We were lucky to catch up with Misti Nolen recently and have shared our conversation below.
Misti, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I found the kind of purpose that gets me out of the bed in the morning and keeps my wheels turning into the night when I realized my business idea, born from filling a void in my community, was making a quantifiable, positive difference in the world: recycling a non-traditionally recyclable resource.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Recycled Yarn was born out of necessity as a means of continuing my making practices after graduating from VCUarts Craft / Material Studies program with a focus in fiber and textiles. I was weaving on a larger and larger scale, and needed high quality wool in large quantities. So, I did a little experiment and went to my local Goodwill, to the men’s section, and found an amazing XL chunky 100% wool L.L.Bean sweater to unravel. I took it back to my apartment and ended up with around a thousand yards of yarn.
I began thoroughly enjoying the process of unraveling sweaters, and have well surpassed my personal knitting and weaving needs because of it. Today, I’ve recycled 2,684,150 yards of yarn, and counting.
Recycled Yarn is a resource for 100% natural fiber yarn, sold in whole recycled sweater bundles. Focusing on sustainable reuse of fashion items, this method is friendly to the environment, the plants and animals these fibers came from, and a responsible practice for fiber artists.
I am passionate about furthering both conversation and action towards sustainable creative pursuits and Recycled Yarn has enabled me to share a sustainable product with my community in Richmond, VA and through my online shop, the world.
I also host Yarn Swaps at my studio, which are a big hit. This is essentially a free-for-all where folks bring yarn they’re ready to let go of and browse through everything others have brought to donate without any cash exchanging hands. I have greater access to yarn than the average fiber artist, so hosting this event is about serving the local craft community and sharing in the excitement of future projects.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The skill I rely on the most is Creative Problem Solving. This was impressed upon me in art school by my professor Valerie Molnar (who is also a small business owner – look up People Via Plants!) when she said that the larger lesson of this education is to equip us with the skill of Creative Problem Solving so that we can create and execute a solution with confidence, whether the problem to be solved is the composition of a painting or how to make a living.
Collaboration and Community is necessary not only to operate, but to enjoy operating. Brainstorming is one of my favorite things to do and most of my “Aha!” moments have happened in conversation. Community is a reciprocal resource and being a business owner is a great way to participate on the local level.
Thirdly, and this also serves as advice for folks who are early in their own creative journey, is Long Game. To me, this is a mindset that implies a setback today is just part of the process of building something greater. It’s a reminder not to get hung up on a bump in the road, because the lifespan of this pursuit goes so far into the future that anything that happens today is still part of the origin story. I feel as if I am ALWAYS just getting started, and can’t wait to see where it leads.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
My parents are my unconditional supporters. I cannot thank them enough.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://naturalrecycledyarn.etsy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/recycledyarn
- Other: [email protected]
Image Credits
Sam McCoy
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