Picket Twine April '22

by Dye Mad Yarns

$6.00

We here at Dye Mad Yarns value workers and their labor, and while "we" are an individual, we believe in solidarity with workers the world over. So, as a reflection of that solidarity, we have put together an ongoing fundraiser for strike funds for striking workers we're calling Picket Twine (as in, "Don't Cross the Picket Line" but a yarn pun). Picket Twine will change colors with the strike fund we're supporting at the moment, and our second Picket Twine of 2022 is in support of the Kenyon Student Worker Organizing Committee (K-SWOC/UE) at Kenyon College preparing for an open ended strike to protest unfair labor practices committed by the Kenyon administration and Board of Trustees.

Since August 2020, K-SWOC/UE has organized majority support for a wall-to-wall union of undergraduate student workers. The Kenyon College administration and Board of Trustees have refused to voluntarily recognize our union, declined our offer for a secret-ballot election to determine majority support, and is spending significant college resources on expensive union-busting lawyers from Jones Day to fight our petition for a free and fair NLRB union election since October 2021.

Further, starting this January, the Kenyon College administration has made unilateral negative changes to the working conditions of student workers. They have announced plans to eliminate the residency program at a student-run Kenyon Farm, which would significantly reduce working hours available to student workers at the Farm. K-SWOC/UE members already engaged in a 24-hour strike on March 3 to demonstrate their strong opposition to these changes.
Issues K-SWOC/UE has been fighting for and will continue to fight for once recognized as a wall-to-wall union of student workers include:
  • Adequate compensation that reflects the contributions we make to the Kenyon community
  • Paid leave so no student worker will have to choose between pay and their health
  • Payment for all hours worked for all jobs on campus
  • Job stability and security
  • Agency for workers over their workplace conditions
  • A free and fair election without delay

You can read the full of their platform here! 

If you're interested in supporting these workers, but don't necessary want to buy any yarn, you can find the strike fund here!

Our plan here is to donate weekly-to-biweekly until the strike it over, and then support a different group of striking workers with a new colorway.

Picket Twine (April '22) is a blend of purples, white, red, and speckles of gold and black. Purple & white for school colors, black speckles and red for solidarity, and gold because it seemed to go well with the rest of the yarn. 

Picket Twine as a clever-as-hell name suggested by Christina D!!!

BASES:

Mini Skein: 20g, 87 yards, blend of 75% superwash merino/25% nylon. 
Hattie Floof: 50g, 459 yards, 72% mohair/28% silk (lace weight)
Chester Sock: 100g, 437 yards, blend of 75% superwash merino/25% nylon
Gladys Shawl: 100g, 438 yards, single ply blend of 70% superwash merino/30% silk
Tortie Sport: 100g, 287 yards, 80% alpaca/20% silk
Minnie DK: 100g, 246 yards, 100% superwash merino wool 
Genny Worsted: 100g, 191 yards, 80% superwash merino/20% alpaca
Chubby Trevor: 115g, 136 yards, 100% superwash merino
Chunky Trevor: 100g, 76 yards, 80% superwash merino/20% nylon, single ply
Summer Fingering: 65% silk/25% linen, 115g skein, approximately 438 yards
Summer DK: 65% silk/25% linen, 115g skein, approximately 246 yards
Summer Worsted: 65% silk/25% linen, 115g skein, approximately 181 yards

Picket Twine April '22
  • Picket Twine April '22