Credit for all photos: Kellianne Jordan Photography
Story time.
When I was first learning how to run a business, specifically, a business selling handmade items, I was taught how to research trends, create product collections, basic marketing skills, and even how to create a website from scratch. Fun fact: I’m still using the website I built step-by-step and plan to for a very long time. I was also taught to share my business ethics, my process, and how I’m serving my customer base.
But I also learned something else that never sat quite right for me. I was told to NEVER share how to create the product I’m selling.
At first, while it didn’t feel great to intentionally hide things from my audience, it also made sense from a practical viewpoint. Why would I share how to make the items I’m creating for my customers to buy? Why would I share those secrets? On the surface, it sounds like solid business advice.
But as I shared bits and pieces of my process, I naturally began getting questions about more of the details.
And because I love talking about anything related to knitting or dyeing, I’d jump right in because I wanted to help.
Because of that, I’d feel guilty. Like I’d broken some concrete rule about sharing too much information. What would my business coaches say? And what if they were right and my audience began making their own yarn and suddenly I’m out of business?!
So, I sat on it for a while. For many months (maybe even years), I thought about what I should and shouldn’t share online.
Until finally, I realized I LOVE yarn and natural dyes! Why would I ever want to withhold what I’ve learned these past 5 years? Why shouldn’t I give this information to anyone who wants to know how to dye with natural dyes too?!
It seems like an outrageous concept to me now, the idea that I shouldn’t teach how to naturally dye.
Because I’d love to help preserve this dyeing art (Ha! See what I did there?). And I DO want to share how to use natural dyes with others who would like to give it a try themselves.
So, let’s do it.
The Knit Many Together Community is partly the result of wanting a forum to teach natural dye methods. It was also partly born to keep me honest at consistently sharing behind the scenes at Henlia Handmade. When I know others are relying on me, I don’t let them down. And, finally, but perhaps most importantly, the Knit Many Together Community has been created from the desire to bring together this group of incredibly kind and generous knitters that I have come to know…but they haven’t gotten to know each other!
So if you’d like to:
- Join me in meeting some truly incredible friends
- See what it’s really like behind the scenes in a natural dye studio
- Learn how to naturally dye
- Plus, get some other really amazing bonuses
Please click the button below to learn more about the Knit Many Together Community. We’d really love to knit with you!
Mindy Kingery
When I'm not dyeing, designing or dreaming of yarn, you can find me painting, digging in my garden, hiking with my family or working on one of my many, many WIPs.