Online yarn store founder Nicole Snow is committed to inspiring crafters and supporting marginalized people.
CLIFTON PARK, N.Y., Feb. 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 2020 was a year when many folks were stuck at home and eager to find new creative outlets. Anything that could reduce stress was a major plus! Naturally, crafts such as knitting and crocheting skyrocketed in popularity. Unfortunately, many yarns are produced with toxic, environmentally destructive practices. That’s why Nicole Snow, founder of Darn Good Yarn, was eager to make her yarn store as sustainable as possible — and support the growing knitting community as well.
Boasting Big Benefits
If you’re like many people who finally picked up knitting in 2020, you know how relaxing it can be. A recent New York Times article stated, “Many studies have been published that show knitting helps to manage chronic pain, improve cognitive function and even increase happiness.”
Snow created Darn Good Yarn for exactly this reason. With her strong belief in this craft’s ability to empower the knitter, she created a company that sustainably supports her customers’ “creative juices.” She explains, “In a world of short-cuts and cookie cutter experiences, we believe that when you slow down in order to build that this creates more sustainability and stronger communities.”
Speaking of which, Darn Good Yarn aims to provide more than a pandemic hobby. For years, Snow and her team have cultivated independent, collaborative relationships and well-paying jobs to turn knitting into a sustainable industry. The company sources all yarn ethically and focuses on benefiting marginalized and underserved communities through their enterprise.
The Rise of Yarn E-Commerce
While mega-chains such as Jo-Ann Fabrics and Michaels have been essential errands for knitters for years, last year’s lockdowns and worries about shopping in-person have sent crafters searching for the perfect yarn online. In truth, this is the best way to purchase sustainable, artisan yarns. Companies such as Darn Good Yarn are able to optimize their supply chains and provide products with a lower carbon footprint.
Snow knows that big corporations are quite wasteful, and the yarn may not even be of good quality. Knitting is an industry where a personal touch goes a long way toward better crafting — plus better economic and environmental benefits. “While we’re very much a small business, our ‘can do, make it happen’ attitude has helped us save over a million pounds of material waste and help create hundreds of sustainable jobs,” she says.
Benefits of Joining the Knitting Community
As Loretta Napoleoni explains in The Power of Knitting: Stitching Together Our Lives in a Fractured World, knitting breaks down barriers and brings people together. Darn Good Yarn is fully committed to supporting knitters of all experience levels, especially those in marginalized demographics. Participating in personal knitting classes, subscribing to a “Yarn of the Month” club, and sourcing must-have knitting patterns, are all favorite ways needleworkers get plugged into a vibrant social community.
It all stems from Snow’s discovery that yarn makers often work in dangerous environments for low compensation. Thinking back to her childhood crafting room and the joy she experienced with knitting, she decided to transform her yarn into a cause. Now, Darn Good Yarn’s passionate community employs more than 600 artisans around the globe and draws patterns from more than 400 independent artists.
It’s exactly what Snow hoped for — and it turned out to be a great way to survive 2020, as well.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/98a2dd2a-c7c9-4766-ab39-84dd0e0cf273