FAQs

Who is the first to know when new inventory is put in the store?
We notify Vivid Fiber Arts customer friends in the following order: 1. people who are on an existing waitlist for a product receive their notifications first. So if there’s a specific colorway you know you definitely want (whether it’s a coming into pre-order or being restocked), join the waitlist for that product. Note: If it’s an “In stock” product, jump on it. If it’s a part of a Pre-Order, you have time until the open pre-order period ends. 2. we post on the Vivid Fiber Arts blog (If you have an RSS reader, you can add it to that) 3. we send out a general notice to the VFA mailing list subscribers 4. we post on the Announcements thread in the VFA Ravelry Group (If you’re on the forums a lot, you can “watch” that thread and it will notify you of any updates. There is a no chat version of this thread for your convenience.) 5. We post on other social media platforms (Instagram & Facebook). We don’t do Twitter. We post to Pinterest, but only images and blog shares. We don’t post announcements to Pinterest.  
I ordered a gradient, but I need more end yardage.

This happens a lot. The best thing is to always check your yardage requirements before ordering (but I know that doesn’t help you now!).
We will help you as best we can based on the situation:

“I ordered a gradient, but I haven’t received a shipping notification yet and the order still says “processing” under “My Orders”
Solution: If the end yardage is still available as a Pre-Order or In Stock, then order it. If you can put a note in the order comments “Please combine with my other order” that’s helpful, but we usually will combine outstanding orders automatically and adjust your shipping. For more info about combined shipping, see Shipping tab of FAQs.

“The Pre-Order has closed, but my gradient order has not shipped and I want to add on to that order”
Solution: Email us and we will manually put in an addendum.

“The Pre-Order has closed and my gradient order has already shipped”
Solution: Put yourself on the waitlist for the end yardage you need. When the extras are put in the shop, you can order it (but do not delay; get on in there as soon as you get the restock notification- when extras are gone, they’re gone).

“Halp! I’m playing yarn chicken!”
Solution: First of all, if you are down to the last 5 grams or starting your last repeat and it looks close, stop where you are and put a lifeline in. We *always* recommend that you blend in end yardage by working a few rows alternating with your main gradient anyway.
1. Check to see if the end yardage is still in stock. If so, order it.
2. You can post your plea on the VFA Ravelry group’s “Destash/In Search Of” page. Make sure you indicate what colorway, which end, which base yarn and what year you bought it. A lot of times someone can help if they have extra or something close to it.
3. Email us to see if we have any samples or something similar around. It might not be a super-amazing match but a lot of times if you blend it in, or if you’re binding off, you won’t notice a difference.

“I changed your mind about a project, or found a pattern I wanted to make after I bought my gradient”
Solution: Check to see what we have in stock or what is available on Ravelry destash. You can also email us to see if there’s another color in stock that might be a close match.  End yardage matches within the same pre-order batch, but we sometimes tweak the formula from year to year, so 2019 Eventide Ultraviolet end yardage may not match a 2018 Eventide gradient perfectly. Sometimes it does though! You can always ask.

We can’t accept custom dye to order requests for end yardage, but sometimes we can find you something close if Ravelry destash has not come through. Please try Ravelry first though- it is the first question we will ask you.

Why would I want to join a waitlist?

Here is more information about how waitlists work: How Does the Waitlist Work?

How do I join a waitlist?

Here is a post with an in-depth explanation: How Do I Join a Waitlist?

What does “In Stock” mean?

“In Stock” means it’s been dyed and we have it. However, we want your order to arrive “fresh” so will need to wind, tag, wrap, package and ship your order.  We generally ship twice a week. When all things on your order are listed as “In Stock”, you can expect your order to ship within 7-10 business days. If you have an urgent need for a gift or are on a deadline, please email us via the contact form and we will see what we can do for you.

How can I order some yarn?

Anything that is listed under the “Pre-Order” or “In Stock” tabs of the shop is available for ordering now. Anything that is out of stock will be restocked in the future, as all colorways are reproducible and it’s rare we discontinue them.

For in-depth information on how to access the shop, what tabs mean and what to expect after ordering, you can visit this post: How To Order

I missed a pre-order for something I wanted. What can I do?

If you missed it and it’s within 48 hours, just email us and we’ll see what we can do for you.

If you missed it, it’s after 48 hours, but we are still working on that pre-order cycle, you can join the waitlist for the product and you will be notified when the “extras” are put in the shop. We always make more of a product than we need to fulfill all the pre-orders because packages can get lost or damaged during shipping. The extras are restocked after it’s confirmed that all packaged have been delivered and returns and exchanges have been made.

If we are just between pre-order cycles on an item, you can join the waitlist for the product and you will receive a product restock notification via email. You can also post on the VFA Ravelry group’s “Destash/In Search Of” thread and see if anyone would like to trade or sell their skein.

What is a pre-order?

We do not stock all colorways at all times, and we do not dye on a “made to order” basis on an individual level. We also do not do Etsy-style updates where it’s a free-for-all. A pre-order cycle is how we are able to offer everyone a chance to order a range of products at a certain time. It’s basically a huge group order on a bunch of different products coordinated for efficiency and ease.  We announce upcoming pre-orders starting a few weeks before. We send out a pre-order announcement via the email newsletter. Then pre-orders open and you have about a week to decide what you would like out of that range of products. When pre-order period closes, all orders are accounted for and we batch process hundreds of orders. We usually even get a head start on this based on the waiting lists. Orders usually ship within 4-6 weeks after the *close* of pre-order period. If there is a product -specific delay, we will contact you directly via email to let you know and give you options.  Then when that order queue is clear and all shipments have been received, we restock any extra skeins into the shop and start the next pre-order cycle.

Can you tell me when a certain product will be back in stock?

In general, as far as a firm date? No.  Production varies based on how many orders are in the order queue at any given time. We do not start a new pre-order cycle, restock the store or take new orders until all outstanding orders have been taken care of. We also look at the waitlists to prioritize what to restock first. In general, we try to restock all colorways at least once a year. See “Product Availability” for more information on how we restock and do pre-order cycles.

Can I leave a waitlist?

Yes, you can leave a waitlist at any time. You would just make sure you’re logged in, go to the product, and click “Leave Waitlist”. This will take your email address off the restock notification list.