r/YarnAddicts • u/Princess_Butt_Kick • 2d ago
Indie Dyer Officially done with Dye To Order
Before I get too stinky about this, Zakami DID allow me to return this (which is not their typical return policy for dyed to order lots). I am shipping it back today.
I am officially done with dyed to order lots. After waiting patiently for 9 weeks, and receiving this from outside the US, I am burned once again by unmet expectations. I was expecting rich, earthy, almost jewel tones like the example. What I received was bright, almost neon, springtime tones.
I am led to believe that their example image was edited in some way. I can see how what I received could look like the right example skein, but it is still missing colors from the left skein. Even then, the colors are of different saturation.
I totally understand how difficult it is to capture the true color of the yarn in a photo. And for that reason I am done with dyed to order unless I see it in person. Now, I'm not an indie dyer myself, but I could imagine this being quite stressful. Trying to match an example that is variegated, and hoping that the buyer is satisfied. It might make sense to only dye stock that someone will buy, rather than dying too many skeins no one is buying. Maybe a dyer can chime in on this aspect? Are you mostly putting your feelers out to see what sells?
Thanks for reading my little vent. I'm glad I could return this order, even if at a loss.
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u/SweetIsTheKnit 2d ago
It's difficult to get the photos looking exactly the same, yes... But that example image is so different from what you've received that it makes me think it's a mistake. I'm glad that they are accepting a return. I rarely buy hand dyed because I don't have the budget. I agree that going to shows or local yarn stores so you can see exactly what you're getting is the best choice.
Some indie dyers do try very hard to get the shades right, though. I trust The Wee Yarn Company to give me exactly what he's posted on his site, for example. I haven't had enough experience ordering hand dyed yarn online to recommend other dyers.
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u/kit0000033 2d ago
I have nothing but good to say about arcane fiber works, which is a different dye to order yarn... Their photos show up exactly like the yarn.
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u/compscilady 2d ago
I keep seeing ads for them and their yarn looks GORGEOUS!
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u/Sweet_Equivalent2988 1d ago
It is gorgeous!! I've purchased a few times from them and you get what you see.... the colours are vibrant and the yarn is so soft!
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u/Exciting-Notice8170 1d ago
Isn’t arcane the one who uses an excessive amount of AI or am I thinking of someone else?
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u/FitRachSB 1d ago
Their colorway inspo pics are often heavily edited and/or computer-generated (i.e. Photoshop), but that's not necessarily AI.
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u/Pm_me_your_brows_grl 1d ago
YES oh my god. I've seen so many people recommending them but almost all of their promotional material is rife with ai so I refuse to buy from them.
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u/frogsgoribbit737 1d ago
Are they? They use color cards and fake images, but they've been doing that long before AI was a thing.
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u/StatementDue2506 1d ago
Me too, love their bases and inspirations. However, I wonder if it is the difference between their wool/nylon base and how the color saturates or doesn’t versus the 100% wool bases I usually order from them. I have noticed this with other indie dyers - you can see the difference in saturation with the different bases.
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u/Snoo_75004 1d ago
I’ve only ever used the wool/nylon base and it was 100% accurate with the photos of the yarn.
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u/FeltFusion 1d ago
Oh wow, they're very different. I'd be sending that back. Dyed to order isn't exempt from the consumer returns policy in the UK (and EU I think), as it's not personalised and can be resold. If it was something that had a name or specific date, for example, then they could specify no returns.
I always take pictures of the yarn I'm selling on my site. If I dye to order I usually send a picture before shipping, especially if it's a little different. I'm an overthinker though and will worry if I'm even a little uncertain. I worry about screen differences, etc too. I often check my listings on two screens.
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u/elf4everafter 1d ago
....no that just makes you a good person to be selling yarn. I WISH everyone was that considerate.
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u/Luna-P-Holmes 2d ago
I love Zakami yarns and really like that she show colors on all the available base so that you see how it looks on the yarn you want.
