Weekly Featured Seller: Joyuna

This week I'm featuring Joyuna, a spinner and a knitter. The yarn she makes is very colorful and unique. Take a look.


A Short Interview with Joyuna

Tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Joyuna. I am a college student in Ohio, studying Linguistics and Persian. I started my Etsy shop earlier this year as a way to earn some extra cash doing what I love, since I lost my part-time job. Even if I'm not turning much of a profit yet, knitting and spinning definitely beats any minimum wage drudgery ;)

How did you begin making yarn?

My spinning habit (yes, habit!) began about a year after I learned to knit. On a whim, I ordered a drop spindle and some different fibers from Etsy, and after some practice I realized that I loved it. I have a passion for all sorts of fibers, I really just love working with them.

When and why did you begin offering items for sale on Etsy?

Since knitting and spinning has grown from hobby to obsession for me, I knew there had to be some way to benefit from it -- other than the dozens of scarves, hats, and shawls that I now own! Now it's win-win-win: I get extra time to do what I love (time that would otherwise be spent at a part-time job), other people can enjoy what I make, and I can even get paid for it.

Do you sell items on any other websites or stores?

Not at this time. As my inventory expands and I start creating things in larger volume, I may expand to some other sites. I do plan on doing some craft fairs in the summer and fall, which I will announce on my blog.

What is your daily Etsy routine?

I am big on forum browsing. Usually I stick to the Business Topics. I find those forums extremely helpful as a seller. Sometimes I will visit chat, maybe once a week or so. I try to relist 2 or 3 items each day, if I can't list new items. If I have some new items, then I am spending most of my time writing up descriptions, taking and editing photographs, and all the other things involved in creating a new listing. And if I'm lucky enough to get an order the day before, I'll be packing up the order to drop off at the post office in the afternoon.

What are your short and/or long term goals for your shop?

So long as I can sell anything, I am happy. In the future I hope for my shop to grow and develop, and maybe gain some recognition as an indie dyer and spinner. In the short-term I want to put more emphasis on my handspun yarns, because they are so unique and wonderful and completely unlike anything that a knitter will find in a normal yarn shop. Handspun yarn creates a different and rewarding knitting experience, producing items that are quite literally one of a kind. It takes much more work to spin a skein of yarn than to hand-dye one, of course, but in my mind the extra labor and cost is worth it for the finished product.

Name a few of your favorite Etsy shops.

Oooh, this is tough! I am a very big fan of handmade soaps.
My favorite soapers are: Kimberquinn and EpicallyEpicSoap
For shiny things, I'm in love with almost everything in The Pebble Collection.
And for fibers: MySweetSpot2 is a spinner and dyer with fabulous silk.
FeltFarm is a very talented needle-felter.
And Sarahwood3587 sells fabulous, soft, easy-to-draft Rambouillet wool in beautiful bright colors.

Aside from creating items for your shops, what is your favorite pastime?

As a linguistics student, I am deeply interested in foreign languages. I have studied Spanish, American Sign Language, Esperanto, and Persian, and next year I will be learning a little bit of Arabic and ancient Avestan. Lately the Middle East interests me a lot, with its rich long history, cultures, and beautiful languages. Call me a dork, a nerd, whatever, I just love to learn. :)