Right. So. You know how some days you just wake up, check your inbox, and say NOPE NOPE NOPE. Yeah. I got one of those emails this morning, and it’s bad enough I’m sharing it with all of you. Because I think you’ll be as amused as I was. (Text below if you don’t want to read it off the screenshot, all screenshots lightly redacted for privacy.)

The email I got:

From: [address redacted because I’m not a dick] Subject: Collaboration Opportunity

Message Body:
Howdy Hunter!

I just stumbled across Tiny Nonsense, and I see that your designs are so creative and full of personality, and I love how you bring such a unique touch to knitting. Personally I love the blue and yellow beanie you posted on February 10th, just asked my girlfriend if she could crochet it for me!

Anyways, I run DLH Western, a shop specializing in high-quality crafting supplies like yarn, knitting needles, and more. We recently launched an affiliate program, and I thought of reaching out to you!

As an affiliate, you’d earn a 50% commission on sales through your unique link, plus get early access to new products. This is all free there is no hidden cost or anything no risk involved. We can send you some product as well if you want to test it and give us some feedback.

Would you be interested? Let me know—I’d love to chat more!

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Best,
Nathan [redacted] [company name and website redacted]

My response:

Hi Nathan,

Thank you, but no.

I took a look at your shop, and everything on it looks like low quality, mass produced stuff drop shipped from overseas. That’s not the sort of thing most knitters like, and certainly not most of the folks in my audience.

We tend to prefer supporting other artists and small businesses.  We are much more inclined to look for hand dyed yarn from dyers we adore, locally made yarn from places we explore, and high quality tools made by people who know and love their craft. Even folks who are very price conscious don’t want ninety nine cent yarn shipped from half way around the world. We know that’s wildly unsustainable and relies on the exploitation of others.

Products like this aren’t something I’d feel good about using. They are not things I’d want to share with my audience or be associated with. I understand the appeal of low price, low involvement businesses like this. But they really don’t tend to work in the fiber craft space.

Best,

Hunter

Which yes, I fully admit is bitchy. But oh my goodness, this is just a steaming pile of garbage, and the closer you look, the worse it gets.

Let’s take a moment to check out some of their ‘high-quality crafting supplies.’ Here’s some of their yarn.

What sort of quality do you think you’re getting with a fifty nine cent skein of yarn? Remember, they’re offering me a 50% commission, so that means they’re keeping thirty cents from that sale. Do you think anyone involved in the creation of that yarn is being treated well or paid fairly? Do you think that yarn will be nice to work with? Will you feel good about using it?

How about their tools, let’s see what those are like.

This is their featured crochet hook. Or should I say ‘latch hook crochet needle for wig making, knitting, hair extensions, and weaving?’ What do you think the chances are that tool was used to create that piece of fabric? What do you think the chances are that piece of fabric exists outside of an AI fever dream?

And perhaps most egregious of all, their ‘handmade crochet doll – lovely gift with different cards for emotional support & positivity.’ This one’s bad enough I wanted to include the description too.

Yeah. Again, they’re selling that for two dollars. They’re willing to pay me one dollar as an affiliate commission, so that leaves one dollar for them. That means they’re buying it from whoever made it, paying their business’s operating costs, and still making a profit…out of one dollar. Again, how do you think the person who made that is treated?

And I wish Nathan’s girlfriend luck as she tries to crochet that lovely brioche hat. That will be fun. I hope he sends a picture.

So tell me…too bitchy? I mean I already sent it, so that ship has sailed. But wow oh wow does this industry not need one more dudebro deciding that the way he’s going to get rich is to set up a shitty storefront and drop ship cheap, soulless crap to as many people as possible. And I for fucking sure will not be helping him in that quest.

If you need a little palate cleanser after that garbage, check out Little Skein and Seven Sisters Arts, two of my very very favorite dyers (and absolutely marvelous people) who make beautiful yarn that is the complete opposite everything that horrid man is trying to do. Leave your favorite yarn or fiber tool folks in the comments over here on patreon or over here on instagram. I want a list of Not Nathan to remind me how very fucking cool this community is!