Indie versus commercial

I'm going to stick my neck and say something that shouldn't be controversial; it's ok to buy commercial yarn from big brands. Don't get me wrong, I use a lot of yarn from indie dyers and small mills and absolutely love it, but I don't have to choose one or the other. They serve different purposes.

I work for a yarn company/retailer, we're somewhere north of 100 employees and we sell commercial yarn. Buying yarn from a larger company supports all the employees and the suppliers as well. It takes a larger customer group to make enough sales to pay the costs, but there are a lot of people making a living.
One of the arguments used to encourage buying from indie sellers is that you support local, you support the people working there. I want to make the same claim for buying from bigger companies. There are a lot of people involved making a living, and the area they live in might not be your local, but it still benefit from all these people in work. Without my salary I can't give back to my local community, and my salary depends on people purchasing commercial yarn. Sure, there are stakeholders who passively earn money this way as well, but we're a lot of people making a living from selling commercial yarn too.

Big brand yarns complement indie yarns. If I want to make children's garments I usually buy a hardy yarn that can take a lot of washes and hard wearing, I wouldn't spend a fortune on a delicate yarn that couldn't handle a childs' day; so often I go for commercial super wash yarns. If I want to make a shawl that is going to lie agains my neck and be a centre piece of my outfit I often go for a luxurious feel and look, and a handdyed yarn is often my first choice as I love the way the colours come out when hand dyed.

So whether you buy yarn from an indie dyer or a big brand, you are supporting a local community and people making a living.

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