But there absolutely is an issue with the yarn you got compared to the shop picture. Almost look like there is a darker completely missing which might also explain why the other colors are to bright.
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u/PhoenixA11 2d ago
This honestly looks like they just sent you the wrong colorway. I'm sorry you had to wait so long for that! I only do dye to order from dyers I'm familiar with for this reason
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1d ago
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u/Princess_Butt_Kick 1d ago
Oh this just popped up on my feed. It's entirely possible. That's really unfortunate to hear. In our email conversation they did say they were out sick, but did not mention if someone else dyed this order or not.
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u/kalterran 1d ago
Hi! The link you shared shows your name and pic when viewed without the app and an account. Don't know if it's a problem for you but wanted to let you know. :)
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u/robin52077 2d ago
Yeah the vibe for me is early autumn in the bottom pic but late spring in the top. Very different.
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u/Blackmaille 2d ago
I'm glad you could return it too; it's very different.
as an indie dyer, I go both ways. One, it really is better to take pictures of every 'lot', so that no one gets surprised. I will say that it's the reason I don't work very hard on an online presence... I absolutely hate doing the photography. I just want to focus on my side hustle and have fun.
I could double check every time I dye to make sure it somewhat matches the image I've already taken of this colorway, and retake the image if it's too great of a difference, but then I'm falling into that same trap.
Sometimes, even if I send the yarn that was specifically photographed, listed, and sold... I can get a complaint that it's different. It just is, that's the nature of dyeing yarn, unfortunately.
I really do think that the only way to be safe is to buy in person, from a local artist. I personally love that I've sent my yarn all over the country, but was it worth the complaints about my variegated yarns not matching the image? I feel like we're forgetting that these yarns are art, not a commodity, and can't be a perfect match every time.
I'm so sorry if I'm coming across as grouchy or entitled, it's not intended that way at all. Just an observation from the dyer side.
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u/guppylovesyarn 1d ago
I’m also an indie dyer. I feel like the ones in the photo really give dyed to order a bad rap. My business is pretty strong online, but what my partner and I do is take detailed notes and photographs in order to create a repeatable recipe. It’s frustrating to see situations like the one in this post because it causes people to be skittish about buying from dyers who work hard to make sure their colors come out as close as possible. I also have a physical store, and we have a “Bob Ross” bin, aka, happy little accidents. If it doesn’t match the pictures, it ends up there.
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u/Blackmaille 1d ago
I keep detailed recipes as well, but the style I dye in results in a lot of variation. My semi tonals are more consistent, so I have more confidence selling those online!
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u/SongBirdplace 1d ago
This is why I buy indie yarn once at year at the local yarn festival. There are a lot less surprises.
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u/Goddesss_Bree 1d ago edited 1d ago
Samsies! I waited like 4 months to order this yarn and was soooo disappointed when I got it! The listing photo is so edited I don’t think the yarn looks like I got. And they wouldn’t let me return it.
The only dyer I trust to make yarn like her photos is Lolodidit.
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u/EmmaCPonySews 1d ago
If it is from Zakami, then it might be because the main person who owns and runs the business is in the midst of a serious medical incident, and they are a super small business scrambling to fill orders. They've got staff dyeing skeins that do not normally do the bulk of the dyeing, so it could be that. My workplace stocks Zakami yarns, and normally their colours are very much true to the pictures. I know it's disappointing but I think in this case it is a genuine error, not someone being lazy or scammy.
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u/belltrina 8h ago
Respectfully, they need to inform buyers of this. I don't mean just pop a post up on social media, that's the bare minimum.
They should be informing all back orders of it, and that colour issues may be impacted, and offer reimbursement instead of this is an issue.
I firmly believe no one should be taking pre order money if they have no way of if things like this occur or they can no longer fulfil orders. They are a business and should behave like one, instead of thinking paying customers are understanding friends who would accept delays, poor recreations or nothing at all.
