Make & Made Fiber Crafts Debuts in Early 2022

Make & Made Fiber Crafts Debuts in Early 2022

Izzy Knits Is Rebranding

In keeping with my evolving vision for Izzy Knits, I'm excited to announce that Izzy Knits will now be known as Make & Made Fiber Crafts… where you'll find colorful, fiber-focused items to warm your heart and home. Make them yourself (yarn & kits) or purchase handmade (toys, pillows, totes, and more). 

Over the next few weeks, you'll slowly notice this change taking place across all sales channels (Shopify and Etsy) and social media (Instagram and Pinterest). In a month or so (hopefully less), the website will display a new navigational structure and a slightly modified design which I believe will make finding what you're looking for even easier!

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Please note, as of March 1st, I will no longer be active on Facebook. Make & Made Fiber Crafts will have a Facebook page, but it will be a static, informational page only. [This is purely for my own mental health, as FB frustrates me to the extreme!]

As for what you'll find, the shop will still stock my favorite yarns, kits, and tools for makers, but it will also feature unique, fiber-focused home goods, décor, and accessories for those who wish to purchase handmade! Many of these will be made by me and my colleagues, as well as a curated collection made by other fiber artisans.

That's the evolution of the vision and the reason for the new name… MAKE and MADE!

More About How This Change Came to Be

When Dave and I launched Izzy Knits in 2018, our goal was to open a local yarn shop here in Irvine, CA. We had plans for something wholly unique that included a café, a technology bar, wall-mounted screens, and more. We hoped it would become a place where a new generation could discover the joy of knitting, crocheting, and weaving with the aid of YouTube, Ravelry, and social media.

However, we quickly realized we'd never be able to afford the rent on a commercial space in Orange County, so we regretfully pivoted and launched a virtual local yarn shop. We hoped to create community by regularly attending local shows and festivals, where we'd still get face to face time with our customers.

About a year in, Dave decided yarn just couldn't be his full-time gig. He agreed to continue doing the shows with me (that was the part he loved) while getting back to his tech roots as a CTO in the telemedicine space. I was on my own.

Then Came Covid — Time to Reevaluate

Surprisingly, what started out as a disappointment – the inability to open a brick-and-mortar shop – became a blessing during the pandemic. While lockdowns sent us into isolation and local yarn shops closed, Izzy Knits was well-prepared to keep crafters busy with yarn and tools to knit, weave, and crochet. Turns out, 2020 was our best year ever, financially.

Yet, as the pandemic dragged on, I (as so many others did as well) began to reassess many aspects of my life. I questioned what brought me the most joy, what I was doing that caused me unwarranted stress, and how I wanted to spend the next 10 years.

As for joy, I realized the following:

  • At heart, I'm a creative… a maker. Making beautiful things brings me joy.
  • I love fiber. I love its vibrant colors and varied textures and the warm and fuzzy feelings I get when surrounded by it.
  • My home is where my heart is. When the world gets too crazy, my home is my safe place, my refuge.
  • In early 20018, when brainstorming ideas with Dave, I envisioned a shop full of striking handmade home goods (table runners, pillows, placemats, blankets, totes, baskets, etc.)

As for unwarranted stress, I identified the following:

  • Trying to maintain a virtual local yarn shop with an inventory to rival traditional yarn shops (many of which also went virtual with online sales websites during the pandemic) isn't realistic.
  • Scrolling through endless images of knit and crocheted perfection on social media only make me question my talent and my creativity.
  • Facebook and I are never going to peacefully coexist because, for some reason, I just can't wrap my brain around it. I find the technology that powers Facebook ever-changing and super confusing!

As for how I want to spend the next 10 years, professionally, I established the following:

  • I want to design and create beautiful items for the home.
  • I want to explore color, fibers, techniques, and even other crafts.
  • I need to have a personal connection to everything I make and sell. If I sell it, I want to also make with it, thus offering a very personally curated collection of products.
  • I want the flexibility to take my shop on the road, to local (perhaps regional) shows and festivals.

The Next Month or So

As we move from Izzy Knits to Make & Made Fiber Arts, you'll see sales on some inventory that we no longer intend to carry. You'll also find kits for items you can make alongside me as I start making the first finished goods to appear in the shop.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions, or if I can be of help in any way. You can always email and/or call (800-231-0154).

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Thank you for your continued support!

Susan

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