About
Hello! I'm Lyla, the dyer behind Terrapin Fiberworks. I've been dyeing plant yarns since 2021 and loving every messy second of it. I live in Maryland with my husband, two cats, and tiny parrot. Nachos are my kryptonite.
I learned to crochet before I learned to knit, which is how plant yarns first wooed me. Crocheters love a good cotton yarn! I've made it my mission to explore a variety of rich, earthy, and wearable colors with Terrapin Fiberworks. We're here to make beautiful things and try our best to take care of the earth and those living on it as we go.
I'd like to acknowledge and thank the Piscataway, Nacotchtank, and Susquehannock peoples on whose traditional, unceded and stolen territories I live & work to create our yarns.
Below are some of the most common questions we receive about our yarn and order policies. If your question isn't answered here, please feel free to get in touch via the contact form at the bottom!
FAQs
What Can I Make with Plant Yarn?
Anything! (Yes, really!) Plant yarns do not behave exactly like wool, but we find them incredibly versatile. The main things to keep in mind is that most plant yarns (except our Anacostia sock base) will not have memory, or "bounce," in the same way that wool and acrylics do. They can require a little more patience on the needles or hook, but will pay you back by never felting, never itching, and tumbling safely through the washing machine. Plant yarns transform into wonderful, truly everyday wardrobe pieces and we are in love with their possibilities!
Whether you're interested in shawls, hats, socks, colorwork, or sweaters, we have a base that will be suited to your project. Check out our bases page to see what yarns we recommend for which projects! You can also see what our customers have been making recently by browsing our Ravelry page.
How Are Your Yarns Sustainable?
All our fibers are free of animal products and suitable for vegan crafters or those with animal fiber sensitivities. We select our bases with sustainability first in mind, opting for fibers with reduced impact on the planet compared to the average plant yarn. We also repurpose rinse & soak water in our dye process as much as possible to reduce our water usage.
Our yarn ships with minimal 100% plastic-free materials using primarily recycled paper products. All our shipping materials are recyclable, reusable, or compostable, so we encourage you not to trash them!
We encourage you to read more about our bases here!
How Should I Care For My Finished Objects?
Plant yarns are a little easier to care for than wool yarns, because they cannot felt and will tolerate a cold water/delicates cycle in the washing machine. (This makes them great for gifting to non-knitters!) That said, for best longevity of colors and fibers, we recommend hand-washing our yarns in cold water with a gentle detergent and laying flat to dry.
Plant yarns are dyed with a fiber reactive dye, meaning the dye chemically bonds to the fiber--it is permanent! While we thoroughly set and wash our yarns, plant fibers can release a little color on the first few rinses (particularly dark, red, or blue colors). Think of them like dark wash jeans and plan accordingly -- we recommend a prewash if you plan to mix colors in your project.
To prewash, unwind your hank and soak in cool water and detergent as you would for the finished project. Cold water and detergent are strongly recommended for any wash thereafter. If you're combining a darker color with a lighter color, we recommend putting a Shout color catcher sheet in your rinse water for the finished project.
How Do I Buy Your Yarn?
We sell our yarn primarily through this website! We are a very small studio, so we dye most of our yarn to order. This allows us to offer the best selection of colors and bases. Our fulfillment time for dyed to order yarn is 4-6 weeks maximum.
Periodically we offer themed preorder collections of limited edition colorways. These yarns are one-time offerings that will be available for about 5-7 days on our website, and have an extended fulfillment time of 8-10 weeks maximum. We reintroduce the favorites from these collections on a quarterly basis as standard dyed to order offerings, but there is no guarantee any one specific color will return! The best way to hear about these preorders is to subscribe to our newsletter.
If you just can't wait, we also have a small in-stock selection of some colors and bases. These yarns are ready to ship! If you're looking for a great deal, you can also browse our bargain shelf yarns (typically discontinued, trial skeins, or seconds).
Interested in larger quantities? We offer a sweater quantity discount on 6+ skeins of the same color and base!
Where Else Can I Find You Online?
