The best indie yarn dyers

A massive resource with all the indie dyers and yarn artists in one alphabetical big list for easy access and research

Are you looking for the perfect yarn for your next project? A wonderful customized colorway with speckles perhaps? Do you want to support local small businesses instead of larger corporations or find the perfect gift for a knitter? Then you came to the right place. I put together a list of all the indie yarn dyers out there (I could find).

Knitting is a hobby that allows you to express your individual creativity. The yarn you pick to start a project is as fundamental a part of the process as the patter you choose and the tools you use. In the past 20 years, the internet gave independent dyers the unique opportunity to market their wares to a much broader audience. And this article is meant to celebrate these makers.

This list is NOT ranked and follows a simple alphabetical order (starting with Z for a change :P) and I explicitly want to stress that I am neither sponsored by any of them, nor did I test the quality of all their products. This is meant as a resource to do your own research and find the best possible yarn for your next project (or, let’s be honest, your evergrowing stash *smirk*)

I start with regular indie dyers who make use of chemical dyes, and there is a separate list with plant-based dyers at the bottom. That being said, I do encourage you to do your own research and think beyond boundaries and common prejudices. Big brands are not bad in itself (they were small at one time as well, and some of them still are straightforward awesome) and a lot of them produce excellent yarn for knitting beginners.

Just because somebody calls themselves “indie dyer”, doesn’t automatically mean the business is sustainable, inclusive, or more deserving of your support than the hardworking employees at a bigger brand, who rely on their jobs to support their families just as much (there are black sheep on either side).

I would also like to add, that most indie dyers are one-person businesses. So, kindly show some patience, when they don’t answer your e-mails within 2 hours and the shipping takes a day or two longer. You will be rewarded with individual quality and yarn with true personality.

Either way, let’s start with the list of the best indie dyers, eh?

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Indie Dyers in Alphabetical order: The List

Note: I earn a small commission for purchases made through Etsy links in this article

I decided against commenting on the individual yarn dyers. Tastes differ, and I don’t want to spoil your first impression with my personal taste. And the same applies to pictures. As many of you know, Indie dyers tend to change their collections quickly (that’s part of the appeal, after all), so I don’t think I could fairly represent any of them here. Just check out the respective Instagram accounts.

Also, I made sure that all yarn artists were still active at the time of compiling this list. Due to many reasons, there may still not be active stocks at the time of your visit, as they are currently being replenished.

