Friends, we’ve been neglectful of this email space—in truth, it’s been on the back burner while we worked out how to continue the Oysters & Purls line after Am’s departure. It’s been almost a year, and we’re ready to show growth and continue Am’s vision for Oysters & Purls to bring sustainable, traceable, and accessible naturally dyed yarn into the world. We’re course-correcting and circling back to tell the story of how this new chapter began. Here are Am’s own words about this transition, from her Instagram post last year:

As you all know, I have poured my heart and soul (and money, time, energy, and everything else you can imagine) into nurturing and growing this business, and this community, over the years. It’s been my baby, and I have grown so much with it along the years, learnt so much through this journey. Same goes for this community. I have made so many lifelong connections here, made friends I would’ve never met otherwise. Honestly, the last 5 years (and especially last year when you all showed up for me during the war) would not have been the same without you. I cherish you all, and I hope very much that we can continue our friendships away from this platform.

While this hasn’t been the easiest decision for me, for obvious reasons, now that I’m on this side of it, I find myself completely at peace. In truth, I’ve been dreaming of a life without the constant noise of social media for some time now, and it feels like a big weight off my shoulders. Very liberating!

Fear not, though! Luckily for you, Oysters and Purls is not going anywhere! In fact, it couldn’t be in better hands. I am so thrilled to share that Mary Jeanne Packer, from Battenkill Fibers, will be taking over for me! As you all know, MJ has been spinning our yarns for years now. It is thanks to her that we’ve been able to carry some of the most beautiful yarns Hudson Valley has to offer. And this will continue to be the case going forward! Similarly, all Oysters and Purls yarns will continue to be botanically dyed Green Matters Dye Company. Same beautiful, locally sourced, naturally dyed yarns as before!

That’s all for the big announcements today! I hope this didn’t come as too much of a shock for some of you. I’ll be back over the next few days with more information as we complete the transition.

If you would like to continue to keep in touch with Am, you can do so via her personal Instagram account (@armenuhik) where you can DM her for an email address.

Oysters & Purls took a back seat for us at Battenkill Fibers while we navigated the pandemic. Now we’re back at it with new yarn colors this Spring, and new yarn bases planned for Autumn 2022 and Spring 2023. Like Am, we’re prioritizing yarns that have a smaller carbon footprint, support local farmers and regional fiber producers, and are naturally dyed at Green Matters Dye Company. You can count on us to uphold these same values.