FAQ: Shipping, Returns & Custom Orders

1. SHIPPING/PICKUP/DELIVERY
What are your shipping methods?
Do you ship internationally?
How do you ship items?

I generally ship twice a week to Canada and 3-4 times a month to the USA.  This can be flexible and sometimes rush orders can be accommodated.

SHIPPING TO CANADA: I prefer to use Canada Post Expedited with tracking for Canadian customers.  It costs more but the tracking allows for follow up and requests for refunds if the parcel gets lost.
UNITED STATES: I use USPS with tracking for United States customers.
INTERNATIONAL: I do ship internationally via a service nearby called Chit Chats that is quite affordable. Please contact me for shipping quotes.

LOCAL ORDERS/PICKUP in the Ottawa Region: If you live near to Ottawa and want to arrange a pickup instead of paying shipping charges choose local pickup as your shipping option when ordering.  Then email me and we can figure out the best time!

DELIVERY: I do sometimes offer delivery for a small fee depending on whether I am going to be nearby.  My actual job brings me all around Southern Ontario, as do all my booked yarn shows!  If you’re curious about meeting up or getting a delivery, feel free to reach out.

 

2. READY TO SHIP/DYE TO ORDER STOCK:
Do you offer Ready to Ship or Dye to Order?

I do both.  For colourways that are out of stock, I can typically have a Dye to Order purchase ready and shipped within 1-2 weeks.

NOTE: I have set up my website so I can allow Dye to Order on repeatable colourways when my stock on hand has sold out. What this means is that you can order beyond what is in stock, even if it says 0 available, and are not limited to the Ready to Ship/In Stock numbers. If an item is actually “Sold Out” without a purchase option, then it is likely a colour that was a one-off and is not repeatable.

For orders of 3 or more skeins, dyeing to order may be required if I don’t have matching skeins on hand.  Yay for hand-dyed yarns and how every tray comes out a little bit different! *wink*

 

3. SWEATER QUANTITIES: 
Do you have sweater quantities of particular colourways on hand?

Because I work in small batches, I don’t always have sweater quantities on hand.  But do I make sweater quantities? Yes, definitely.  

As a small batch dyer, I generally make my colourways in batches of 2 or 3 skeins at a time but if someone wanted more than that, they could order it and I would dye a larger batch all at once to ensure they match.  The pro to this is that you get a freshly dyed yarn.  The con is that you have to wait a bit longer to get your order and you have to be sure you order enough for your project.  If an additional skein is needed later, I can try my best to match but it isn’t guaranteed.

 

4. CUSTOM ORDERS: 
Do you accept custom orders?

I do!  I really enjoy discussing an idea and bringing it to life.  There’s nothing better than the reaction of a customer when they see the results and fall in love!
That being said, I am an intuitive dyer.  My approach to dyeing is wild, free and often experimental.  I am open to discussing ideas with space allowed for my artistic interpretation.  If you are looking for a very specific shade or formula with no room for creative license, I may not be the dyer for you.
But who knows!  We won’t know until we chat about it so feel free to email me with your idea!

 

5. RETURNS:
Do you accept returns?

I generally do not accept returns, but if you are unsatisfied or there is a defect with an item, please get in touch and we will work together to solve the issue.  Yarns should be returned as they were shipped. Please remember when messaging me that I am a single individual who dyes yarn in her home lab, not a large faceless business.  I do want to ensure my customers are happy with their purchases!

The following are not considered defects:

  • knots – although I do my best to avoid yarn with multiple knots, millers may at times supply me with skeins containing knotsa tangled skein – please use care when unwinding/rewinding skeins

  • slight light spots – sometimes in hand dyed yarn there are spots dyed slightly lighter, this is due to the inherent nature/the beauty of hand painted yarn and may occur

  • differences between skeins – no two hand dyed skeins will be exactly alike though I do my best to send matching skeins/batches when one has ordered more than one

  • cut yarn – please use care when opening packages as accidentally cut yarn is not considered a defect

  • crocking and bleeding- what is crocking? it’s another way to refer to dye transfer (similar to the warning tag you often see when buying new jeans telling you that dye may transfer when wearing initially)  Crocking is generally caused by the PH value of your skin affecting the dye molecules (this can also be due to hand creams etc that you use). Regarding bleeding,  I do my best to set my dyes and ensure no bleeding occurs before selling but as with any dyed fabric.  So, it shouldn’t…but minimal bleeding *may* happen. If you notice a bit of colour on your hands or minimal bleeding, this is normal and a few rinses should solve this. See my page on Working with Hand-dyed Yarns.