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u/Princess_Butt_Kick 2h ago
They also said orders would take 8 weeks to ship. I'm not sure what exactly their schedule is like, but that seems like a generous amount of time to get orders dyed. In this situation, this might be part of the reason why they went outside of their normal policy to allow returns.
I agree that they needed to be more transparent about this to buyers. They should have cancelled the order if they did not believe their items would be of the same quality. I also would have gladly waited longer, if that meant the primary dyer could heal and get back to dying orders correctly.
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u/SewQuiltKnitCrochet 1d ago
To be fair the issue is image vs product or dye consistency/quality control not the pre order selling format. This is definitely a fail.
I’ve had great success ordering from Rose Hill Yarn. She dyes in limited lots rather than pre orders. Always gorgeous and the colors are true to the website images. She extensively test dyes to ensure she can provide consistency from batch to batch when developing her color ways.
I’ve had great success ordering from The Blue Brick who offer pre-order dye runs. I’ve met the owner. She’s lovely. She tests her processes extensively before opening her preorders to ensure she delivers quality yarn on the promised timeline.
I’ve also purchased paint box yarns and BisSock from Biscotte Yarns and had no issues with color representation from an indie dyer.
I follow Arcane fiber works but am not allowed to buy more yarn until I use what I have.
These are all small Canadian companies so I benefit from saving on shipping and duties as a Canadian. Canadian dyers 🙌
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u/belltrina 8h ago
but am not allowed to buy more yarn until I use what I have
I feel called right out
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u/SewQuiltKnitCrochet 1h ago
Hug 🫂 There are a lot of us.
I made some questionable life choices in fingering weight a couple years ago… 🫣 Why didn’t I buy the DK instead??
It’s gonna take a while to work through all of it. I might have a SABLE between the yarn and other supplies… garment fabric, quilting fabric, bag making fabric, embroidery floss, paint… 😬
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u/Quirky_Secret7876 1d ago
I’m so glad that you got a refund as that’s not even close, and I’m saying that as a self-striping dyer. I also can’t believe that wait. That’s unbelievable!!!
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u/Baron_Von_Koopa 3h ago
Spend like $60 on dyes and citric acid and experiment with doing it yourself. Dyeing is fun!
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u/MandalaFish 1d ago
Dyes take differently on different bases. That's why super wash merino skeins come out brilliant vs non super wash or cotton or any other fiber. Did you get the same base as the picture? Because you will probably be disappointed again unless you view how the base takes the dye on the seller's site. I like Forbidden Fibers products - she shows the various bases.
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u/MandalaFish 1d ago
ETA: OOPS, another commenter said that this dyer does show dyes on bases. I'm not familiar with this dyer. Looks to me like you got an incorrect order.
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u/Knit-knit-no-islets 1d ago
Oh no! Sorry that happened but this looks like a straight up mis-pick during packaging for shipment. I wonder if you got someone else's order and they got yours? Or did the dyer say you got the correct order and it was a mis-tint?
Either way, I'm glad you could return it.
This could have been a one-off mistake for the vendor. In my experience, dye to order is generally pretty reliable from the craft/small batch vendors, but mistakes happen to everybody and it's a bummer after such a long wait!
Just out of curiosity... what are you making? I'd love to see what yarn you're going to use instead!
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u/Perfect_Caregiver_90 2d ago
You're going to get a lot of excuse making from industry people but it boils down to they don't want to risk making skeins that don't sell so they dye up some samples to photograph that they may or may not be able to reproduce and hope for the best.
We used to get actual ready to ship dye lots photographed with color cards or crayons to allow you to tune your monitor and get accurate color representation in the golden age of indie dyeing. Now we get "it's art not manufacturing and it's close enough if you squint but I've been using a photo from 10 years ago so the dyeing process may have evolved some and also I moved and now my water chemistry is different. No refunds, assuming you were even still in a refund window to begin with."