UPDATE

Here’s hoping the above update is correct ;)

—

And the hits keep rolling! In addition to the impact on our material costs and supply chains, the $800 USD minimum for tariffs is no longer valid.

Well over half our business goes to the United States. We’ve spent years building a great community of makers, on both sides of the border. We have to find a way to keep that alive.

What are we doing?

Starting today I’ve introduced a new shipping tier for free shipping over $250 CDN. Also starting today, if you purchase any two skeins of yarn, and then add a pattern to your purchase, the pattern will be free. You do need to add the pattern of your choice first, for the discount to be applied. Finally, these changes should not impact your ability to earn free shipping or to use your puppy points. I’m doing everything I can to reduce the sting of potential duties. Have an idea? Shoot it my way in an email.

What can you do?

Canadian small businesses need to keep our cash flow rolling as smoothly as possible in order to do business, to mitigate the increased material costs, and the unpredictability of the market, and our supply chains. Many of us are already operating with a greatly reduced margin compared to this time last year, so the ability to weather more hits is thin, to say the least.

Regardless of where you live, if you are part of this crafting community we have built, all we ask is that you continue to be part of it. Support us with purchases, or by spreading the word to your friends in your crafting circle. Reach out to your stores to see if they want to stock us (historically we have not relied overmuch on wholesale, but perhaps that needs to change). Share what you make, so we can share inspiration with others. Let’s keep the creativity alive and rolling and not allow what’s happening to destroy what we’ve built, as a company, as a community, or as friends.

Here’s a little creative endeavour to soften the shit news :) I wrote a short story, and I illustrated it. It’s an aspirational autobiography. I would love to die close to the sea, with a little legacy of small kindnesses. Image is Faber Castell Pitt Pastels on Clairfontaine Pastelmat paper.

Once upon a time there was a girl who was a potter, and who lived by the sea. She would make little tiny teacups and leave them on the shore.

When she was gone, everyone knew that she had lived, because all the hermit crabs there had little teacup bums.

The end.