FAQs

  • Where is your physical shop? Can I visit your workshop?

    No, I don't own a physical shop, and no, I don't accept visits in my workshop.

    Although it may seem idyllic to you to see a craftswoman do her work, for me it is not comfortable or safe, since I work with very large pots and at high temperatures, and the dyes are delicate and volatile. 

    In addition, the stock of yarns that I have for sale is designed to be easy to see on the web, for my daily work it is enough to know where everything is. I haven't any yarn display!

  • Do you teach how to dye?

    No I don’t. I’ve been a music teacher for lots of years and at this moment in my life just thinking of teaching any subject makes me sick, I am happy with how things are for now! 

    There are lots of resources out there, if you want to learn how to dye you just have to keep searching. I recommend the videos by Nicole from Hue Loco on YouTube and the book by Felicia Lo from Sweet Georgia Yarns.

Shipping

  • Where can you ship?

    I can send yarn to the Peninsula (including Portugal), to Balear Islands and to Europe (excluding Andorra and Switzerland).

    I don't ship to Canarias, Ceuta, Melilla, or Açores and Madeira.

  • Which courier service do you use? Isn't it expensive?

    If you live in Península Ibérica I'll surely use MRW, but sometimes it also can be UPS. If you live anywhere else in Europe I'll ship with UPS.

    My courier isn't cheap. I own a small business, and I need my packages to arrive without problems. The two couriers I work with guarantee my calm.

  • I live in a place with problems with couriers...

    So do I! Just tell me and we’ll find the best solution for you.

  • I need to change my address!

    If your yarn hasn’t been sent yet there will be no problem, just send me an email with your order number and the new address, I will take care of the change (answering the email with the order confirmation is perfect!).

    If the parcel has been shipped please do not wait a minute to send me an email, I’ll call the courier office and see what can be done.

    If the parcel is already in route there might be extra charges.

  • Where is my tracking number?

    If your parcel comes with MRW or UPS you'll receive a message with your shipping info. With the tracking number you'll be able to see where your yarn is. If you see any problem please contact me.

  • And if I'm not at home when the courier arrives? Can they delivery at a specific time?

    Normally, if there is no one at home, they will call you and you will agree on a new delivery.

    If in 15 days the courier couldn’t find you at the delivery address or couldn’t agree with you a new delivery, the parcel will come back to me and I will return the amount payed except for the shipping. 

    I can't ask the courier to deliver in a specific time slot, the shipping price would go up a lot and neither you nor I want that!

Online shop

  • I can't find the color I want!

    Email me. I can't always have all the colors in all the bases. If you tell me what you are looking for I can dye it so you can have it soon. 

  • Do you make discounts?

    Usually not. I try to keep my yarns at the lowest price I can throughout the year. Anyway, once a year (usually in summer) I make discounts on local bases, so I give them more visibility because (shhhh, don't tell anyone!) they are my favorites! 

  • I have a yarn shop, do you wholesale?

    Yes I do, email me at laia@socunatroca.cat and we’ll talk about prices and conditions. Please don't leave a message on social media, they easily get lost there!

  • I didn't buy enough yarn for my project…

    Email me and specify base, color and lot number. You might be lucky and I may have some left.

    You can also use a different dye lot, but I can’t guarantee it will invisibly blend with the other skeins. I do my best to avoid big differences, but they exist. So please, get enough yarn for your project!!!

    What I usually recommend when something like this happens is to add a touch of a different color. Better to make this difference bigger than regretting that skein you didn’t bought at the right time!

  • I see the photos and I'm not sure if that combo will work...

    Did you take a look at my COMBO page? You'll find a lot of inspiration there. Anyway, if I have the colors you are thinking of in stock I can take a quick and dirty photo of them so you can be sure, just contact me!

  • What can I do if I change my mind?

    First of all contact me! If it has been a custom order I’m not going to refund, but we’ll talk about the possibilities. If you received your yarn and it doesn’t make you happy anymore contact me before 14 days to send it back and I’ll refund the cost of the yarn (not the shipping, sorry, I’ve had to pay for it already!).

The yarns

  • How do I wash my finished garment?

    In cold water. Wait, I’ll repeat it just in case… IN COLD WATER! 

    Hot, or even lukewarm water can destroy the bond between the dye and the fibers, and it can lead to a disaster. 

    So please use only cold water!

    I usually use shampoo. After all hair and wool are both protein fibers. You can use any mild detergent.

    It is better not to use vinegar, at least on the first washes. Vinegar helps to fix the dyes to the fibers. Even though this seems desirable, bear in mind that you won’t be able to control where the dye sticks. If there is a small bleeding the color might get fixed where it shouldn’t! It is best to rinse with water until it becomes clear (hey, have you ever dyed your hair? it is the same!).

  • Will my yarn bleed?

    I would love to say “No, never!”, but it is impossible. Bleeding is one of the worst nightmares of a dyer. I make all what is in my hand to avoid it, I set the dyes with an extra bit of citric acid and leave them for long enough (24 hours at least) so that the fibers fully absorb all the color. Then I rinse the yarn until the water comes clear.

    Some colors are more prone to bleed than others, like the yellow I use (which is beautiful, but oh, it causes a lot of headaches!). The more saturated the color or the heavier the speckles also make for more possibilities. 

    Non superwash yarns also tend to bleed, so take special care when combining colors.

    The main cause for the bleeding is the water you use to wash the yarn, tap water is different in different places, and this has a big effect on dyes. The only thing you can do to avoid it is using cold water and mild soap, even better, shampoo!

    If you are going to knit in a single color you don’t have to worry too much. When you wash the finished garment you can rinse the extra dye. If you are going for a high contrasted combo and want to be sure to avoid problems you should knit a swatch and wash it as you will do with the finished garment.

  • The yarn is staining my fingers!

    This is not usual, but it happens sometimes. Most of the times this is a chemical reaction between the sweat in your skin and the components of some dyes. This happens specialy with Clara's dream and some other blue shade, but not all of them. This is something impossible to predict, so please, if you find yourself in this situation email me and we'll find a solution for you.

  • I found a knot... This is unacceptable!

    Calm down, please. Wool is a natural material, and it is impossible to produce an infinite thread.

    According to industry standards, one or two knots in a 100g skein may be normal. I usually check all the skeins and most of them are knot free. Still, from time to time one can escape.