Frequently Asked Questions
caring for your naturally dyed yarn
Naturally dyed items require special care to ensure longevity. While all colors will eventually fade (even synthetic dyes are not immune to fading), it is advised to store your naturally dyed yarns and garments out of direct sunlight and to wash with a pH neutral detergent. All of the yarns in my shop have been rinsed with Seventh Generation Free and Clear detergent.
Even so, please be aware that not all tap water is equal. It is quite possible that in your region of the world the tap water could be a different acidity than mine. Understand that there are no guarantees that the colors will remain 100% the same upon washing and that is simply something within the control of Mother Nature. Part of the beauty of naturally dyed items is their tendency to change over time and with washing.
color sources
My yarns are exclusively dyed with natural materials that I have foraged firsthand. This means that I do not purchase natural dye extracts and am instead dyeing with raw materials. All of my natural dye stuffs have been collected from Long Island, unless noted otherwise. Occasionally I might have the opportunity to forage while on vacation outside of Long Island. I will always list the origin of the dye materials in the item description.
dye lots
All of my yarn is completely unique and I do not create dye lots. I also do not tend to measure my dye materials - I collect as much in a given time as I am ethically able to and have a pretty good idea of how much dye material is needed to produce good color. Often, I can fit no more than 5 skeins comfortably in a single dye pot and due to the nature of dyeing with raw materials, each skein tends to take on the color a little differently. Although some skeins may look very similar, I offer no guarantees that there will ever be an exact match.
When working with very similar yarns dyed together, I recommend alternating skeins if aiming for a cohesive overall result.
The beauty of working with raw, natural materials is that the conditions of the environment also change from season to season. Even materials collected from the same exact location will produce slight -or even significant- variations in color, due to variances in soil, rain accumulation, temperature, etc. I find this to be endlessly fascinating and beautiful, and make no attempts to recreate an exact shade. Instead, I find the beauty in what nature offers me at a given time.
The most saturated colors are obtained from the initial dye bath. In my efforts to be as eco friendly in my dyeing practice as possible, I will reuse the same dye bath until the color is exhausted. Each successive dye bath will produce lighter shades until all color is used up. These skeins, when used together in a project, can produce beautiful fades or a gradient effect.
color accuracy
Natural colors look truest to color outdoors in natural daylight. I have photographed each skein of yarn outdoors in an effort to show their truest colors. That being said, it is difficult to impossible to know whether what you are seeing on your device will look the same as in real life. This is true for any yarn, but especially for naturally dyed yarn. Even viewing the listings on my laptop and on my iPhone, the colors on each of the screens look somewhat different. It’s frustrating, but there’s simply no way the photos will be 100% accurate to the skeins in real life. I have done my best to represent the colors here to be as true to how I see them in person as possible. It might help to view the listings on more than one device to get an overall sense of the true color.
choosing colors
Naturally dyed items tend to coordinate beautifully together. I would also recommend pairing naturally dyed yarns together with other naturally dyed yarns, or with undyed yarns for beautiful results. I’ve also had success pairing my naturally dyed yarns together with synthetically dyed yarns. If you’re unsure how some of the skeins listed here might pair together, feel free to reach out. I might be able to photograph the yarns together to help you decide on a color palette. When in doubt, choose what colors you gravitate toward and I’m sure you’ll figure out a beautiful way to feature the yarns in your projects, whether together or separately.
yarn bases
It is important to me that the yarn I dye on be non-superwash, mulesing free and ethically sourced. I prefer to offer natural fibers. My sock yarn base uses recycled nylon which, although not a natural fiber, is an eco-friendly way to add durability to the yarn.
pricing
Two main factors determine the pricing of my yarn: the base and the materials used. Each yarn base will have its own minimum price and then the materials used are factored in for each colorway. Why is this?