Through our newsletter, Instagram, and Facebook page! Our newsletter is the best way to hear about new yarn collections and subscriber-only discounts. You can subscribe at the link at the bottom of this page! We go into more depth about our upcoming colorways and patterns on our Instagram page, so be sure to follow us there. We also have aFacebook page!
Do You Have a Storefront?
No, unfortunately we don't have a physical location! If you'd like to see our yarn in person, you can check out our 2023 Calendar to see what fiber fairs and trunk shows we'll be visiting.
Do You Offer Yarn Support?
We're always looking for opportunities to spread the plant yarn love! If you're a designer with an upcoming pattern, get in touch via the form below to discuss your project.
Who Are You Donating To This Quarter?
10% of profits are donated each quarter to a different charity -- we gravitate to organizations that support immigration reform, equal access to food, housing, and employment, and sustainability. For April-June 2023, we are supportingDC Central Kitchen.
Shipping Information
When Will My Order Ship?
- In-stock yarns: 3-5 business days
- Dyed to order yarns (most orders): 4-6 weeks, unless otherwise noted
- Sweater Quantities: 4-6 weeks
- Arise Preorder Yarn: 8-10 weeks (by July 1, 2023)
Orders with a mix of lead times will ship when all items are ready. We combine multiple orders to the same address to reduce our shipping footprint; combined orders will ship when all items are ready.
If you do not want us to combine your order, please contact us using the form below with your order numbers and we will keep your orders separate.
Do You Combine Orders?
We automatically combine multiple orders to the same address to reduce our shipping footprint. Combined orders will ship when all items are ready.
If you do not want us to combine your order, please contact us using the form below with your order numbers and we will keep your orders separate.
Do You Refund Shipping Overages?
We refund shipping overages of over $5 (most common if you are combining multiple orders!).
Do You Offer Local Pickup?
Yes! We love to reduce our shipping footprint. If you live near Greenbelt, Maryland and prefer to pick up your order, just enter code LOCALPICKUP at checkout to void shipping costs. When your order is ready, we'll email to arrange a time. Please note: we are unable to hand-deliver orders.
Do You Ship Internationally?
Yes, we do! If the website does not load in your local currency or you are unable to check out to your location, please use the contact form to get in touch so we can help you place your order.
UK CUSTOMERS: Due to new VAT requirements, we cannot process orders to the UK at this time through this website. Please use the contact form below to provide us with a list of what you'd like to order, and we will process your order manually via our Etsy shop. We apologize for the extra step!
Please note that customers are responsible for all customs fees, duties and import taxes. These will not be calculated/shown at checkout on Shopify.
Do You Accept Returns or Exchanges?
We hope that your purchase is everything you expect! If you are dissatisfied or there is a problem with your order, please don't hesitate to reach out. We would love to make it right.
We accept returns for a refund of the item value. We unfortunately do not accept exchanges. We are not able to accept returns for sale items or digital pattern downloads.
Buyers are responsible for return shipping costs as well as the original cost of postage. If the item is not returned in its original condition (yarn should not have been caked, balled, or cut; no odors, stains, or other damage), the buyer is also responsible for any loss in value.
What Is Your Lost/Missing Package Policy?
Please get in touch with us via the contact form if there is an issue with your shipment. We are happy to work with you and the USPS to locate your yarn! Please keep in mind that packages can be delayed during peak & holiday seasons, and sometimes may be scanned as delivered a couple of days before they actually reach you.
We are glad to refund or reship if we can confirm with the USPS that a package is permanently lost or misdelivered due to the postal carrier's error. This may take some time, so we appreciate your patience. We are unfortunately not able to refund or replace if we cannot confirm that the USPS has lost your package.
We strongly encourage you to make sure your shipping address is correct on checkout and to make sure you have a secure destination for your package to be received. We are not responsible for lost or misdelivered orders caused by address errors.
Buyers are responsible for return shipping costs as well as the original cost of postage. If the item is not returned in its original condition (yarn should not have been caked, balled, or cut; no odors, stains, or other damage), the buyer is also responsible for any loss in value.