Oh, goodness! Do we have a treat-ski's for all of you readers out there! As you may have read in our Newsletter, we are now carrying Fibre Co. yarn and patterns!!! We've had it for about a week now and can't keep our hands off of it - that is...until we have to ship it to you! Don't worry...we've stashed a bunch for ourselves! :)

We were lucky enough to chat with a couple of sweet gals, Courtney and Kate, who happen to be responsible for all that happens over at the Fibre Co. They told us some really fun stuff. Like, did you know that The Fibre Company started in 2004 as an alpaca processing and spinning mill by Iain Stanley and Daphne Marinopoulos?  The line of yarns they created were entirely unique in terms of their fiber blends and color and soon their yarns were known for their incredibly soft hand.

Kelbourne Woolens was established in 2008 by Kate Gagnon Osborn and Courtney Kelley. Since then, they have been in charge of all of the distribution - as well as product, pattern and color development, all the while maintaining the original vision of unique artisan yarns that Iain and Daphne created.

Currently, Fibre Co. has just two employees! As the owners of Kelbourne Woolens, the sole distributors of the Fibre Company yarns, Kate and Courtney handle pretty much everything that is required in regards to running the business. They have a wonderful hard working group of sales reps that help introduce their yarns to the shops in their area, but pretty much everything else – packing, shipping, invoicing, bookkeeping, ads, web and blog development, advertisements, trade shows and the base of pattern support are all taken care of by Kate and Courtney. Phew!

And as always, we asked them about the fun stuff, too! Now for the fun part!

JBW: Where are you two from?
Kate: Amherst, Massachusetts.  Courtney: Washington, D.C.

JBW: What's your favorite meal to cook?

Courtney: Campfire cooking. I love any excuse to cook outside, especially if there is pork involved. My one crowning achievement is the time I made a cake while we were camping. It was actually really good!

JBW: Why did you want to own a yarn company?

There was something about the Fibre Company that really appealed to us. We really wanted to continue the company that Daphne and Iain started, and love everything that goes into running the company. Not just the knitting and yarn (which is awesome), but the product development, marketing, working with customers and business side of things. Every day is different, and never boring.

JBW: Coffee or tea?

Kate: Tea. All the way. I have a very impressive collection of loose leaf teas from a small shop in Philly, Premium Steap and love making odd blends from them. My current favorite is Milk Oolong paired with “Orange Cookie” flavored black tea.

JBW: What's your least favorite candy?

Kate: Dark Chocolate   Courtney: Sour Patch Kids

JBW: First album you ever bought:

Courtney: Linda Ronstadt, Pacing Down the Wind  Kate: Wilson Phillips, Wilson Phillips

JBW: Do you have any pets? (I mean, really, we are practically a farm here at JBW!)

Kate: Yes! A three legged cat, Margaret “Peggy” Peg-Leg, an 8 year old cat, Desmond, an 8 year old Corgi/Shepherd mix, Rollie and a 3 year old Chow mix, Opus. I’ve also fostered 12 dogs and 9 cats from the local city animal shelter over the last 2 years.

Courtney: Yes! A 12 year old mix, Queenie and an 8 year old Norwich Terrier mix, Scrappy.

JBW: Little Known Fact about you:

Courtney: I don’t actually know how to knit....just kidding!...hmm...I studied ballet and voice very seriously as a teenager and went as far as to attend the Professional Performing Arts School in New York, but the only real end result from all that training is I am very good at public speaking!
Kate: I am woefully inflexible and even at my most fit (circa 1998) I was never able to touch my toes.

To celebrate the arrival of this wonderful company to the JBW family, we have a couple surprises for you! The first is that Kristen will be leading a super fun Knit-A-Long starting next week, right here on the blog. Be sure to check back next Wednesday for the first installment.

And what KAL and celebration would be the same without a giveaway? We will be doing a kit giveaway for the same project that Kristen will be leading in the KAL! How exciting!! And what is the pattern? It's the Springtime Bandit Shawl using Terra! And how can you win the kit?

To enter, leave a comment on our blog telling us what your go to quick knit is for the holiday season (truthfully, I just need some ideas! hehe) before Sunday, October 23rd at midnight PST. The winner will be contacted Monday so that she (or he) can receive the kit in time to start with Kristen! Only one comment per person, please.

Also, to find out more about The Fibre Co., check them out here:
Facebook
Blog
Website
Twitter

Thank you to Courtney and Kate! Good luck everyone!!

Happy knitting and crocheting!
Bethany

PS I know you would love to get our twice monthly Newsletter! It is full of all the news here at the shop, what we are working on and great product updates, of course it's FREE and your information is secure!! We never sell, share or trade your information, so check it out!