FAQ

Q. What is the Mission Statement of Knitivity?

A. Knivity exists to

• make interesting wools (and other natural fibers) available to knitters on a budget

• encourage and preserve some of the old time knitting traditions

• create (by example) a viable pathway or pattern for others to pursue a dream

Q. Why did you start Knitivity?

A. Knitivity started as a sort of day-dream several years ago, along the lines of "wouldn't it be great to dye yarns and knit for a living?" But it seemed like it was never the right time. Then came Hurricane Katrina and turned my world upside down. Because of situations in New Orleans, even though I had a serviceable place to live, and could have continued with the job I had, I realized that neither my home nor my job would ever EVER be the same as it was. And then I woke up to the reality that *I* would never be the same as I was.

I looked around at what was left after Katrina and asked myself "If I had lost everything completely as so many others had, what would I do?" And the obvious answer was that I had absolutely no reason NOT to pursue the life and work I had thought about. Katrina showed me that any sense of "security" was easily wiped out in a moment. Katrina showed me I was bigger and stronger than almost any disaster. I survived Katrina, and I could survive starting and keeping a business.

Q. Why is charity handwork important to Knitivity?

A. -- Shortly after I returned to New Orleans after my evacuation, and I saw the people around me trying to rebuild their lives, it was clear that for those families who had lost everything, they needed basic clothing to keep warm in that first winter of rebuilding -- hats, scarves, gloves, and so forth. And these were things that knitters and crocheters could contribute. I started the Bundle Up New Orleans project, and saw what an impact it made on others. I didn't "officially" start Knitivity until I moved to Houston, but what I saw during Bundle Up New Orleans was the potential for helping others during and after a disaster, and that potential has not left me.

When big disasters hit (like Hurricane Katrina, or the tornados in Greensburg, KS), people far away hear about it and want to do something. They can't always send money or physically go to help, but they can knit or crochet and send their hand-made goods with lots of prayers and good thoughts for those in times of need.

By offering Orphans yarns at discount for charity knitters, by making contacts with people in disaster zones, and by providing information on how individuals can help, Knitivity will always be a part of the helping process.

Q. What makes Knitivity different?

A. What separates art-yarn dyers from commercial dyers is that we have greater liberty to create artistic expressions. The larger commercial yarn companies have to dye in quantities not normally available to the independent artist, but in order to remain in business they have to select a palette of colors and stick with it; they aren't always willing to risk a large volume of an experimental dye run. Independent art yarn dyers can experiment with colors.

Some independent art yarn dyers have a fairly consistent 'palette' of colorways they produce very well, and they have earned their reputation for their own way of doing things. I prefer to explore new options continually, although I am happy to try and reproduce a favorite color if someone asks.

What distinguishes Knitivity from other independent art-yarn dyers is simply that each of us has a different "signature" or style, and we serve sometimes different (but overlapping) audiences, and that is fine. We often use base yarns from the same mills, but we handle them differently, in our own sense of color, style, and design. I don't pretend my interpretation or application of color is better than some other artist (that would be a silly waste of time all around), but I believe each of us will win or lose our clients based on how we produce good yarns, reasonably priced, with excellent customer service.

Q. Do you sell through stores?

A. At this time, no. While many art yarn dyers are building a network of local yarn shops to feature their yarns, I like to work directly with my end-user consumers. They tell me what they want, and I produce it. This allows me to be more in touch with the final product, and the consumer gets to communicate with me directly.

Q. What about forms of payment?

A. All payments are due at the time of ordering, and I prefer to only use PayPal so that I don't get involved in handling other people's credit or bank information. In special situations, and only by preapproved request, I will accept a money order, but your order will be held until the money order is received.

Q. Why don't you carry "XXX" yarns?

A. Yarns by other companies and other individual artists are readily available elsewhere, and I am not a "yarn store" in the sense of stocking any and every yarn currently on the market. . My Biagio, Southern Purls, and Down Home yarns are my own dye jobs. The Down Home line of solid colors in worsted, sport, and fingering weight balls are produced by the same North American (Brown Sheep) mill that produces many of the base yarns for my art yarns; this enables me to offer both art yarns and companion solids to my customers who wish to combine art yarns and solids in a single project without concern for changing gauge. And because the range of solids are quite ample, there is usually one or more solid colors that will coordinate well with my art yarns.

Q. Do you ship to my country?

A. I have recently (June 2007) begun shipping to certain countries.