This month, our feature sponsor to learn more about via our Pick 5 series is Indigodragonfly, a long-time supporter and favourite of TKG. Kim McBrien Evans, Dyer, Designer, Instructor and Author extraordinaire of Inidigodragonfly, will be the TKG speaker at our monthly meeting in November, so read on to learn more about them now, and then and come to the meeting in November to learn more and to meet her and the Indigodragonfly crew in person (and squoosh some of their yarn too!)
What makes your business unique? Tell us about something that we won’t find anywhere else.
The people and the talents they bring to Indigodragonfly. Kim, Ron, and Victoria love humour, nerdiness, and playing with colour. Our colours are multi-faceted, and seem to glow from within. Every inch captures the attention of makers through every stitch. Ron and Victoria’s humour shows up in the colour names, which are often geeky, always clever, and make you laugh out loud. Kim comes in with her sharp and chaotic colour sense to help you choose the best colours for your project, and can advise you on sweater knitting, from choosing a pattern to choosing a size and beyond. And the last thing you won’t find from any other studio, is Kim’s new book, The Knitter’s Sweater Fitting Bible!
What’s your most popular product?
The Impervious Shawl Kit. This kit has been a bestseller since Kim released the Impervious pattern in 2018.
As dyers, we have come up with an endless range of colours for this design–many of them one of a kind. The shawl is fun to knit (and not difficult!), and elicits compliments whenever you wear it!
What product gets undeservedly overlooked?
Most of Kim’s sweater patterns! Kim designs sweaters that look great on bodies of different shapes and sizes, often defying the fashion rules that we grew up with. From slim to plus size, short to tall, to bodies with limb differences, mastectomies, and disabilities, Kim is an expert on sweater fit and fashion!
How does your community contribute to your business?
Community is central to our work. We started because makers asked us to–Kim was approached by members of her Knit Night in 2009 and asked if she would start a yarn dyeing business! We’re still here because makers support us, and that is empowering. In return, we sponsor events at local and national levels, dye fundraising yarns to support other makers and charities we believe in, and we hold events to bring our community together both at our studio and beyond.
Sometimes that community literally helps us develop products! Crowdsourced dyeing over Zoom, for example.
We are unapologetically ourselves and people respond well to that. We’re very proud to be able to run a business that helps us make the world a better place.
What project are you dreaming about doing next?
Kim’s working on a KAL associated with her new book! A year of knitting sweaters, with virtual classes, zoom KAL sessions, and lots of opportunities to learn, get support, and to simply make beautiful sweaters that fit us all–as we are! We hope you’ll join us.
