Kickstarter: Knitcircus Studios

I've suspected this was coming for awhile and now Jaala has officially announced it. Knitcircus needs a proper studio for their yarn dyeing goodness. So, Kickstarter funding, ahoy!

Let me tell you about Knitcircus. Originally, Knitcircus was a knitting magazine; the brainchild of Jaala Spiro. When we were still living in Wisconsin, Knitcircus was local to me. It had a lot of advertisements for local yarn shops but it worked with designers from all over. One day, Jaala had posted on one of the Ravelry boards that she needed a sock model for a photo shoot. She couldn't pay much but she had a $20 gift certificate for the local yarn shop of the model's choice. I didn't have anything else going on, I was maybe 4 months pregnant with Little Man (so this was around 5 years ago)...so, I met Jaala at one of the libraries in Madison (Sequoia Branch on Tokay Blvd., if you're really interested) and modeled the Tachimawari Socks (yeah, those feet are mine). It was fun and it solidified that I really should knit more. And those socks have been in my queue since....and I've still not knit them. ::sigh::

Anyway, the magazine was in hard form for a little while longer, then went to a digital format. Eventually, Jaala stopped doing the magazine......but she discovered a love of dyeing yarn and Knitcircus Yarns was born. She has a few different flavors but she works mostly in long gradient yarns, though I've been eyeing her speckled lines lately. She employs a few people, friends, knitters, her kids....but the basement at her house is not the most ideal location for a yarn dyeing studio.

And this is where Kickstarter comes in.

They found a fabulous place on Grand Canyon Drive in Madison (which is on the west side of town).......but it needs some work. They're looking to raise about $19,000 to update the space for their needs (plumbing, electrical, vents, etc.) and pick up a few other things for the space (tables, chairs, displays, etc.). As of right now, right this second, they have 28 backers and have $2,168 raised so far. And, of course, there are incentives....I pledged $300 for a spot in their gradient club (there are 8/10 spots left). If I were still local, I would have pledged $850 for classes and dyeing time and studio time for me and four of my friends.....but I'm not local. So, gradient club goodness for me! And the incentives don't have to be huge! The smallest pledge amount they have is just $3 (the largest is the $850)....and, of course, you don't have to have an incentive at all! You can pledge any amount you want.

So, take a gander and help a studio get going in a new space.

By the way, when Anzula did their Indiegogo campaign last year, I helped fund that one, too :)

Additional: Less than 24 hours later, and they are over halfway to their goal of $19,000. As of right this second (Thursday, May 7, 2015 at 10:16am PDT), they have 149 backers, $10,333 raised, and 29 days left to go......and now it's up to 150 backers, $10,387......

Second Additional: After a little over a day and a half, they are almost to their goal of $19,000. As of right this second (Friday, May 8. 2015 at 8:46am PDT), they have 212 backers and $14,695 raised. There are 28 days left to go :)