Pattern Testing with @TheLittleWolfKnits

I am so excited to introduce Briana of @TheLittleWolfKnits for today’s Tester Tuesday feature! Briana not only tests and designs patterns, but she is an extraordinary yarn dyer with an amazing personality! I am a frequent customer of her yarns, as her colorways are simply incredible. She regularly puts together yarn kits for pattern releases too! Please enjoy this interview with Briana, as we learn about her maker journey and how her yarn dying experience ties in with her pattern testing/designing experience. As always, be sure to check her out on Instagram after you read to show her some support! She has a lot of exciting stuff coming up, so you’ll definitely want to give her a follow.

Briana is pictured above wearing the Palm Your Knits top by @knittingtipsy; below wearing the Cozy Classic Lite and the Cozy Classic Raglan by @jessssiemae, the Paloma Sweater by @espacetricot, and a sneak peek of her own upcoming design!

Tell us about @thelittlewolfknits! How and when did you get into yarn crafts? When and why did you start your account?

I've actually been crafting for as long as I can remember, and got into yarny things at a pretty young age (nanny says she taught me to knit when I was seven or so, but I don't actually remember). I took a hiatus from yarn in high school and was really into photography and music, but never let the crafty part of me go. Later in high school, my mom got me an adorable pattern book to make animal hats. I made them for all of my friends and family and took a break again in college. Once I was back in graduate school, money was tight, so I started making hats, scarfs, and other little projects for some of my family and their friends. For my final year of my doctorate, I moved to El Paso, TX by myself and found my yarn stash growing. I eventually created a new instagram to post finished objects I was trying to sell and test knits I was doing. From there, I fell down the rabbit hole and don't even use my personal instagram account anymore!

You also dye yarn! When did that start for you, and how has your yarn dying business evolved over time?

When I was in El Paso, I got into knitting more garments, and learned about hand-dyed yarn. I was buying yarn every month from Explorer Knits and Fibers (before she got super busy and sold out in ten seconds), and had no local yarn shop to get my fix, and soon realized I was spending almost all of my money on yarn. I had seen someone (maybe Melissa?) dyeing yarn with avocado and onion skins, and I'm definitely the type of person who sees something and thinks "I can make that," so I saved some kitchen scraps and gave it a go. I never imagined it would be to sell, but I was so intrigued. I bought a starter kit from KnitPicks about two months before I moved back to PA (I just couldn't wait) and immediately was obsessed. This passion started as something to fuel my creativity and feed my yarn stash, and even when I first started selling, I thought it would just be to support my personal projects. However, over the last two years, business has taken off! Each month, business is doing a little bit better, and I'm bringing more to the shop. Just this year, I really feel like I'm hitting my stride and loving each colorway more than the next. I'm hoping that this business doesn't go anywhere any time soon, and we actually just bought a house because I need a dedicated space to dye!

You often provide yarn to designers for their designs, and then offer kits for those patterns. I've noticed you also offer discount codes to testers. What benefit do you get out of these collaborations? What are the pros and cons of offering yarn at a discount to the pattern testers?

Benefits - I don't know for sure, I guess sales? But to be honest, I'm not really the best business woman. I love being a part of other people's stories, whether that means sending my friends yarn that inspires (or is inspired by) a design, and I love to compensate folx for agreeing to help test that pattern. I know when I'm providing yarn, it's not really my design, but I do think of it as a real collaboration and something I want to put my name on, not just sending yarn off to someone to use. I also like to do what I can to make yarn more accessible to others, and I think it's really fun when you have a tester group that can provide feedback on the colorways or kits you've put together and show them off!

I've also noticed that you often jump in and test the pattern too! Is there a benefit to being in the tester group as the yarn dyer? Or do you just enjoy testing the patterns too?

