This last Monday (08/10/2020) my guest was the Oink Pigments team.
This interview lasted about an hour and 25 minutes. Most of our conversation revolved around how they all met and how it evolved into Oink Pigments. This was the very first time I had four people on the air with me. I thought it might be a mess... but it wasn't. What impressed me most is how socially conscious this business is and how much they give/donate even under hard economic times. Please list to this great interview to hear from these amazing folx. About Oink Pigments: Established in 2010, Oink Pigments is a purveyor of small-batch, hand-dyed yarns in Vista, CA and Indianapolis, IN. Our owners (Alexa, Helena, and Julie) are a trio of strong-willed humans who love pigs, puns, and purls. They have over 140 bright and playful colorways, available on over a dozen yarn & fiber bases. Let me introduce you to the team... Alexa Wilson (she/her) learned to knit in 2009, and knew from the moment she picked up the needles that she wanted to build a career in the fiber arts industry. She started dyeing in 2010, and has been in love with adding a bit of color to life ever since. Alexa continues to work hard to grow Oink Pigments, along with the rest of Team Oink, embarking on an incredible adventure through the yarnisphere. You can find her on the couch starting another new project, or buried under doggos, but probably both. Helena Bristow (she/they) has been Vice Pigmentologist at Oink Pigments since its inception in 2010. She learned to crochet at age 4, and taught herself to knit when she started graduate school for the first time. She often jokes that “knitting stuck; grad school did not” -- Helena has now dropped out of two different graduate programs because she would rather be playing with yarn. Helena can usually be found driving all over the country in her yarn van, to fiber festivals and local yarn stores. Julie Gillespie (she/her) keeps things running as Chief Oink Operator and head of Social Media & Marketing. She started knitting in 2007 on a whim and has been collecting different crafty skill sets ever since. Julie first joined Team Oink at Stitches West 2015, and was immediately informed that she was never allowed to leave. She can be found manning the Oink Pigments social media accounts, surrounded by a grumble of pugs. Founder of Sparkle Saturday, she always encourages others to shine bright. Harper Hodes (they/he) has been a member of Team Oink for a few years now, and loves helping customers pair colors. They have been knitting since they were in high school and are strongly involved in advocacy for mental health issues, the LGBTQIA+ community, and disability access. Harper is a process knitter who enjoys color work, but much prefers petting and buying yarn to finishing projects. They can often be found in their wheelchair at the Oink booth reminding people to hydrate. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Here are the resource links to some of the things we talked about on the show...
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This last Monday (07/20/2020) my guest was Adella Colvin. Adella joined me from her home in Grovetown, GA. Adella’s pronouns are she and her.
This interview lasted an hour and thirty minutes. We had a dynamic conversation and we talked about a lot of things. We talking about Adella's family and her career. We talked about her culture shock... moving from New York to rural Georgia. We talked about how she got into the fiber arts world through her neighbor while her husband, Jimmy, was away in Afghanistan. We talked about how Adella got into dyeing and how she eventually made a business out of her passion for color and texture. We talked about the rebranding of her company using her daughter's name and why she did so. Adella shared some of her stories of racism. She shared her thoughts about where we are going in the fiber arts industry and in our country. She expressed her happiness that more people of color are getting into the fiber arts world. Of course, Adella and I talked about a lot more than these highlights (above)... so I encourage you all to listen to the show. I think you'll really enjoy it. Adella Colvin's Biography: LolaBean Yarn Co. (formerly Adella’s Crochet Cottage) began 5 years ago with a single stitch; that quickly turned into a thousand stitches as Adella contemplated on what she would do to pass time while her husband was away in Afghanistan. Adella first learned to crochet and knitting soon followed. She became obsessed with all of the different colors, textures and compositions of the different yarns she came across. One day, she came across a Youtube video of someone dyeing yarn, and she thought to herself… “Hey I should try this!” So she did. Dyeing came very naturally to Adella and she was encouraged by her friends and family to start her own business and sell her hand dyed creations. The rest is history. After the birth of her daughter, Adella realized that she had much more to live for and be grateful about. She decided to rebrand her company in honor of her little princess, in hopes that one day she would be able to pass something down to her daughter and keep the legacy alive. As a woman of color, Adella wants to show her daughter, and hopefully inspire others, that they can achieve success regardless of the circumstances. Adella looks forward to growing and expanding her brand, not only for her daughter, but for the future generation of independent fiber artists ------------------------------------------------------------------ Here are the resource links to some of the things we talked about on the show...
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