Handmade Shop of the Week: Serendipity

Emily of Serendipity Hand-dyed & Hand-painted Yarn & Roving sells yarn & roving hand-dyed or hand-painted  from non-toxic or natural dyes & mordants. She has been selling her gorgeous fiber on etsy since March 2009, all the while raising children!

Why did you decide to open your handmade shop? 

I dyed some yarn in my kitchen with my kids and it was fun. I thought it was nice but I have a ton of yarn so I put some of it in an Etsy shop and it sold. Since I got such great feedback, I figured I would keep dyeing yarn and then added roving as well. Last Fall we did out first fiber show and it went great. I am a stay-at-home mom right now, I'm hoping this will allow me to continue to do that. I have kept the kids a part of it as well, most of the colors are named by them.

Has your inventory changed much since you first opened? 

As I dye new yarn I try to get it listed in the shop. I only carried some worsted weight superwash merino wool & some sport weight alpaca in the beginning. I have since added other weights in the superwash merino & alpaca, and a really nice alpaca / wool blend.

Who are the majority of your customers? How did they find you? 

My customers online have mostly been from Ravelry, I believe. I try to be active on their forums and in the blogosphere but being Mommy comes first and there only so many hours in the day!!!

What inspires you to create? 

Fun! I look for fun colors or whatever I'm in the mood for that day. I don't have a background in art or anything but having kids gives me a bright and colorful perspective on the things around me. The other day my daughter told me to "look at the pretty sky" as the sun was setting (it was pink and blue streaked across an almost white background sky) since I was dyeing roving at the time, the next one I did was pink and blue with some spots left white, she named it "Sunset".

What is your favorite item in your shop currently? Your most popular item? 

My favorite is the alpaca/wool blends, they take the color in such a pretty, heathered way and they are so, so soft with such a nice luster. I especially like the Seaside, Lime and Outer Banks colorways, since they can be used together for different projects.

I think my most popular item online and at the fiber shows is the fingering weight yarns that are 3 or more colors (mostly used for socks, I'm sure).

What has been your greatest resource to make your shop successful? 

Ravelry has been really amazing. The experienced people on the threads and all their great advice & support have been indispensable. Meeting people at the fiber shows and handing out cards has been helpful as well. I do have a blog but most people seem to reach the shop from Ravelry.

Any changes coming to your shop in the future? 

After a local show this past week I spent a few days photographing a ton of yarn and roving and will be doing 10 (or more) listings a day on the Etsy Shop until they are all up! Plus, I frequently run sales and promotions (10% off, free shipping, etc.).

How else can we find you online? Any team affiliations?
You can reach Serendipity's shop online at www.lilm4105.etsy.com

The blog is at www.lilm4105.blogspot.com

Facebook as Serendipity Hand-dyed & Hand-painted Yarn & Roving

On Ravelry, I'm Lilm4105

Serendipity has recently joined PhatFiber and was in the March box.

LETS DO A GIVEAWAY!

For a chance to win a full skein of alpaca/wool in colorway "Seaside", visit Serendipity and comment here on your favorite item in her shop.

For additional entries, add a comment when you've done any of the following:

-Favorite the shop on etsy www.lilm4105.etsy.com

-Become a fan on the Facebook page

-Follow the blog at www.lilm4105.blogspot.com

-Post to your blog about the giveaway

-Make a purchase from the Etsy shop

Interested in being featured? I am currently looking for shops. Email me for information.