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Black lives matter.

For the rest of June and all of July, I’m going to donate half of every sale to Dream Defenders, a Florida-based group of young people working to make the future a better place. And if you know of any black American handspinners with Etsy shops or other online stores, please pass their info along so I can share them on social media. I’d rather you buy from them right now, honestly. Google hasn’t been much help for me in this, so I’m asking you.

I’m going to shut up now, because no one wants to hear another white-passing person talk about race. Go here, and do some good.

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Viruses and yarn

I hope you’re doing well, my friends, and staying healthy in these troubling times.  Most of us are worried about the coronavirus. I know I’m taking precautions. So I wanted to let you all know what’s up at SwitchKnits.

All my handspun yarn gets washed in hot water to set the twist. My finished products and mailing supplies are kept in plastic bags.  If I get sick I won’t do any production work or touch my products.  I’d hate to pass anything along to my customers, although the coronovirus dies off surfaces in the time it takes for the mail to reach you (according to current CDC thoughts about the virus’ lifespan; this may change, so keep up on your news).

I will continue to mail out orders, unless the post office closes or I’m under quarantine, in which case I’ll let you know. (I’ll also post a site-wide notice about it.) If your order is delayed, you’ll have the choice of a refund or waiting until I can mail your package (which will be done as soon as possible).

Stay safe, y’all, and take care.

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Why, Etsy, why?

Etsy has decided to start charging a 15% fee on products sold through ads. Ugh. I may get less customers keeping the shop on my own webhost, but I’d rather that than let Etsy continue to have my business. If you see other makers leaving Etsy, make sure to get on their mailing lists so you don’t lose touch with them. I’m not the only one affected by this, and most makers don’t have the technical expertise to run their own site…

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Going back to Etsy

SwitchKnits.com isn’t going anywhere. It will always be the most reliable way to get to me and my products. But I’ve switched the store section back over to Etsy completely, for one reason: that’s where the customers are. I’m guilty of being an Etsy junkie myself — when I go looking for something handmade, my first stop is Etsy unless I already know of a good standalone source.

I’m still taking custom orders and commissions. Drop me a note if you’re looking for something particular, and I’ll do my best to help you out.

Sorry for the confusion, and thanks for your patience!

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On Ravelry?

I started a discussion group on Rav for fans of my yarn (and other stuff I make). I’m hoping to get some conversation going, and also see what y’all have made with my yarn. I’ll probably do occasional giveaways and group-only coupons, if I get at least a few members. Come join me!

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Aaaand I’m still alive.

Sorry for vanishing for so long. Depression sucks. I’m back to spinning and will have some new products up soon! Here’s a preview.

I set my Etsy store back up, since some people prefer to shop there. Same handspun, same prices. I haven’t copied over the other stuff in the shop yet, but I will.

Also, you now get FREE shipping on domestic purchases. Thanks for shopping!

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I <3 Ravelry

I’m way behind in posting this, but depression has been kicking my butt.

I love Ravelry. I’ve been a user since 2007, and I continue to support them. Their “no Trump” policy makes me very happy.

I’d say more, but I need to go back to bed.

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Pride Packs: coming soon!

I’ve been working on something big. I’ve found an indie dyer to help me create Pride Packs: collections of handspun mini-skeins in the colors of every LGBTQIA+ pride flag I’ve come across. Each pack will contain roughly four ounces of yarn, split up into equal mini-skeins. For example, the Asexual Pride flag will be split into one-ounce skeins, because the flag has four colors. The regular rainbow flag, with six colors, will have 0.66-ounce skeins. Of course, I’ll standardize the amount of yardage in each pack so you know how much you’re getting of each color.

Cool, huh? But I need your help. While I have ordered wool to make at least one Pack of every flag listed in the poll below, I want to get an idea as to which Pride Packs my customers are interested in so I can make more of those. I want everyone to be able to get yarn in their flag of choice!

So please fill out the form below, if you’re interested in the Packs. Submitting the form in no way obligates you to buy anything; I’m just trying to gauge interest. You don’t even have to leave your email address, although if you do I’ll put you on the notification list for when Packs are available.

Thanks for your time!