Here is a list, in no particular order, of independent crafters who have great stuff to offer the world.
And if you love stuff made by independent crafters, check out Crafters for Critters. There's lots of fun stuff donated by indie crafters and the proceeds benefit animal rescue groups and greyhounds.
Amy King of King's Pottery and Spunky Eclectic.
Amy has a great variety of well-made, nicely priced handcrafted articles: handspun & handpainted yarns & rovings, bags & needle cases, beautifully made & handpainted pottery (including mugs recently featured in Vogue Knitting!), really cool fleece hats, hand spindles from the Cascade Spindle Company, knitting patterns and kits.
Amy King has been a great inspiration and help to me in making this fibery dream of mine a working reality.
Nancy of Bird's Nest Body
Another San Diego local, Nancy makes yummy-smelling body treats. The Gingersnap body scrub is fabulous. The Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab kids just love, love, love her stuff.
Kim of Hand Eye Crafts
Very cute handknit items for babies and adults, & even fashions for that special Barbie™ doll in your life.
Adrian of Hello Yarn
Beautiful handpainted yarns & fibers & kits. She's also a Louet dealer and has a rental wheel if you live in the area.
Marie of Brooklyn Handspun
Really fun handspun yarns and lovely handpainted yarns, great colors and style, jewelry & opera!
Silvia of chebang!
Funky handcrafted bags and clutches, brooches, & other fun stuff with a kitschy mexpop flair.
Jim & Sandy Ryan of Homestead Wool & Gift Farm
They have a very diverse flock of sheep which have been given to them to live out the rest of their lives in a safe haven, and they offer raw fleeces, prepped fibers, fun handspun and other cool fiber-related products.
Lisa, Mandy & Randy of The Soap Plantation
Really yummy smelling soaps & products in a variety of formulations, olive oil, shea, cocoa butter, goat's milk, glycerine, hemp seed oil, castille...
Shari McKelvy of Morro Fleece Works
Everyone I've talked to has the highest words of praise for her quality of fiber processing and the pleasure of doing business with her. If you bought an icky fleece off ebay and just don't want to deal with it, she can make you love it again. I've bought a luscious Lincoln-Targhee cross fleece through her that's so clean and lovely I'm saving it. A treat.