Yarn Vampire sighting reported!

It is with both relief and disgust that I report a yarn vampire sighting. Yes, this morning, whilst shopping for beads at a local beadery, I was regaled with a yarn vampire story.

It warmed my heart to know that I am not the only victim of yarn vampiredom. On the other hand, the person telling the story was clearly as revolted as I at the occurrence.

Here's the latest in yv-dom:

Said friend, at a recent show, had the following encounter -- yes, a person, examining her yarn, said, "I will dissect (I believe that was the word) this yarn and copy it and sell mine like this when I get home." Or something like that.

Colleague reports being aghast, as well as nauseated, by the crassness of the comments and the sheer nerve of it all.

Me? I hoped, upon hearing the tale, that I hadn't cackled too loudly or too unsympathetically. After my knowing chuckle, I replied, yeah, I have a term for those people: Yarn Vampires. You can read my own encounters in an older blog entry if you like.

I likened the Y V's comments to going into a paint supply shop, buying tubes of paint and brushes, going home, painting a canvas, then wondering why their canvas doesn't resemble the other painters' they know. Ok, not the best analogy, but you get the drift.

I know I must have said, "if all we do is open up a jar of dye, dump it, and add yarn," then yes, anyone, including a monkey, can do it.

I don't think that is why my friend or I are successful at what we do.

Our customers see beautiful wool -- that's what they want. It isn't important to them how we do it, or for what reasons. If it meets their expectations and helps them make lovely things to wear and look at, then that's job done for me.

Listen up:

If you are a hand-dyer and you want to change what you are dyeing, or don't sell as much as yarn as you'd like, don't blame other hand-dyers or yarn businesses. Please.

I could tell every single person who asks what dye I use or what yarn I dye, but that isn't going to help either. If you have such little faith in your own skill or product, go do something else. Or go get the knowledge you need to improve. Maybe you are using a dye because that's what your first instructor used. Are they really YOUR colours that speak to you and what you want to sell? Maybe you need to change your dye method? The yarn you use?

Why are you dyeing yarn? Why do you want to sell yarn? Why should anyone buy your yarn? Maybe you are selling to the wrong customers?

Have you, Ms. Yarn Vampire, asked yourself any of those questions BEFORE you go for the obvious, most disastrous way out, which is to try to copy someone else's work? I should feel pity for you, but I'm sorry, I'm still working on disgust.

In the meantime, stay away from Stranded In Oz. I'll be packing my stake for the next show. And I know what you look like.