For starters, some materials are very easy both to obtain and to extract color from. Kitchen waste is the easiest to work with, for instance - it’s pretty much just throw in the pot and extract the color (there’s slightly more to it than that, but you get the idea.) Many plant materials are also this way and have minimal processing. Certain materials, though, have their own unique challenges - lichens and mushrooms, especially, and also are not available on the market in extract form, which means my ability to use these materials in my dye baths are 100% dependent upon my ability to forage for these materials. Let’s go into more detail:
Lichens
The process to obtain the gorgeous purples that you see here is an extremely slow one. In fact, it takes a minimum of four months - and daily attention - to produce purple shades from lichen! Lichens, especially, must be collected ethically, so there is always a limit to the amount I am able to collect at a given time. The lichens I have used have all been collected from natural windfall.
mushrooms
Mushrooms have easily become my most favorite dye material to work with! I have been fortunate to find several mushrooms on Long Island that produce beautiful color - pinks, reds, blue-greens - it amazes me that such gorgeous colors are able to be produced from easily overlooked mushrooms! Not all mushrooms are equal, though, and many environmental factors come into play for mushrooms to make an appearance - most obviously, rain. In order for the mushrooms to appear, the right conditions must be met. My first few months foraging for mushrooms was very successful and I was able to find quite a nice variety in several Long Island locations. However, this season has been especially dry and I’ve not had much luck at all in my attempt to collect mushrooms for dyeing. If I cannot find the mushrooms, I’m out of luck - and these are easily some of the most beautifully colored yarns in my shop!
Additionally, different types of mushrooms require different processing and there is an incredible amount of research that must be done both when foraging for and when processing mushrooms in order to obtain specific colors. You can have the correct mushroom, but unless you process it exactly right, you might end up with very disappointing results! This means researching about pH levels, which mordant to use, and quantity. Some mushrooms take many months of collecting before there will be enough quantity to produce good color - and then you really, really want to get it right!
shipping
At this time I am able to ship within the United States only. All orders are shipped at a flat rate with USPS insurance up to $100.
Customer is responsible for shipping and handling costs.
New York State residencies are subject to NYS sales tax which will be automatically added to orders during checkout.
Q: How long will it take to get my order?
A: Orders will be packed and shipped within 2-3 business days of purchase. An email notification is sent with a tracking number as soon as your item is packaged and ready to ship.
Note: Tracking info may take 1-3 days to appear on the USPS web site.
Q: Can shipping be combined on multiple orders?
A: Regretfully, additional shipping costs for multiple orders placed cannot be refunded. Please check your cart prior to checkout to make sure your order is complete.
Q: What happens if I think my package was lost or stolen?
A: In most cases, packages are simply delayed. If the tracking status says “delivered” but you still haven’t received it, please allow an additional 2-3 days for actual delivery. All orders are insured for $100, so in the event your package is, in fact, missing, please contact me so I can file a claim with USPS and recoup the cost on both our ends.
Please know, Stop, Drop and Knit is NOT responsible for stolen packages.
Q: I provided the incorrect shipping address, now what?
A: The customer assumes responsibility for any mistakes made entering the shipping address. Please ensure you enter the correct shipping address when checking out, as well as in your Paypal account. If you find your address to be incorrect, please e-mail me immediately after checking out so this can be resolved. Once orders have shipped to an incorrect address there is nothing I can do and Stop, Drop and Knit cannot be held responsible. In this case, you can contact USPS with your tracking number in an attempt to intercept the package. No refunds will be granted for packages gone lost or missing due to an incorrect address.
Q: I received the wrong or missing item. Now what?
A: While I’m very thorough when packaging your items, mistakes happen. Please contact me immediately and I will work to correct your order at no additional cost to you.
Refunds & exchanges
I love happy customers and I want you to love your yarn! If you are unhappy with your purchase please get in touch with me via my contact page/email (stopdropandknitpodcast@gmail.com) right away so we can resolve the problem ASAP.
Yarn must be returned in the condition that it was received. I do not honor refunds on yarn that has been wound into a ball/cake or appears damaged or soiled in any way.
Buyer is responsible for all return postage costs. Refunds will be granted upon receipt of returned yarn in original condition.
Stop, Drop and Knit endeavors to depict colors as accurately as possible in photographs, but please note that every computer monitor and device displays colors differently.
I am not able to facilitate exchanges at this time.
wholesale
Unfortunately, I am unable to take on wholesale orders.
custom orders
I am not able to create custom orders or reserve skeins.