1. Yellow June Fiber Company (Instagram) | Corinth, Mississippi, USA
2. Wren & Ollie (Instagram) |St Agnes, Australia
3. Wooly Mama Yarns (Instagram) | Manchester, United Kingdom
4. Woola Oops (Instagram) | Auvergne, France
5. Woolberry Fibers & Co (Instagram) | Denver, Colorado (?), USA
6. Wild Atlantic Yarns (Instagram) | Donegal, Republic of Ireland
7. Wishbone Yarn (Instagram) | South Africa
8. Western Skit Knits (Instagram) | Montana, USA
9. Waratah Fibres (Instagram) | Launceston, Australia
10. Vivid Wool (Instagram) | Álftanes near Reykjavík, Iceland
11. Valkyrie Fibers (Instagram) |South Lake Tahoe, USA
12. Tot Le Matin Yarns (Instagram) | Saint-Georges-Motel, France
13. Thistle & Hart (Instagram) | Salem, Oregon, USA
14. The Red Pansy (Instagram) | New Jersey, USA
15. The Perfect Stitch Fiber Co. (Instagram) | No address available, but seems to be USA
16. TheOutside Dyers (Instagram) | Pangbourne, Scotland, United Kingdom
17. The Kinetic Knitter Yarns (Instagram) | Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
18. The Lemonade Shop (Instagram) | no address provided
19. The Blue Brickish (Instagram) | Burlington, Ontario, Canada
20. The Fibre Fox (Instagram) | Lincolnshire, United Kingdom
21. The Famers Daughter Fibers (Instagram) | Montana, USA
22. The Copper Corgi Fiber Studio (Instagram) | Georgia, USA
23. Tippy Tree Yarns (Instagram) | Windsor, Colorado, USA
24. Teeny Button (Instagram) | New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
25. Tausendschönwolle (Instagram) |Saarbrücken, Germany
26. Suburban Stitcher (Instagram) | Texas, USA
27. Stranded Dyeworks (Instagram) | East Coast of Scotland, United Kingdom
28. Stitch Together Studio (Instagram) | no address, USA
29. Sternstaub Wolle (Instagram) | Panzweiler, Germany
30. Spun Right Round (Instagram) | Rochester, New York, USA
31. Speckled Finch Studio (Instagram) | Northern California, USA
32. Solstice Yarns (Instagram) | Shipley, United Kingdom
33. Skein Yarn (Instagram) | Coffs Harbour, Australia
34. Shirsty Cat Design (Instagram) | no address provided, USA
35. Serenity Fibers (Instagram) | Lewisville, Texas, USA
36. Serendipitous Wool Co. (Instagram) | Texas, USA
37. Screaming Colors (Instagram) |Neuburg, Germany
38. Schwedenrot Yarns (Instagram) Polch, Germany
39. Sassy Strings Yarn Studio (Instagram) | Airdrie, Canada
40. SamelinDyeworks (Instagram) | Bad Mergentheim, Germany
41. RoseHipIsland (Instagram)| Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
42. Rose Hill yarns (Instagram) | Calmar, Alberta, Canada
43. Rock The Wool (Instagram) | Euskirchen, Germany
44. Ritual Dyes (Instagram) | Southeast Portland | USA
45. Rita Mae Yarns (Instagram)| York, Pennsylvania, USA
46. Ravensword Fibres (Instagram) | Nova Scotia, Canada
47. Qing Fibre (Instagram) | London, United Kingdom
48. Purl And Knit (Instagram) |Neuenrade, Germany
49. Purple Lamb Fiber Arts (Instagram) | North Texas, USA
50. Polka Dot Sheep (Instagram) | Montana, USA
51. PolkaDotCreek (Instagram) | Airdrie, Canada
52. Pirate Purl Yarns (Instagram) | Newcastle, Australia
53. Playful Day Yarns (Instagram, Etsy) | Petaluma, California, USA
54. PlankandStella (Instagram) | Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
55. Pixie Yarns (Instagram) | Winscombe, United Kingdom
56. Paca La Alpaca (Instagram) | (near) Guadalajara, Spain
57. Ovis et Cetera (Instagram) | Bunde, Germany
58. OzifarmersMarket (Instagram) | Lake Entrance, Australia
59. Old Rusted Chair (Instagram) |Nashville, Tennessee, USA
60. Old Maiden Aunt Yarns (Instagram) | Scotland, United Kingdom
61. Olann (Instagram) | Killygarry, Ireland, United Kingdom
62. Neighborhood Fiber & Co (Instagram) | Baltimore, Maryland, USA
63. MythicaFibers (Instagram)| Yokohama, Japan
64. Mudpunch (Instagram) | No address available, but it’s Canada
65. Mothy and the Squid (Instagram) | Kirkintilloch, East Dunbartonshire, United Kingdom
66. Montana Crochet (Instagram) | near Helena, Montana, USA
67. Miss Lamotte Yarns (Instagram)|  Cape Town, South Africa
68. MissBabs (Instagram) | Mountain City, Tennessee, USA
69. Miroyarns (Instagram) |Maunu, New Zealand
70. Midknit Cravings (Instagram) | Saskatchewan, Canada
71. MAD Scientist Yarns (Instagram) |Shifnal, United Kingdom
72. Maelstrom Fiber Arts (Instagram | Etsy)| Wentzville, Missouri, USA
73. Machete Shoppe (Instagram) | Poconos, Pennsylvania, USA
74. Louie & Lola yarns (Instagram) | Mount Roland, Tasmania, Australia
75. Lolabean Yarn & Co (Instagram) | ?
