift certificate to shop online at Lady Dye Yarns.  Our campaign ends Nov. 30^th. Every penny counts and we would appreciate all contributions.

I’m offering two amazing incentives to keep it simple compared to other crowdfunding incentives.

1. Whatever amount you donate. I’ll match that in a form of a gift certificate to shop online at Lady Dye Yarns to shop starting December 5th when all new colorways will be released. As well as a Lady Dye Yarns drawstring project bag. (My new colorways are amazing! Check out my Instagram feed. There’s something for everyone). In addition, I would do a spotlight on you for our online magazine.

OR

2. If you do not knit but have an organization/business, I will give your company 2 months of free advertising on my website as well as a Lady Dye Yarns drawstring project bag. In addition, I would do a spotlight on your organization of business for our online magazine.

Easiest way to support me is by clicking this link which will take you to my PayPal.me account and make a donation. Once I receive notice, I will send you your gift certificate link.

PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN NOTES SECTION IN PAYPAL SO I CAN SEND GIFT CERTIFICATES

 http://paypal.me/ladydyeyarns

Plymouth Harbor Yarn Store, Plymouth, MA

170 Water Street, Suite 10, Plymouth, MA 02360

774-283-4704

Date: December 2, 2017

Mini Skein Yarn Dyeing Workshop (10:00 AM-12:00 PM):-Students can learn the techniques of gradient, variegated, speckled, and more as they dye their own yarn. $75.00 plus material fee $10

Mosaic knitting Workshop (1:00 PM -3:00 PM) : Students will learn the techniques of mosaic knitting.  You will need 5 skeins of worsted weight yarn with each skein ranging between 75-100 yards each. It’s recommended to bring leftover yarn from other projects. $60.00

How to Work with Colors (3:30 PM-5:30 PM): This is a class on how to work with colors especially with bright and vibrant colors.  You will need your choices of yarn in various colors to create a tubular cowl. $60.00

10^th Annual Slater Mill Knitting Weekend

67 Roosevelt Ave., Pawtucket RI 02860

401.725.8638 | info(at)slatermill.org

Date: Saturday, January 20^th

Time: 8:30-11:50 AM

Mosaic Knitting: Coined by Barbara G. Walker in the late 1960’s, “Mosaic knitting” may be the least known form of colorwork, yet it is a wonderful and easy way of knitting with two colors. In this class, Diane will demystify the technique, and show students how easy and satisfying it can be. It is great for beginners who haven’t yet worked in multiple colors, or for intermediates who want to add the technique to their skillset. In addition to the technique, we’ll discuss how to create Mosaic patterns, and put your own imagination for design to work.

Cambridge Center for Adult Education

Harvard Square, 42 Brattle Street, Cambridge MA 02138

617.547.6789

Hand Dye Yarn Workshop (LAST ONE EVER) – February 3^rd 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

THIS WILL BE MY LAST YARN DYEING WORKSHOP CLASS. THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO TAKE THIS CLASS! This hands-on course is an introduction to the ancient art of natural dyeing. Over one class meeting, you will learn the basic principles of fabric dyeing with natural materials like madder root, turmeric, beets, coffee, food coloring, Kool-Aid and other dyes. This class will include presentations about some of the varied approaches to natural dyeing worldwide, from the Andes to West Africa. A materials fee of $40 is payable to the instructor at the first class.

JP Knit & Stitch

461 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

617-942-2118

Open Workshop Drop-in Knitting (Every Thursday from 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM): Our Thursday night Drop-In Knitting with Diane is for knitters with in need of some guidance and provides the emotional and technical support it can take to tackle a particularly tricky bit or pattern errata that’s holding you up. Drop in for an evening of instruction, whether you’re learning a new skill, starting a project, or just need some help getting to the finish line. You can also choose to sign up for multiple sessions to conquer a challenging pattern with our expert to guide you along the way. Diane of Lady Dye Yarns knows all the answers you need to finish your project!

Greetings Everyone,

If you are getting this message twice, I apologize. But it is a very important message that I need help with. Thank you for reading this long email.

As most of you know, I applied to Vogue Knitting Live late last week and heard back from them a couple of days ago. I’m really excited to be able to go there. Going to Vogue Knitting Live for me is not only about showcasing my work but an accumulation of how far I’ve progressed since my first show I did back in 2014 as well as highlighting the vision I have for my business. Which is not only selling yarn but introducing my new social media platform focusing on increasing diversity in the crafting industry and bring political and social justice issues to the forefront of “Craftism.”

We know there’s a lack of diversity in the crafting industry not just yarn, but sewing, quilting, weaving, etc. and it’s been too “passive progressive” in this industry. I want to see more people who look like the diversity country that we are. I’m using my journalism and political science degrees to launch something truly amazing. And being a woman of color in this industry, selling yarn is important as it’s my hope to encourage more people of color to start businesses in the industry.

I’m working with a strong advisory board and business coaches to make this happen. It was my intention anyway to do a crowdfunding campaign with one of the major crowdfunding platforms to raise money for building and launching my new social media platform but I am now also raising funds to  go to Vogue Knitting Live. 

