Hello!
Today is a bit of an update & not quite what I had intended to post this week, but it is a very important post. Six months ago, the lovely ladies at Knit Circus Yarns created a custom colorway for Club Yumi's Tio Emilio Knitting Kit. It was released under the colorway name: "No Coffee, No Workee!", a phrase that they found on a Pinterest board about coffee. I recognized it as a quote from the show Gilmore Girls & was pretty excited about the connection since I love that show.
What neither of us realized was the connection that the phrase "No Coffee, No Workee" has with the offensive phrase, "no tickee, no washee". When the colorway was released in Knit Circus' online store, a customer pointed this connection out and we've been trying to correct the problem through both the Yumi Yarns sites/products and the Knit Circus sites/products. We are so incredibly sorry to anyone who felt offended or hurt by the original name of this yarn, that was never our intent.
Photo Credit to Knit Circus Yarns
Yarn should bring joy & happiness & nothing hurtful or damaging. The ladies at Knit Circus and I love you all & want to make sure that everyone understands how much we value your individuality! The colorway has been renamed: "Espresso Yourself" in honor of the customer who stood up for what was right & let us know that the name was inappropriate.
As a way of helping you to "Espresso Yourself", I'm offering my pattern for the Tio Emilio Shawl for 50% off this week (no coupon needed). This was the pattern that was originally designed for these kits & is a fun way to use up every inch of your yarn. (Perfect for gradient cakes!)
I've included the applicable portion of the e-mail that Knit Circus Yarns sent out when they made the name change at the bottom of this post so that you can read their words as well as mine, but please know that none of us intended to hurt anyone with this yarn name. We hope that you're all having a wonderful day & that your yarn always brings you joy.
Happy Knitting!
Shaina ^_^
Hello, Lovely Knitters and Crocheters,
We don't usually send out two messages in one day, but we have some important information to share. On receiving our morning's newsletter, an alert reader emailed to let us know that one of our yarn names was a problem. What we took as a lighthearted rhyme found in a coffee-themed home decor Pinterest board, "No coffee, no workee," references the phrase, "No tickee no washee," used to stereotype Asian Americans.
We were horrified to find out that we had unintentionally hurt her and others by choosing this yarn name. We wholeheartedly apologize for the offense we caused.
We salute our reader for speaking out. Our company and employees feel very strongly about not keeping silent about injustices, and there's always more to learn - we try very hard to listen and make adjustments that will result in being as respectful as possible to others always.
We are renaming our coffee-inspired yarn "Espresso Yourself" to honor everyone who speaks a difficult truth. As Dumbledore says, "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.”
Have a great Friday night,
Jaala and the Knitcircus Crew