76. Long Dog Yarn (Instagram) | Baton Rouge, L.A, USA
77. Loft TwentyTwo (Instagram doesn’t seem active anymore, tho) | Ripon, California
78. Leading Men Fiber Arts (Instagram) | Central Illinois,
79. Lavender Lune Yarn Co. (Instagram) | Northern Minnesota, USA
80. Laine and Lotus (Instagram | Etsy) | Connecticut, USA
81. Lady Dye Yarns (Instagram )| Massachusetts, USA
82. Knittinggale Yarns (Instagram) |Wasthington State, USA
83. Knittingbro Yarn (Instagram) |  Frackville, Pennsylvania, USA
84. Knit or Dye (Instagram) | Queensland, Australia
85. Knitty and Color (Instagram | Etsy) | Acworth, Georgia, USA
86. Knitcircus Yarns (Instagram) | Wisconsin, USA
87. Kindred Red (Instagram) | Oakland, California, USA
88. Junk Yarn (Instagram) | Northern Carolina, USA
89. House of Alamode Fibergoods.com (Instagram) | no address provided
90. Highfiberartz (Instagram)| Portland, Oregon, USA
91. Heidiyarn Fiber (Instagram) | Herdecke, Germany
92. Hedgehog Fibres (Instagram) |Cork, Republic of Ireland
93. Hello Stella Fibres (Instagram) | Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
94. Hawthornecottage | Ballarat, Australia
95. Harbor Fibres (Instagram) | Maine, USA
96. HalfBaked (Instagram) | Melbourne, Australia
97. Haalu the ugly bunny (Instagram) | Geilenkirchen, Germany
98. Happy Hank (Instagram) |Bendigo, Australia
99. Greentea Yarns (Instagram) | Mornington Peninsula, Australia
100. Graphic Dyeworks (Instagram) |  Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
101. Goosey Fibers (Instagram) | Massachusetts, USA
102. Gingerfully Cozy (Instagram) | Edmonton, Canada
103. Giddy Yarns (Instagram) | Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom
104. Gathered Sheep yarns (Instagram) | North Essex United Kingdom
105. Frost Yarns (Instagram) |Southern California, USA
106. Forgotten Fiber (Instagram) | Georgia, USA
107. Forbidden Fiber Co (Instagram), Tennessee, USA
108. Fullyspun (Instagram) | no address, but apparently USA
109. Fiber Seed (Instagram) | Southern Ohio, USA
110. Fiber Lily (Instagram) | no address provided, but Australia
111. Faserliebe (Instagram) | Norderstedt, Germany
112. Expression Fiber Arts (Instagram) | Charlotte, North Caroline, USA
113. Explorer knits and fibers.com (Instagram) |  Illinois, USA
114. Eden Cottage Yarns (Instagram) | Wetherby, United Kingdom
115. Dragon Hoard Yarn (Instagram) | no address provided
116. DoneRoving (Instagram) |  Downeast Maine, USA
117. Dye Diana Dye (Instagram) | Atlanta, USA
118. Destination Yarn (Instagram) | Cleveland, Ohio, USA
119. Desert Bloom Yarns (Instagram) | Clarkdale, Arizona, USA
120. Cowgirlblues (Instagram) |Cape Town, South Africa 
121. Cornbread and Honey (Instagram) | Painesville, Ohio, USA
122. ColagirlCollectiveAu (Instagram) | Adelaide, Australia
123. Cloud Forest Yarns (Instagram) |Brisbane in Queensland, Australia
124. C’Laines Boutique (Instagram) | Angers, France
125. Cat Sandwich Fibers (Instagram) | no address provided, probably USA
126. Casual Fashion Queen (Instagram) | Central Florida, USA
127. Candy Skein (Instagram) | Astoria, Oregon, USA
128. BuzzinYarns (Instagram) | Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
129. Bumblebeeacresfarm (Instagram) | Northern Illinois, USA
130. Broadwickfibers (Instagram, Etsy) | Denver, Colorado
131. Blue Mule Fiber (Instagram) | Fayetville, Texas, USA
132. Blue Moon Fiber Arts (Instagram) | Scappoose, Oregon, USA
133. Blue Brick (Instagram) | Burlington, Ontario, Canada
134. Blue Barn Fiber (Instagram) | Coeur d’Alene, Idaho | USA
135. Big Sky Yarn & Co (Instagram) | Probably USA?
136. Biffsugar Yarns (Instagram) | Salisbury, United Kingdom
137. Becozi (Instagram, Etsy) |  State of Michigan, US
138. Baahyarn (Instagram) | Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
139. BlackWattle Alpaca Yarn and Fibre (Instagram) | Murrumbateman, NSW, Australia
140. Black Cat Yarn (Instagram) |Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada
141. A Whimsical Wood Yarn & Co (Instagram) | USA?
142. Artemis Yarns (Instagram) | near Toulouse, France
143. Atomic Fiber Co (Instagram) | Orofino, Idaho, USA
144. Andromeda Sock Yarn (Instagram) | Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
145. Anotherround (Instagram) | Rockland (?), Maine, USA
146. Ancient Arts Fibre (Instagram) |Calgary, Alberta, Canada
147. AMO yarn (Instagram) | Greenock, Scotland, United Kingdom
148. Air de lune (Instagram, Etsy) | Boston, Massachusetts, USA
149. A Handmade Journey (Instagram) |Johnson City, Tennessee, USA

