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The FYN Journal

Yarn talk, project inspiration, shop updates, and useful notes for makers who like making things their own.

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The FYN Fibers Manifesto

FYN Fibers  -  IYKYK. It’s an acronym for F- - - Your Normal! You can pronounce it as “FINE” or “FAIN” or “FIN” or spell it out “F Y N” we don’t really care. Who should be allowed to dictate what is normal in the fiber craft industry  -  Big box stores? Venture capitalists who are buying up small and medium crafting companies? Your LYS if you’re lucky enough to have one? Your Granny???  NO, It’s you!!! We’re going to be who we are, and hope you’ll be as accepting of our normal as much as we accept yours. That’s FYN Fibers mission statement / manifesto in a nutshell. FYN – challenging (often stupid) norms of all kinds in the fiber arts world.

FYN Fibers started with several ideas Shannon had about the kinds of yarns, colors of yarn and the availability of certain tools that just seemed hard to find. As noted above Shannon has an “oh that looks cool, I bet I could do that!” kind of brain. It also has something to do with certain “industry standards” she feels are eating away at the sustainability in which the fiber craft industry is being operated. “Venture Capitalism is going to be a large part of the death of fiber arts and its access for some as we know it. It IS going to implode itself!” This is a very firm belief Shannon has about the current state of things. Shannon wanted to do something to push back against that. This is the root beginning of FYN Fibers.

Venture Capitalism is not the only thing plaguing fiber arts though. Other parts of the world may or may not have a “join a seat at the table no matter who you are” dilemma. However here in the United States there is. Shannon finds this rather disheartening and utterly stupid. Trying to find ways be an ally that is not just some performative - wear a pin, say you are an ally, donate $5 to the NAACP/HRC every year, insert whatever other beyond minimal thing you can think of here – token, but truly do something to bring equity to fiber arts & maybe other parts of the world too if possible. Starting with the smallest thing Shannon could think of being immediately possible, a list of other companies as alternatives to FYN Fibers when you do not find what you are looking for at FYN Fibers. Largely a list of other small independently owned businesses: tool makers, dyers and designers to go to instead when you cannot find it here. This list is also prominently BIPOC/LGBTQIA+ owned businesses & their allies willing to speak out. Also, whenever possible, PLEASE buy directly from these makers. That keeps more money in their pockets to continue doing the things they are & that you enjoy!! It is why you will see a company like Lemonwood on the list, but never available on FYN Fibers website. If you want a Mini Minder, go buy one directly from them.

This gets us to the colors of yarn Shannon knew she wanted to see and see them year-round! Some of the first colors that Shannon knew she wanted to be part of staple colorways for FYN Fibers are colors from the Pride Flag. Not just limited edition, one-time exclusive and not just something seen in the month of June.  (Capitalism suck it! You should be able to always buy these colors!!) You will always see the Pride on Parade palette of colorways on FYN Fibers’ website and in their offerings. You will see them all on nearly every yarn base. (There are some exceptions for specific reasons.) The palette chosen represents the original flags designed by artist Gilbert Baker for the 1978 San Francisco Gay Freedom Day parade. The handmade, 8-stripe flags, featuring vibrant colors with specific meanings, were unveiled on June 25, 1978. These colors are: Hot Pink/Magenta: Sex/Gender, Red: Life, Orange: Healing, Yellow: Sunlight, Green: Nature, Turquoise: Magic & Art, Indigo: Serenity & Violet: Spirit. Each of these eight colorways carry those meanings as their names.

When I have a new project to start, there’s always that first step in the pattern – make sure you knit a swatch to be certain you’re getting gauge. The last thing I want to do is knit some 6 inch square (to get a good 4 inch measurement), or even double that if it calls for swatching in the round.

I know that I’m a fairly tight knitter, and if you’ve been at it for any length of time you know where you land on the tight – loose spectrum. I also know I’m a bit of a risky knitter and willing to take a chance. So I will generally start a project with a smaller size needle than what the pattern calls for, right off the bat.

The Object Is the Swatch

Once the project is on my needles, and I’m comfortable with the stitch pattern, I’ll go past any ribbing or toe setup and complete about 4 – 5 inches. And that is my swatch. I’ll stop and carefully measure my gauge to verify that I’m within specifications, and if I am, great! I’m already into my project and happily humming along. If not, I frog it and adjust.

It is a gamble, and if you’re a risk taker you can ignore all the sensible careful knitters out there and go directly to your project without a separate swatch. Just be prepared and ready to swatch if you guess wrong. I have a 90% complete sweater sitting in my office that was one of my early projects and I didn’t understand the importance of achieving gauge. That sweater turned out to be about 3 sizes too small when I finally tried it on . . . because I didn’t measure early on.

Is This Really Necessary?

For close fitted obects – sweaters, tops, etc. I would say yes, it’s critical to measure your gauge. For accessories like hats and gloves I think it’s important but not as critical. Socks can fall into either category, depending on how loose you can stand your socks to be. But a scarf, shawl, wrap, blanket, towel, etc.? Not fitted objects. Do you care if your shawl is 54 inches instead of 48 inches? Probably not. You are the decider.

The TLDR is maybe that swatching is not important, but measuring gauge one way or the other is critical for fitted objects.

All opinions expressed within are purely my own, and probably dumb . . .