Showing posts with label hand dyed yarns. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hand dyed yarns. Show all posts

Jimmy's Journey, Day 14 of 15: Baah

by :
Welcome to Day 14 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!


 In today's video, Jimmy chats about adding 1-Click Checkout and secondary attributes (i.e. yarn softness) to the website, the birth of Beanie Bags, monthly Micro-Brewed yarn, and our sweet, sweet Bean, Sandy.


Baah, baah, black sheep have you any wool? Yes sir, yes sir - FOUR bags full!

We are wishing a very Happy Mother's Day to moms of all varieties today! The color experts at Jimmy Beans Wool have curated the perfect Mother's Day self-gift for all of you yarn-loving mamas out there (because, why not?! It's your day, treat yourself)! We have 2 hank & 3 hank gift options - each gift set comes with a pattern download code, the yarn required for the pattern, plus a few extra goodies!

La Jolla is a fantastically soft, 100% Superwash Merino Wool, fingering-weight yarn!
Shasta is an equally delicious, 100% Superwash Merino Wool, worsted-weight yarn!

Each skein is one-of-a-kind - they're onesies! The dye lots are a bit off from the original colorways, but they're still first quality and as squishy-soft as ever! 

*click images for links to gift sets*




BONUS! To sweeten the pot, we'll also include 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! 

Wool Watcher Alert: Mother's Day Madness!

In the spirit of Mother's Day, we say: treat yourself! If you received a JBW gift certificate from your loved ones, didn't get exactly what you were hoping for from your loved ones, or are just in the mood to treat yourself ("just do it!", as Sandy would tell you), then head over to our Wool Watcher page today for great deals on a variety of products from our Jimmy's Journey to 15 Featured Friends!
Project Log: Oldies, but goodies!

*click images for links to projects*




2015, Year 14 - Dedicated to Sandy Hussey

If you've ever met Sandy, you know that she was an absolute firecracker - a total pistol - who would keep you on your toes and laughing, all at the same time! Self-proclaimed as the "sweet little grammy" of JBW, Sandy was caring, thoughtful, had a great sense of humor, was generous with her wisdom, and always had an ear to listen or shoulder to lean on. She holds the record for longest employed Bean - almost 10 years!

Sandy loved to pull orders - for her tenure at JBW she pulled customer orders, all with a pep in her step and her great Sandy-tude! If you placed an order with us in the early days, it is likely that Sandy was the Bean that carefully selected your items, and delivered them to our packing/shipping team. Without knowing it, you might have a little piece of Sandy with you, too!

Though she is now gone, each Bean still holds a special place for Sandy in our hearts. She touched us all, and left a lasting impression that words can't adequately describe. Sandy was unique that way - it didn't matter who you were, where you came from, or what your story was - Sandy was your friend, through thick and thin.

To our sweet little grammy: We miss you so, and think of you often! We wish you a Happy Mother's Day and hope that you are enjoying yourself, surrounded by men in kilts, wherever you may be!




Thank you for joining us on Day 14 of Jimmy's Journey to 15! Be sure to join us again tomorrow for Day 15, the final day of our journey, where we'll highlight our 15th 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
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Handling Your Hand-Dyes!

by : Unknown


Handling Your Hand-Dyes!



We knitters are a crafty bunch! We love our hand-dyed yarn so much, we've figured out ways to make it look its best, even when it's not on its best behavior.

As we talked about in our last post, color changes in hand-dyed yarn can stack up in an unattractive way in pools and unwanted stripes. Here are some ways to put it in its place!

First, you can add design elements that change your stitch count. In a small project with a thin yarn, like socks, just one stitch can cause the striping sequence to change, taking care of any pooling issues. Try adding or subtracting a stitch in an inconspicuous location to see the effect. In a larger project where gauge is not as important, changing a needle size can do the trick!

Monika figured out the best widths for her Brat Pack Headband that kept the yarn from randomly pooling. Take a look:




Lace is also a good solution. It changes the gauge of the knitted project and adds an element of visual interest that can distract the eye from and pooling problems you may be having. Heather used an eyelet pattern in her Bodacious beret to keep pooling out of the body of the hat, so it's contained to the top as a more controlled design element:




An asymmetrical shape helps with pooling, too! Rachel used this technique in her Cell Block Shawlette (top of page), along with purposely placed drop stitches, to control pooling issues. Kristen also used the asymmetrical shape trick and some simple eyelets to keep her Claire Shawlette looking neat:




Finally, Leanne took things up a notch and paired her hand-dyed yarn with a coordinating solid color to bust up color stacking and pooling in her Scrunchy Heart Legwarmers- so cool!




These are just a few tips - do you have more? Share them in the comments!

Happy Knitting!

Heather

[Yarns shown in photos are Lorna's Laces Limited Edition colorways '15 June - The New Black (still available in Helen's Lace) and '15 July - Brat Pack]
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All About Hand-Dyed Yarns!

by : Unknown


Hoards of Hand-dyes! Chris's Glacier Sweep Shawl, Monika's Avenger Cape in Craigh na Dun, Baah La Jolla Yarn, swatch of Rachel's Outlander MKAL 2015 Shawl, Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Christmas at Downton, Kristen's Edith's Secret Shawl, Phydeaux Soie in Mon Amour, Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Devon

















Exciting things are afoot...or a-needle, we should say: we're kicking off a celebration of hand-dyed yarns at Jimmy Beans Wool, and you're invited to the party!

Just don't be tardy.

For the party.

Yes, I just wrote that.