HOWEVER, I want to make a personal appeal with all of you that’s different and more direct and I want to make this very simple. Furthermore, for the past three days, I have been self-crowdfunding and I raised enough for my booth space. This show is huge and also very expensive and I would like to continue to raise additional funds.

It’s unfortunate that many women own businesses have had to do multiple crowdfunding campaigns to raise money for their companies. And the number business owned by women of color fare no better. In an article in the Boston Globe, statistics show that:

• In 2016, only 9 percent of the $71.7 billion in US venture capital funding went to companies with female founders, according to data prepared for The Boston Globe by the research firm PitchBook. That was down from 13 percent in 2015, which had been the highest level in years.
• The numbers in Boston are marginally better: Last year, about 13 percent of Boston-area VC money went to firms with at least one woman founder, according to PitchBook data, though that, too, was a decline, from 18 percent in 2015.
• Of the 530 venture capital deals in the Boston area in 2016, only 71 involved companies with at least one female founder. Those deals represented $800 million of the more than $6 billion invested.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2017/07/31/funding-for-women-entrepreneurs-slackens-despite-concerns-about-bias/jd5Sbxs7sMgRbfbmSQsWgI/story.html

I’m putting out my own crowdfunding campaign to support my company to go to Vogue Knitting Live, which cost $3500 and to support the cost of build my social media platform which is $2,000. This amount is small compared to the statistics I just shared, but this is actually the need for my business now to move forward in the direction I need to take to grow.

I’m offering two amazing incentives to keep it simple compared to other crowdfunding incentives.

1. Whatever amount you donate. I’ll match that in a form of a gift certificate to shop online at Lady Dye Yarns to shop starting December 5th when all new colorways will be released. As well as a Lady Dye Yarns drawstring project bag. (My new colorways are amazing! Check out my Instagram feed. There’s something for everyone). In addition, I would do a spotlight on you for our online magazine.

OR

2. If you do not knit but have an organization/business, I will give your company 2 months of free advertising on my website as well as a Lady Dye Yarns drawstring project bag. In addition, I would do a spotlight on your organization of business for our online magazine.

Easiest way to support me is by clicking this link which will take you to my PayPal.me account and make a donation. Once I receive notice, I will send you your gift certificate link.

 http://paypal.me/ladydyeyarns

I truly appreciate everyone’s support over the years. Starting a business is no easy tasks. You have ups and downs, successful shows and not so successful shows. It takes a couple of years to find your footing in what your ultimate vision and business model are. I am very happy that after a short time of going through what every start up business goes through, I have found my footing.

Thanks for your support.

Best,

Diane Ivey aka Lady Dye

—

Diane L. Ivey

Founder & CEO 

Lady Dye Yarns, LLC

It’s been awhile since I last wrote a blog post but I wanted to share with you some photos from my amazing trip to the Caribbean in late April. I had a remarkable opportunity through Sheep Ahoy Travel to be the instructor for 14 fabulous women. I taught them how to make seamed socks from a great Purl SOHO pattern, mosaic knitting, colorwork, and cables.

I have a yarn dyeing work coming up next week and I hope you take the time to sign up for it!

This one-day dyeing intensive will introduce you into the world of dyeing fiber through immersion, hot pour, painting, top dye and batching. We will dye yarn with eco-friendly supplies from the grocery store including fruits, vegetables, seasonings, food coloring, even Kool-Aid. In addition, we will do some acidic dyes.

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5th Annual Sheep Ahoy Knitter’s Cruise!!!!

Click Here to support our Indiegogo Campaign!

Back in 2010, I took an amazing yarn dyeing workshop in Cambridge, MA and fell in love with hand-painted yarns! Back then, I was solely dyeing yarn for myself and I still remember the day I sat down with my local knitting group at Doyle’s Cafe in Jamaica Plain, MA, and started knitting with my own hand-dyed yarn. Then someone suggested I should start selling my hand-painted yarns.

It never crossed my mind before to sell hand-dyed yarn as I was working a full-time job in the non-profit sector. I took that advice and I thought it would be great to make a “little money on the side.” I became a member in a local artisan group and I participated in my first craft-show, SOWA, in the South End. I received great admiration of my yarn and from there, I decided to start my own fiber arts company. I left my full-time job in April of 2011 to focus my attention on finding part-time work in the arts community while spending the other time growing my business.

In 2013, I was one of the finalist selected in the Merrimack Valley Sandbox Accelerator program (now known as Entrepreneurship for All). I received a business mentor, I laid out a business model that would work for my company, and I received many resources and opportunities through EforAll. At the time, we were only in two stores and we were selling our yarn on consignment. I knew this was not good enough for Lady Dye Yarns to just be in two stores and I wanted more for my company. I did my first crowdfunding campaign with Indiegogo to attend our first trade show, The National NeedleArts Association (TNNA), and we raised enough money to go! We had huge success at TNNA! We went from being in two stores in 2014 to our present number of 30 stores nationally and we continue to grow thanks to all of you!

We are entering a new chapter in the company where we are ready to move into space, employ a Business Manager, increase raw material, expand our marketing and branding, and build our working capital. We need your help again to make this happen. We are raising $40,200 to expand the company.

