Sell yarn online, one colorway and dye lot at a time

1. 01

   Make each colorway one product

   List a colorway once, with the base and weight as options and stock for each. Knitters who love a color can see every base it comes on in one place.

2. 02

   Photograph color honestly

   Shoot skeins and a knitted swatch in daylight, without filters, and say that colors vary between screens and between dye lots. A swatch shows how a speckle or variegation knits up.

3. 03

   Put the fiber facts on every page

   Fiber content, weight, yardage and meters per skein, a needle or hook range, whether it’s superwash, and how to wash it. Knitters substitute yarns by these numbers.

4. 04

   Explain dye lots

   Hand-dyed skeins vary from batch to batch. Tell knitters to buy enough for a project at once and to alternate skeins, and say whether you can dye more of the same lot.

5. 05

   Start a yarn club

   On the Growth plan, a monthly club can be a subscription that Stripe bills automatically. Say how many skeins arrive, when they ship and that members contact you to stop.

6. 06

   Announce your shop updates

   Many indie dyers restock in announced updates. Put the next date and time on your home page, and tell newsletter subscribers through the email tool you use.

• Fiber content on the ball band

  Yarn sold to consumers needs its fiber content stated in many places, including the EU and the UK. Check the rules for wording and percentages where you sell before you order your ball bands.

• Dye safely and say what you used

  Use dyes and mordants made for the fiber, follow their safety sheets, and keep dyeing pots apart from food. Some buyers ask whether you use acid dyes or natural dyes, so say on your About page.

General information to help you get started, not legal advice. Rules differ by country, state and product, so check the ones that apply to you.