My Story

Hi, I'm Abby.

The Skinny Sheep Yarn Co. was born from an obsession with color, good knitting and crochet materials, and a desire to change my life. I was severely burned out emotionally and physically from climbing the corporate ladder, and when that career came to an abrupt end, I decided to pivot towards my passion.

I taught myself to knit during COVID-19, and what started out as a way to cope with the high-demand work stress of the transportation industry became an obsession. Soon I went from beginner hats and baby blankets to intricately cabled scarves and brioche sweaters.

I'm an independent hand-dye studio based in Troutdale, OR, rooted in the belief that yarn should be as beautiful to work with as it looks in the finished project. 

You will find that I dye products that I would use and can vouch for, not scratchy or cheap unethically sourced yarn bases that may look nice but are tough and not enjoyable to work with. When you're spending tens of hours or more on a project, the materials make all the difference. Trust me, I know.

The hand-dyeing process

Each skein is dyed by hand in small batches by me in my small studio space. No two skeins are identical, and that's the point. Subtle variation is a feature, not a flaw. 

I use professional acid dyes set with various forms of heat, and treated with different levels of processing and care depending on the fiber content of each skein. Every skein is soaked, hand-dyed, cleaned and rinsed with gentle unscented wool wash, and dried before it reaches your hands.

Fiber sourcing

I care deeply about where my fiber comes from and how it is harvested. For example, my organic merino is GOTS-certified which means it is sourced to meet rigorous standards for environmental and social responsibility from farm to finished skein. I also offer superwash merino wool/nylon blends for projects that need extra durability and stitch definition. If you're feeling fancy, I have a few more luxurious blends with mohair and silk as well.

I'm always evaluating my supply chain, asking hard questions, and choosing yarn base partners who share my values.

Thank you for being here. I make these yarns for makers like me, and I'm so glad you found me!