About

Hi, I'm Melissa, dyer at Alley Cat Yarns! I'm a cat-loving artist, triathlete, writer, musician, mom, and knitter. 


Here is what Alley Cat Yarns is all about:

  • Hand dyed yarn: dyed exclusively by me with professional wash-fast acid dyes in my home studio.
  • Ethical sourcing: all of our bare yarn comes from suppliers who are third-party certified for standards in animal welfare and environmental stewardship, or from traceable small family farms where I've personally investigated these standards. Third-party certifiers include Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), and Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). We do not use any wool from farms that practice mulesing. I will continue to seek out local, traceable wools for the shop.
  • Breed-specific yarns: wool is fascinating! I continue to learn about breed-specific fibres, and I source and dye breed-specific wools quite regularly. These special collections will appear as they become available. To date, Alley Cat Yarns has offered the following fibres and breeds: Bluefaced Leicester, Merino, Shetland, Dorset, Cheviot, Polwarth, Silk, Cashmere, Linen, Corriedale, and Yak. Watch for new releases in 2023, including: East Friesian and Rambouillet!
  • Unique, colour-rich yarns: The beauty of hand dyeing is the unique possibilities in colour application. Yarn dyeing is a form of creative expression, and my work shines when I am free to follow my heart in the studio. My colourways are non-repeatable. I aim to dye sweater quantities when possible, however what you see is all that is available.