Plant Dyers

• Wuscheltigger (Instagram) | only sells her wool through Ravelry, though.
• Westlake Knits (Instagram)| Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• Woollentwine (Instagram) | Hamburg, Germany
• TheOccasionalPurl | Colwyn Bay, United Kingdom
• The Fibre Tree (Instagram) | St. Bury, United Kingdom
• Skeinheroine (Instagram, Blog)| Reading, United Kingdom
• Seocolors Yarnery (Facebook)|Washington Maine, USA
• RosemaryAndPinesFA (Instagram) | Limburgerhof, Germany
• Nutmeg Fiber Arts (Instagram) | East Nashville, Tennessee, USA
• Moe View Yarn (Instagram) | North Wales, United Kingdom
• LaineCouleurNature (Instagram) | Buziet, France
• HandmadebySabs | Kiel, Germany
• Bleu Poussiére (Instagram) | Eastern Townships of Canada

Are custom colorways / Indie dyers worth it?

If you clicked through any of the links above, then you probably are familiar with the fact that a 100-gram hank of the typical merino sock wool costs between 20 and 35ish USD. That’s a lot of money for one hank. Go to your local yarn shop (LYS), and you’ll find the same quality Lion Brand (etc.) yarn for a third of that price. So, of course, you might ask yourself if it’s worth it?

That is, entirely, a personal decision and one nobody can answer for you. But I can give you some pointers:

1. How much do indie yarn dyers make?

Most dyers have to buy the yarn bases from a wholesaler. Those typically sell in the range of 10 USD. And even if they produce their own yarn, they could always sell it for that price (if not more). That’s the base costs. Add the costs for the dyes/bleaches/hardware, packaging, and the labor, you might get the first inkling why these skeins are priced so high. And of course, the websites cost money, and so does the marketing. So, there’s a margin of 5ish to 10ish USD per sold skein in the best case.

Sounds, nice, eh? But obviously one person can only dye, wind, label, and ship so many colorways per month, so that’s the ceiling. Of course, they can find further employees, but that is even more expensive and cuts down the margin even further (that’s one of the reasons you often see partners helping out).

2. Individuality has a price

Go to a LYS and you will find tons of solid and semi-solid yarn options by the big brands. The dyes are so extremely consistent that you could buy two green Schachenmayr Regia 4-ply sock yarns a decade apart and not notice a difference (just in case you were wondering, yes, I actually did that!). But, they can’t offer you a beautiful speckled colorway. Few produce truly great self-striping yarn, and of course, none of them offer made-to-order colors. And that individuality has a price.

I love natural fibers and dyes. I love knitting with exotic yarns and prefer semi-solids. So, for me, indie dyers are only very rarely a choice. Other people simply cannot afford to spend 200USD on a sweater, even if they wanted. And that’s okay as well (in this case, spinning, and dying your own yarn can be a viable approach). You are paying for creativity and adding a very personal touch to your finished object. Indie dyers are also often much faster in reacting to trends. Neon colors are just one example where the big brands were much slower in providing consumers adequate choices.

