Meet yarn entrepreneur Lisa
Creating unique products for crafters was the driving force behind Lisa Harland’s decision to start her own business. She tells Penny Batchelor about her creative journey
LISA HARLAND is the force behind For The Love Of Yarn, an online yarn shop selling her handdyed yarns, unique crochet hooks and notions. It’s a thriving business, with loyal customers around the country and new fans who are discovering Lisa’s products at yarn shows and festivals.
The story all started with a crochet hook, which Lisa designed for her mother. “I got into crochet when I had my first child, Callum,” Lisa explains. “My Mum has rheumatoid arthritis and can’t hold things the way you or I would. I thought to myself, other tools have been adapted for people with arthritis, so why not a crochet hook? I gave Mum a piece of conditioned clay and asked her to hold it in a way she felt comfortable with, then I added it to a blank, handle-less crochet hook. It worked a treat. It got me thinking that I could do this for other people.”
While continuing her work as a freelance graphic designer, Lisa set up a Facebook page called For The Love Of Yarn, through which she started selling her handmade crochet hooks. “Dyeing yarn was a natural progression, and before I knew it I was making crochet hooks, hand-dyed yarn, stitch markers and accessories,” Lisa recalls.
For The Love Of Yarn operates from a studio on the outskirts of East Kilbride, south of Glasgow. “My studio is a working space, and so is not open to the public every day (otherwise I’d never get any dyeing done!), but I do have a showroom that I open for workshops and events,” Lisa says. “Our monthly Knit and Natter group is on the last Sunday of the month. I have a stand-alone website through which I sell my products, and I regularly travel to seven or eight yarn shows a year.”
Lisa found herself on a steep learning curve when she set up For The Love Of Yarn. “The biggest skill you learn when running your own company is how to quickly teach yourself what’s required,” she says. “I’ve had to learn accounting, web development, photography, media relations… the list goes on. When you go into business for yourself you have to learn how to wear many hats - and often, multiple hats simultaneously! It’s extremely hard work and sometimes quite draining, but it’s also extremely rewarding. Looking at progress pictures from a customer who has bought your yarn, and seeing the sheer joy on their face when they meet you at a show wearing what they have made, is amazing!”
Scottish inspirations
Lisa’s hand-dyed yarns include a range of weights from lace to chunky, and fibre bases including mohair, merino blends including silk, bamboo and yak, and a lovely sock yarn with Donegal neps. Her new Highland and Islands range of BFL yarns are proving really popular with customers, thanks to colourways inspired by her native Scotland with names such as ‘Loch Shores’, ‘Through The Heather’, and ‘Neeps’. “All of my subscription boxes, like the blanket club, hook club and advent boxes, are great sellers,” Lisa reports.
“I love running dye workshops at the studio, too. It’s great fun showing people how to dye their own yarn … a lot of the time the students create stunning results that I myself would struggle to achieve!”
So, what advice would Lisa give to anyone who want to set up their own craft business? “Be prepared to work hard,” she laughs. “There’s an idea floating about that dyeing yarn is an easy way to make money – it’s a very unfair illusion that’s really quite damaging to the industry. Running your own business is more than a full-time job, and you need to be aware that turning a profit doesn’t come overnight.
“There seems to be this expectation from consumers that handmade means cheap, when in fact it’s the opposite. If I were to break down the costing of just one skein of yarn, and calculated the cost of materials, tools, amenities and so on, it would show that I am working for less than minimum wage, but sadly that’s par for the course in our industry. It’s wrong, and something does have to change, but that will not happen overnight. The more we talk about it openly and honestly, the better it will get - or at least that’s what I hope! The yarn community is a fantastic industry to be involved in.”
Lisa is now busy on new launches for the autumn-winter season. “I’m currently working my socks off putting together a pattern book called Cozy Nights In. It’s a collection of crochet shawl, cowl and hat patterns to snuggle up with when the weather turns chilly. To accompany the book there will be a ‘cozy collection’ of co-ordinating yarns in a variety of weights designed to showcase the patterns.
“I really want to take For The Love Of Yarn further by employing some help to free up some of my time, so I can focus on the creative and community elements of the business. I’m passionate about doing more workshops to get as many young people knitting and crocheting as I can.” – Find For The Love Of Yarn online at
www.fortheloveofyarn.co.uk. Lisa will be exhibiting this year at Aberdeen Yarnfest, Yarningham, Fibre-East, Perth Festival of Yarn, and Yarndale.