I think there are a lot of fringe benefits I might get out of that process, but the truth is, I have really bad FOMO and would be worried I'm missing all the fun. Testing groups are basically like a really intimate KAL which I love - you're all working the same pattern and some are even using the same kits, and you really get close to each other! I'm also learning a lot about designing, but also about how my yarn moves in different fabrics. However, I think the biggest benefit is really just being part of the design from start to finish - to really be a part of the full story.

What is your favorite thing about pattern testing? What is your least favorite thing about pattern testing?

I think you could probably guess from my answer above, but I really love the relationships that are built from testing designs. I think it brings me back to where I first started in this community, and where I've made most of my really good friends. I also think there's something really special about being able to help someone put out a project, especially after being on the other side of this process - tester feedback really is invaluable!

I don't know if I have a least favorite thing to be honest - I really like deadline driven projects and work mostly monogamously, so it's a great way to help me stay on track.

You're also a designer! How has your pattern testing experience impacted your design experience? How has your yarn dying experience impacted your design process?

I am? I am... I think I am. (she is!)

Most of my designs to this point have been socks and hats, so I have a hard time calling myself a designer. However, I'm working currently on my first ever garment design and I am so grateful to have had experience testing patterns before. As a designer, I know what I enjoyed and didn't love as a knitter, so it's really helpful to be able to use that knowledge. Granted, my pattern style still won't be everyone's cup of tea, but testing definitely helped me to figure out what I like.

I think being a yarn dyer has also had a huge impact on my design process. For some of my designs the yarn and pattern came to life at the same time (Oy with the Poodles, I Am All in) and I really just saw a vision in my head of what I wanted this fabric to look like - so I created a colorway and wrote up a pattern. There are definitely a lot of my colorways recently that are inspiring some of the garment designs I have coming. Sometimes you just see a colorway and think "Okay this has to be a fun summer crop" or "this would be a super elegant garment" and it's been really fun to see how these parts of my business will continue to inspire each other.

If you could provide any piece of advice to other indie yarn dyers out there who might be interested in supplying yarn for designs/tests, what would it be?

This may be a little bit more broad than what you're asking, but my advice wouldn't actually be for every dyer to do what I'm doing. I think one of the most important things (in this community but also life in general) is to be yourself. So if you're the type of person that really enjoys the process and being involved in relationship building, figure out how to make that a part of what you do. If you're not, and you really just enjoy the creation of yarn but like being hands off after that, that's okay too! Supplying yarn for designs and discounts to testers does cut out a bit of the already small profit margin that exists for yarn dyeing, so if you don't feel secure enough in where you are in your business, it's okay to wait. I've found that when I really pour my heart into something, it ends up being worth it - not just for the experience, but your customers will support you and you'll end up (hopefully) selling more kits, even if you're making less on each one. However, I do think that whatever you do, make sure it's genuine. Customers can usually tell when your heart isn't fully into something and you'll probably find yourself getting less excited about what you're doing. Even if your path doesn't look like all of the other dyers out there that you see, be yourself and you'll find your people!

Do you have anything coming up that you’re excited about and want to share!?

I have so many things coming up, I don't even know where to start. First, I'll share about my Twisted Tea design. I'm actually really nervous about putting this out, and it definitely wasn't an easy venture for me. I'll be putting out a tester call later this week and am just hoping I get enough folx interested in testing! After that, my mind has been racing with a bunch of other designs, so if folx seem to like what I'm doing, you may see some more fun and unique patterns coming your way!

After that, I have a lot of big yarny plans moving forward. I just closed out my July countdown boxes for Harry Potter's birthday month, although single skeins will still be available probably through next week. Then I've gone ahead and solidified a Gilmore Girls, Schitt's Creek, and From the Open Road mystery colorway for each month through December. Lastly, I've shared a bit about it here and there, but I will officially be doing a Schitt's Creek New Year countdown that I'm super excited about, so keep an eye out!

♡♡♡

Thank you so much for reading this interview with Briana of @TheLittleWolfKnits! Be sure to check out her Instagram, her website for her amazing hand-dyed yarn and patterns and more, and her YouTube channel!