We need your help again to make this happen. We are raising $40,200 to expand the company. Please take the time to go to our Indiegogo Campaign page and make a contribution and please pass this information along. Every penny counts.

We all love knitting cute sweaters and hats for ourselves to wear. But have you ever taken your knitting beyond the garment? For instance, accessories for our gadgets are on-trend right now- and super necessary! Smartphones and computers have become part of our every day lives- so why not knit something cool for them?

We love this awesome Iphone cozy by blogger KnittyButton. The stripes and bright colors would look great in a Lady Dye colorway, don’t you think? Check out the pattern here: http://knittybutton.com/2010/09/17/another-ipod-cozy/

If you want to try out a crochet project for your gadget, give this pretty striped Ipad cover by Lisa Pocklington a try. We love the vintage chevron look, so cool! Head over to the designer’s blog to see the pattern: http://lisapocklington.blogspot.fr/2012/09/designer-free-crochet-ipad-cover.html?m=1

We LOVE this fun, hilarious knit laptop cover by Brittany Coughlin. Although “cover” is the wrong word, this is a laptop SWEATER, literally! It has a turtleneck and everything! This is so great we need one!! http://www.allfreeknitting.com/Knit-Accessories/Knit-Laptop-Sweater-Pattern/ml/1/?utm_source=ppl-newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=allfreeknitting20140303

Have you knit any cool cases for your gadgets?

SourceURL:file://localhost/Users/jessicabucci1/Desktop/blogpostsladydye.doc

Have you seen this cool fiber art project?

Two Amsterdam-based artists, Lenert Engleberts & Sander Plug use designer sweaters as their medium in this piece that is part sculpture, part performance. Taking sweaters from last season from designers such as Prada and Celine, the duo carefully unravels each garment.

Once completely unraveled, the remaining yarn is wound into a ball, and the garment label attached in plain view.

What does this piece say to you? Does it make you think of upcycling? Of the relationship between process and material? And what do you think it says about these designers?

Source:

http://designtaxi.com/news/365787/Artists-Reduces-Last-Season-Luxury-Knitwear-Into-Balls-Of-Yarn/

This past week we had an amazing opportunity at Lady Dye! Not only did we install a yarn bomb at The Eliot School in Jamaica Plain, we got filmed and interviewed by Chronicle while doing it!

Check it out!

We installed our fun little yarn bomb on the front welcome sign- the perfect addition to an art school, don’t you think?

Lady Dye talked about contemporary knitting, including yarn bombing! Our biggest question- is it legal?

The answer- no it is not! Gotta watch out for cops!

We got away with it this time!

Thanks Chronicle and The Eliot School, we had a great time! make sure to tune in to see Lady Dye on TV!

P.S. Jamaica Plain News stopped by to check out our yarnbomb as well! Read the article here!

We have been SO busy lately! Between starting production on our orders, moving our studio space, and thinking about next year’s collection, we’ve barely had a minute to breathe! But it’s definitely a good kind of busy-we’re so excited for what we have in store for the rest of this year!

What we’re most psyched about is the release of our collection in more stores! Right now, Lady Dye is available around the Boston area and in our webshop, but at the end of the summer yarn stores around the country will carry us! We can’t wait!

Is Lady Dye coming to a shop near you? Keep in touch with us on social media and keep reading our blog to find out!

-The Lady Dye Team

Have you heard of Brazillian artist Paulo Ito? He’s currently the most-talked about artist in Brazil right now, as well as any country that has a large soccer following.

As you may or may not have heard, Brazil is hosting the 2014 World Cup. While the task of hosting the tournament is often taken on with pride, the cost of the event has left many Brazillins feeling uneasy about whether the country is up to it. Ito’s mural sums up these worries harshly, but truthfully:

With 25 percent of Brazil’s population living under the poverty line, meaning approximately 50 million, are in the same boat as the child in the image- unable to afford food. Ito’s emotionally charged mural has since gone viral, with many viewers weighing in their own opinions on the image.

No matter your views on street art, the mural has certainly accomplished what it has set out to do- start a conversation on an important issue that needs to be talked about. What do you think of Ito’s mural?

Photo credit: http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/brazil/140522/world-cup-2014-paulo-ito-street-art-sao-paulo

Father’s Day is soon- this weekend in fact! In honor of the dads of the world (and any dude who rocks cool knitwear!) here’s a roundup of some of our favorite knitting patterns for guys!

This men’s cabled hat pattern by Shana from Needyl will keep the wearer nice and cozy for the winter. It’s an easy pattern, great for practicing cabling, and great for dad! Get the pattern here: http://www.allfreeknitting.com/Mens-Knit-Hats/mens-cabled-hat-pattern

If you want to tackle something more ambitious, this Aran cardigan, aptly named the Dad’s cardigan, would be a good bet. The look is classic, but the intricate details make it special. Try it out:
http://www.yarnspirations.com/pattern/knitting/dads-cardigan

If your dad is more fashion-forward, try a more unique project- like this knit tie by Vickie Howell. It’s an easy project that definitely makes a statement. Check it out:
http://www.yarnspirations.com/pattern/knitting/family-ties-skinny-tie