Skeins, Hanks, and Balls

One question I'm often asked is, "Why don't you send out my yarn in center pull balls?"  Well.  Lets talk about it! 

When a yarn is pulled off the bobbin of my spinning wheel, I wrap it on something called a Niddy Noddy.  It looks like the letter I, but with the bottom line twisted 90 degrees.  I use that thing to count the yards as I wind off your yarn.  Then, I wash the yarn (still in a big loop) and hang it up to dry.  When its dry, that big loop of strands is called a HANK.  When I twist the hank on itself after photographing, its now called a SKEIN.  I pretty that up and send it to you!  

 SKEIN

 HANK

I do not put the yarn into center pull balls because its not very good for your yarn!  If you're going to use yarn right away, a center pull ball is a fine choice - keeps everything nice and tidy.  If you're going to think about it for a little while, store it in your stash, a center pull ball is not the right choice for Fine Lime handspun.  It can cause some problems!  

• A ball is much tighter and compact than a skein.  For nice, loffty, squishy handspun, it will flatten your yarn out by smooshing the fibers.  This would be an especially sad fate for thick and thin yarn! 
• A ball doesn't allow for air flow through the fiber, so if the humidity changes, moisture can be trapped inside, causing yucky things like decomposition and mold.  
  

You can easily create a center pull ball at home.  The fastest/easiest way is to buy an inxepensive swift (looks like an umbrella!  It holds your hank in a big loop and spins as you wind) and ball winder.  For shorter projects, I know several knitters and hookers who choose just to work from the yarn on the swift. A less expensive way is to use a nostepine (tapered stick, basically!  You can even use a large knitting needle) and wind by hand. 

Marketing Your Handspun Items

I started out in the Etsy fiber arts world as a hooker. As most of us do, I started out with commercial millspun acrylics and cottons. Economical, lots of colors, easy to find and reproduce . . . but boy did I love to buy the soft and wacky. I soon found that I hated making the same item from the same yarn over and over. I was frustrated that my customers wanted super cheap, but super cute hats from super cheap yarn.I found it difficult to justify buying and using the yarns I REALLY wanted.

The number one thing I hear from potential customers in my yarn shop is, "I really love your yarn, but I can't sell anything made from handspun."


Are you sure?


Here are some fantastic tips for marketing your items made from handspun yarn so you can get to working with the yarns you REALLY want to work with and stop cranking out mind numbing creations. Get your creativity back!

1. Help your customers see what YOU see.
*Make something for yourself or a loved one from handspun and share pics of the item being enjoyed
*Post photos of your beautiful yarns, telling fans what you can make with them.  I know from experience that customers enjoy choosing the materials you use to create their custom item. 
*Share your favorite yarn shop fanpages on your fanpage - let your customers get to know the spinners
*Briefly describe the process the yarn already went through before you transformed it into a finished item - let customers see how much time and care has gone into this item!
*Let the yarn shop do the work - if you bought your yarn on Etsy, link to the listing you purchased in the listing for your finished item.
*Many spinners love to see what you've created from our yarns - share your listing with us and we might just share it with our fans!

2. Highlight the virtues of handspun yarn.
*Handspun yarn is frequently made from natural fibers - which biodegrade, unlike acrylics, which will sit in a landfill forever when they go out of fashion
*Choosing handspun is choosing handmade and supporting a spinner. You are sometimes indirectly supporting the dyer and a farmer too! For example, I'm working on a yarn right now that includes a batt from a fellow fiber artist on Etsy and locks from a young 4H farmer in TN. If you were to purchase that yarn, you'd not only support me, but Amber who carded the batt and Ashley who raised the sheep!
*Handspun yarn yields a OOAK (one of a kind) product. A friend of mine purchased the same lovely roving as I and look at the difference in the yarns! Each spinner puts her unique twist on yarn.



*Handspun from natural fibers will be warmer than an acrylic item.
*Its just plain soft and pretty, am I right? 

3. Dispel the myths!
 *MYTH 1: I won't be able to wash my item - Nope, you can wash it quite easily - a little detergent and cool water in the sink, mere seconds of actual washing, roll it in a towel, and then lay it flat on your dryer on wash day. Or, purchase superwash yarn. I usually have at least 3 or 4 skeins of superwash in my shop.
 *MYTH 2: Wool is itchy - Try merino, polwarth, ramboulliet . . . . many breeds are softer than commonly used craft store yarns. The coarsest yarn in my shop is softer than Red Heart.
 *MYTH 3: It is way too expensive for my customers - First, a chunky handspun will not require many yards or hours to complete your project. Additionally, you may attract new customers who are looking (and willing to pay) for handspun.


Are you ready to shop? Start with just a few items and see how it goes! Remember to educate your customer so they can make informed, happy shopping decisions.

Welcome!

I'm not a very good blogger, but I'm gonna try! 

The Fine Lime is a mother daughter Etsy shop full of fun, fresh, handspun yarn!  We try to keep it colorful and exciting with lots of variety so that you can find that perfect yarn for your very special knitting, crochet, felting, or other creative project! 

Posts on this blog will include tutorials, reviews, tips, and more!