Jimmy's Journey, Day 9 of 15: Koigu

Welcome to Day 9 of Jimmy's Journey to 15!

Have you heard about Jimmy's Journey to 15?! It's our 15th anniversary this year, and we will be sharing the story of JBW, year-by-year, here on our blog! Join us on the journey as we celebrate 15 years in business and highlight 15 partners in the yarn industry! Each day we'll kick off the blog post with a short clip of Jimmy (a.k.a. Laura) recounting one year of our history, while telling the story of a vendor who came along for the ride!

Today Jimmy joins us again from lovely Lake Tahoe to chat about Baby Huck becoming the face of JBW, the Wool Watcher puppy coming to life, and meeting Taiu from Koigu!

Koigu: Hand-painted Artistry at its Finest!

Koigu KPM, KPPPM, Lace Merino, Kersti Crepe Merino, and American Merino are all spun from the finest merino sheep in the world and hand-painted in stunning, one-of-a-kind colorways. The beauty of these yarns is that each hank is a unique work of art and no two are exactly the same! Jimmy is especially drawn to the uniqueness of Koigu: "These yarns are artisan painted - that is, by humans and not machines. We always joke that if a batch turns out a bit darker than the previous one it must be because Taiu was having a bad day!" 

Jimmy especially loves the defined nubbiness of the yarn's plies: "I had my eye on KPPPM well before meeting Taiu. No other yarn at the time had the look and feel of this yarn, and that's what I loved so much about it."

BONUS! To sweeten the Koigu pot, we're including a small free gift in every order placed during our 15 days of Jimmy's Journey, as a token of our gratitude to all of our amazing customers out there! 

Be Pretty in Pink with American Merino! 20% OFF!

Koigu Mini-Skeinette Grab Bags

A few years ago mini-skeinettes and other small yardage samples were widely unheard of! "Taiu's intuition and foresight is just remarkable," says Jimmy. "She came up with the idea for mini-skeinettes just as the Beekeeper's Quilt was quickly gaining popularity." Using our Mini-Skeinette Grab Bags you too can make a Beekeeper's Quilt! Each skeinette has enough yardage for one hexipuff.

May 2017 Beanie Bags - A LA CARTE!

Our May Beanie Bag is now available a la carte! With this bag you can try out 2 Koigu Mini-skeinettes along with a 60 yard sample of Cascade Heritage to crochet or knit your way to a couple of pretty wildflowers. Keep a wildflower next to your bed, on your desk, on the dashboard of your car, or share it with a close friend. Let these wildflowers serve as little daily reminders to always live freely, boldly, and happily no matter where life takes you!

Next up: Koigu Bouquets!

Mother's Day is fast approaching! Have you found the perfect gift for that special lady in your life yet? If not, don't fret! Our best-selling bouquets feature Koigu yarns and make the perfect gift for Mom!

Koigu Gradient Bouquets:

These charming gradient bouquets feature 3 hanks of American Merino, double point needles and a link to obtain the Uno-Dos-Tres pattern, along with other goodies! We especially love the orange gradient for summer knitting - it reminds us of Creamsicles!

Koigu Simple Bouquets:

Our best-selling bouquet! These bouquets feature 3 coordinating hanks of KPPPM and/or KPM perched on 2 sets of Knitter's Pride straight needle "stems"! The recipient will also get a copy of the Linen Stitch Scarf pattern from Churchmouse - a customer favorite!

Wool Watcher Alert: Koigu All Day Long!

Don't forget to check out our Wool Watcher page! All day today, Wool Watcher will be chock-full of Koigu! 

Year 2010 in Review: The Year of Huck and Koigu!

Fondly remembered as the "Year of Huck," Laura reminisces over Huckleberry modeling all of the knitted things (is there anything cuter than a babe in knitwear?!) and becoming the face of JBW. And, thanks to Doug, another cute face - the Wool Watcher Puppy - would come into existence to spread the joy of great deals to all of our customers! 

2010 was also the year Jimmy met Taiu Landra of Koigu Yarns at a Stitches event. As Jimmy states in the video, "She was a pioneer and I LOVE pioneering women." Taiu and her family (3 generations of women including her mom, Mae, and her daughter, Kersti) live and breathe Koigu. "Taiu is a genius!" says Jimmy. "Even if it doesn't seem like something will work, it works, and that is reflected in the quality and uniqueness of their yarns."

Thank you for joining us on Day 9 of Jimmy's Journey to 15! Be sure to join us again tomorrow for Day 10, where we'll highlight our 10th year in business along with a vendor that joined us along the way! And be sure to check out our Ravelry discussion thread and chime in with any comments you may have as we reminisce together about the last 15 years! You can also spread the word on social media using the hashtag #jimmysjourney15.

XOXO,

Jimmy & The Beans