3. You can find the perfect color for your project

I don’t know about you, but sometimes you see a pattern or have an idea for something you just HAVE to knit. And you instantly know which color you want it in. But then you go to your LYS and ask if they have a DK weight merino wool in a grey-ish pink and the answer is no. You don’t even want to know how often this has happened to me.

But for me, the reason why I knit is that I can knit whatever I want, in my size and my favorite color. If I wanted to be limited by size and color, I’d go to a regular department store and buy my sweaters there. That’s probably cheaper and faster in most cases. And this is another area where indie dyers excel. You can either browse the list to find your color or find one that will a hank or two according to your specifications.

4. Shop wisely

There are way over a hundred indie yarn dyers on my list, and there are probably a hundred more I didn’t find (yet) or didn’t deem worthy to enter the list (too small, weird shop, no international shipping, etc). Don’t think of them as one inherent mass where you can expect the same quality. Some of them have years of experience and others just started. Some know how to take photographs of their pictures (you know, with flower clippings and steaming coffee), others don’t. Some know how to create dyes that look beautiful when knitted, and others only create beautiful hanks. And the yarn bases don’t have the same quality either.

That’s why you absolutely need to shop wisely. A lot of dyers offer mini skeins. Use that to test the quality and stick to those you liked. Also, some dyers provide swatches for their colorways you can look at before you shop. And then, of course, there is shipping costs. If you buy a single skein here, and another single skein there, you will end up with tremendous amounts of shipping costs.

Oh..and talking about single skeins. I know, 30 USD for a skein is expensive. So 60 for two is even more money. But, consider resisting the temptation and don’t buy too many single skeins (except you are a sock knitter). There’s only so much you can knit with 100 grams of sock yarn. Too often, these beautiful colorways never get knit because there’s never the right project with it.

5. It’s about treating yourself

Knitting takes time. Some of us are a bit faster, and others prefer a slower pace, but you end up spending hours upon hours looking and feeling a yarn – before you even get to wear it. That’s one of the reasons why I choose the yarns and fibers I knit with so carefully. I don’t want to knit 40 hours with a horrible acrylic yarn from the 80ies that is prone to triboelectric charging and makes my fingers feel sweaty.

Now, obviously, some knitters operate on a tighter budget than others, and tastes differ as well. So, there is absolutely no need to buy from indie dyers and they are not inherently better. But, those yarns can be a nice way to treat yourself to something special you will thoroughly enjoy knitting with.

6. Indie dyers are not for knitters on a tight budget

I already touched on the subjects of quality and budget, but I want to stress one more point: If you can’t really afford that custom colorway, don’t buy it!

I had colorways that were this side of heaven, but I also had tangled messes with knots in between that bled like crazy, knitted up like a nightmare (even though the skein looked beautiful!), and that took forever and a day to ship.

Now, please don’t get the impression that this happens one out of two orders. Far from it. But it’s not unheard of either. And it would be quite the pity if you saved up to be finally able to afford it and then get disappointed proportionally. You are not paying for magic unicorn fluff (okay, I’m sure there is a colorway with that name, lol) but for quite a lot of hard labor and a lot of creativity.

Last thoughts

I wrote this list in the hope to give people the perfect way to find the best yarn for their next project. These days, it’s often those dyers who are best at taking pictures and marketing themselves on social media who get the most attention. This list is meant as an equalizer.

In this spirit, I urge you to look behind the scenes. Some shops may appear a bit outdated, but that doesn’t mean the quality is worse. Some might not have the largest following on social media, but their colorways can be just as amazing. And sometimes, when one shop currently has no stocks, it pays off to look around to find something similar or even better. So, feel free to bookmark my little list and peruse it at leisure. I will make sure to update it regularly.

Note: Here’s a tutorial if you still don’t know how to roll a hank of yarn into a ball.

So, that’s it. That was my ultimate list of indie yarn dyers. I hope you found something to your liking & make sure to tell me about your favorite dyers in the comments!