Taiu from Koigu gives us the skinny!

As some of you may know, earlier this month we got a whole pallet of colorful mill end wooliness from Koigu. (We've still got some of the grab bags here if you want to score some amazingly beautiful Merino 2/6 wool.)

While you may be familiar with Koigu's gorgeous yarns, we thought you might like to get to know the sweet lady behind the Koigu brand, Taiu Landra!  


JBW: Taiu is a very unique name- what does it mean?  Taiu was my mother's nickname when she was young. It means "creative person" in Estonian.

JBW: Where did you grow up? As a child I grew up in the suburbs of Toronto and as teenager we were living at the farm. 

JBW: Where did you come up with the name "Koigu"? What does it mean? When we bought our farm in 1972 as a summer cottage, we named the farm Koigu after my father' s ancestral farm in Estonia. We still have a sleigh blanket from Koigu (Estonia) which is hand spun and woven natural grey and black. We then just continue using the name into the business.

Koigu grounds

JBW: Have you ever been married? Never ..... maybe one day if I have time!

JBW: How do you like your morning coffee? A venti non-fat vanilla latte at 130 *C.

JBW: What did you do before starting Koigu? That is a very hard question because this has always been my life. After Guelph University I came home -at that point we had up to 200 sheep. I wanted to create business that could be self sustaining - from sheep to fashion. The rest is history.    

Taiu's yarn.. I mean, desk!! :)

JBW: Have you ever pulled a really good prank on anyone? No, I am too serious.

JBW: Do you eat the licorice jelly beans or throw them away?  I give them to Rhichard!!

JBW: What has been your biggest accomplishment? Kersti, my daughter!

Awesome extra-fact: From the age of 14 to 28 Taiu held various leadership positions within a Canadian political party!

If you can't tell, here at Jimmy Beans Wool we LOVE Koigu yarns and their gorgeous magazines (and it seems we aren't the only ones since we can barely keep it in stock!!)!  Keep your eyes peeled for the Fall 2011 Issue- it's sure to inspire!!


Thank you Taiu for chatting with us! We are looking forward to our many adventures together in the future!!


Want to keep up with Koigu? Follow them here:
Koigu on Facebook: www.facebook.com/koigu.wool.designs
Koigu on Twitter: @koigu 


Happy Knitting and Crocheting!
Bethany