Meet Lakisher

The dyer, owner, and chief mischief-maker (and pan washer) behind Sassy Black Yarns

Lakisher Hurst, owner and dyer of Sassy Black Yarns

Hi, I'm Lakisher Hurst. By day, I work full-time in manufacturing and supply chain. By night (and early mornings, and weekends), I'm in my studio in Manchester, Connecticut, up to my elbows in dye, rinsing skeins, packing orders, and getting ready for the next fiber festival.

I'm a Black woman, a veteran, a wife, a mom, and a maker who believes creativity and color are powerful tools for joy, comfort, and community.

How I Got Here

I didn't grow up thinking, "I'm going to be a yarn dyer." I built a career in manufacturing, operations, and logistics — the unglamorous backbone that keeps products moving and businesses running.

Then 2020 happened.

Like a lot of people, I watched the world tilt, and it hit me: the only real job security is the kind you build for yourself. I picked up yarn and color as a creative outlet, and somewhere between those first dye pots and my spreadsheets at work, Sassy Black Yarns was born.

What started as "let's see what happens if I put this color next to that one" turned into a real business with real customers, real shows, and a very real dream: to build something that can support my family, create generational wealth, and make space for more Black and Brown faces in the fiber world.

What Matters to Me

Bold, honest color. If it looks like a feeling, a memory, or a little inside joke, I want it in a skein.
Function as much as pretty. My operations brain doesn't turn off — I think about bases, durability, and how you'll actually use the yarn in real-life projects.
Representation. Being Black, a woman, and a veteran isn't just a tagline — it shapes how I design, how I show up at shows, and how I want people to feel when they land on my website.
Real community energy. I vend at fiber festivals up and down the East Coast, not just to sell yarn, but to talk, laugh, and connect with people who get just as excited about a new colorway as I do.

What I'm Doing When I'm Not Dyeing

  • Solving problems and moving parts in my day job in supply chain
  • Cheering on my kids in school and life
  • Volunteering, serving my community, or working on the next big thing on my "someday" list
  • Dreaming up new colorways based on songs, memories, or something wild I saw out in the world

If you've ever walked into a yarn shop or past a festival booth and thought, "I don't always see myself represented here," please know: I see you.

When you buy from Sassy Black Yarns, you're supporting my family, helping build generational wealth, and making it possible for me to keep showing up with more color, more joy, and more space for all of us.

Thanks for being here. Thanks for squishing the yarn, reading the labels, opening the emails, and telling your friends. You're part of this story now, too.

💜 — Lakisher