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Is it just me or are more and more people seeking out indie dyed yarn lately? I'm so thrilled to see a growing community of fibre artists embracing indie dyed yarn and supporting their favourite indie dyers. But for those who haven't yet been bitten by the indie fibre bug, this post is for you! Indie dyed yarn; what it is, and what it's not. First of all, what exactly is an indie dyer anyway? The simple answer is an independent (indie) person who dyes (dyer) fibre on a relatively small scale (small batches) in comparison to a commercial mill that supplies larger quantities to yarn stores. Many indie dyers provide wholesale quantities to shops, but not all indie dyers can afford to pay the commission it costs to sell yarn this way, especially if they are just starting out. Typically, indie dyers operate out of their own kitchens, garages, or basements (like me!), and take the time to produce unique, unique pieces of art for the pure enjoyment of working with something so luxurious and beautiful. For the indie dyer, it's not just about functionality, it's about creating an experience for the maker. Besides volume differences, an indie dyer has a completely different dyeing process than commercial dyers. Indie dyed yarn, otherwise known as hand dyed yarn, is just that, yarn dyed manually or by hand. The process is very tactile and personal. In contrast, commercial mills tend to dye with machines, in large vats, and in too large quantities to dye with natural pigments. Both indie dyers and commercial dyers can use commercially available dyes such as acid dyes, but only indie dyers can produce naturally dyed fibre since this process is much more time consuming, not to mention more labour and water intensive. Lastly, indie dyers can achieve very distinctive results compared to mill dyed fibre. Besides being able to achieve beautifully natural dyed yarn, indie dyed fibre dyed with commercial dyes can yield very unique and vibrant colour ways that can vary wildly from batch to batch, (or dye lot to dye lot). Unlike its commercial counterpart, the indie dyed results are truly masterpieces of artistic self expression. I read somewhere that hand dye yarn is like haute cuisine and commercially dyed fibre is its fast food equivalent. Sometimes you're craving a burger and fries (and I mean, who doesn't?!), but you don't soon forget the magnificent splendour of a three Micheline Star meal. So the next time you're shopping for yarn and wonder why the hand dyed options are so expensive, just remember that fillet mignon does't cost (or taste) the same as ground beef, but there's a time and place for both. Glossary Indie dyer - A person who dyes independently from a commercially business. Indie dyed yarn/hand dyed yarn - Yarn dyed by an indie dyer. Small batch dyer - A dyer that dyes small quantities of fibre, many may unreproducible. Commercial dyed yarn/mill dyed yarn - Factory dyed yarn, usually in large amounts and with the use of machines. Acid dyes/commercial dyes - Colourfast dye that is typically used to dye wool and other animal fibres. Colourfast - Dyes that will not fade or wash out. Naturally dyed - Dye stuff that typically derives from nature, such as plants and insects, and tends not to be as colourfast as acid dye. Dye lot/batch - A grouping of yarn that was dyed in or with the same dye solution. Wholesale - A large quantity of items being retailed by others who take a % of the sale.

What's in a name? Naming a business is hard. It's kind of like choosing a name for your unborn baby. You don't know what it's going to look like as it grows and develops, the list of names is usually long, and sometimes none of them seem to fit. As a general rule though, experts say to pick a name that is short, simple, as well as easy to write and remember. Well, I apparently didn't get the memo. When I chose Ravelution Yarn, pronounced RAVEL-ution, I didn't realize it could be difficult to pronounce. I get a lot of RAVE-lution or Rave-elle-ution, sometimes I just get "how do you pronounce that?" I made the mistake of assuming that an obvious play on the words revolution and ravel would also be obvious to everyone else. Well, what's done is done, and here I am writing my first Ravelution Yarn blog post to shed some light (and pronunciation) on how our name came to be. I chose the name Ravelution, (which is not even a real word so it gets underlined in red like a nasty type-o every time I write it), because I thought it was a clever way of combining the word revolution and ravel. To me, Ravelution means "ravelling" something different to "revolutionize" the fibre community, hence the meaning behind our logo. At a closer glance, you will find a crochet hook in the "R", a knitting needle in the axis of the globe, and a ball of yarn being ravelled (or unravelled) around the world. The colours chosen for the ball of yarn ravelling from the word Ravelution and around the globe also have meaning - green symbolizes freshness and vitality; purple represents luxury; yellow is for friendship and joy; pink personifies playfulness and innocence; and blue (which is not showing up in these pictures) embodies innovation, imagination, and inspiration. All of these qualities make up what Ravelution Yarn strives for, in a business and in a fibre community, a community we hope you will be a part of. So that's it. Now you know how to say Ravelution and the hidden meaning behind the logo. If you got this far, you're a saint! Seriously though, thank you. I hope you enjoyed learning a little more about us and look forward to the next blog post, which I promise will be fibre related!

Something I get asked a lot is "what can I do with all my left over yarn scraps?" First of all, we shouldn't call them scraps because we usually throw out scraps and Lord knows you pay enough for fibre, especially hand dyed yarn. It would be a shame to just toss it or hide it away never to be remembered, thus (I love that I just used thus) I've compiled a list of whimsical projects that are sure to inspire you. Without further ado, here are 20 Ways to use leftover yarn! As always, we'd love to see what you stitch up so don't forget to share your leftover yarn makes with us on Insta, Facebook, Pinterest, or on our Website forum! Furniture Socks Cat Toys Ear Bud Bag Coasters Tassels - you can also make them to adorn pillows too! Bracelets Planter Sweaters Bookmarks Yarn End Bowls Table Centrepiece X-mas Tree Ornaments Felted Wool Balls Garlands Buntings Wreath (or This One) Gift Wrapping Blankets Decorative Sticks Floral Brooch Pompoms - You can make a Pom Pom Garland , Gift Toppers , and a Wall Hanging and so much more with these cuties!