Along with a series of instructional articles in our next few Newsletters, we'll be taking and in-depth look at each type of hand-dyed yarn we carry and how to get the most out of it. Now that's something to celebrate!

Monika's Avenger Cape in Assemble!


And what better way to get our party started than with Lorna's Laces? It was Lorna Miser herself who inspired Laura to start her own yarn shop, so one could say that JBW wouldn't exist without Lorna's Laces. Together, we've created a series of Limited Edition yarns that celebrates everything pop culture, from our favorite TV shows to current events around the world.


Rachel's Outlander MKAL 2015 Shawl in Craigh na Dun

Though they dye solid and tonal colors, Lorna's is best known for their variegated yarns, especially the bright, saturated colorways that knit up into amazingly colorful, one-of-a-kind creations! One look at a garment and you can tell it's Lorna's - there's just no other yarn quite like it out there! You can see what I mean in the garments pictured above.

Lorna's Laces yarn gets its distinct look from the special hand-dye process: the dyers plan a colorway down to the last detail, including the sequence in which the colors will appear on the skein. Then, the hanks of yarn are painstakingly dyed section by section. The final result is a circular hank with an almost color-blocked look, but when it's wound into a ball and knit up, the colors appear in the knitted item in the same sequence they were dyed on the skein, giving that fun, variegated effect we love so much!

Autumn's Magrathea Shawl


Now, as gorgeous as these yarns are, they have their challenges - most notably, when your project varies in size or shape, the colors line up differently in each row, sometimes causing unwanted striping or "pooling", which looks like irregular "blobs" of color on your project. Some people love this effect - it is quite artistic, after all! - but sometimes it can detract from the look you're going for.










An example of pooling in the Outlander Shawl - in this case, the symmetry makes it an appealing design element!


So, how to solve it? Wouldn't you like to know! And we'll be telling you in our next post :)

Let us know your other favorite variegated hand-dyes! We love Baah Yarn, Lotus Yarns, Becoming Art, and the list goes on! What's on your list?

Happy Knitting (with Hand-Dyes!)!

Heather






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On the Tenth Day of Yarn-mas, Jimmy got for me, Ten Lords-a-Leaping from Zen Yarn Garden!!!!

by : Unknown



Leaping lizards, this yarn is to dye for!!!!

 A very zen company, Zen Yarn Garden is one that we've been known to covet- whether at yarn shows or online- their yarn's color and feel will put you in a very peaceful place!!! 




After some serious encouragement from Rachel and Kristen, from their encounters with these blissful fibers and wonderful creators- we are so beyond excited to be able to showcase Zen Yarn Garden and their Ten Lords-a-Leaping even if for only a brief moment!!!!


Make sure to check out our latest Yarn-mas verse (maybe our singing will help you reach nirvana? wink, wink)!!!!

 And don't forget we have only two more days of hand-dyed dreams come true!!!

 Namaste & Happy Yarn-mas!!!

 ~Olivia 


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Kersti winners!!

by : Bethany
How fun! Thank you to everyone who left a comment on the blog! Taiu- it looks like you've got lots of help waiting for you if you ever need it! :)

And here are the 5 lucky winners of 2 free hanks of Kersti:


Mimi F said...I would love to feed the sheep and train the sheep dogs (if there are any)!  September 28, 2011 

Pixiegiggles said... Feeding & sheering! Fun stuff.  September 28, 2011 8:09 PM 

Cynthia.landers@ocps.net said... I would want to be the one to bottle feed the lambs that need it. Definitely!! September 29, 2011 

Chris said... I'll leave the birthing to more experienced hands. I will be keeping water troughs full, mucking out the barn in my old boots, while the tasty dinner I fixed earlier simmers in the slow cooker....( yes, I am clearly sucking up! ) Did I mention that I can drive a tractor, too?  September 29, 2011 11:22 AM

Amy K said... I think I would love to know about all the aspects of the farm workings, so would start out at the bottom -would this be mucking stalls?- :-) - and work my way up... I would love to run a she farm, or even just have a sheep or two, so want to know, experience it all! :-) -That yarn looks simply scrumptious!  October 3, 2011 6:00 PM



Winners, to claim your prize, please email giveaway@jimmybeanswool.com with your full name, shipping address, phone number and colorway choice before Friday, Oct. 7th. If we don't hear from you by then we will pick new winners! (Please send us a back up color in case we are out of the color you like!)

Thanks again to Taiu and Kersti for sharing their story with us and their amazing fibers.
Thank you to all of our readers and stay tuned for more fun giveaways and guest blogs coming soon!

Bethany

P.S. You won't want to miss our next couple of Newsletters, as we have some really exciting top secret stuff that should be revealed there soon! Our Newsletters come out twice monthly, are free, secure and just down right fun!

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Kersti is here!!

by : Bethany



No sooner had Kersti hit the shelves then we were bombarded with questions from all of you! To clear the air, we've decided to dig in deeper and give you not only a first hand interview with Taiu- creator of Kersti (both the yarn and the young woman), but also give you a chance to try it out for free with a giveaway!

Here's what Taiu had to say about Kersti:





JBW: Tell us about Kersti -your daughter and the yarn!


Taiu: Kersti the Yarn is a wonderful DK weight merino yarn, soft to work with and wear. The yarn is perfect for babies for its cushiony soft feel. It is also a wonderful 3 season sweater weight yarn. We introduced Kersti to the market in 2003, as consumers  were demanding a Koigu hand painted Merino Yarn. It has really been a little sister yarn to KPM /KPPPM (Kersti was just a perfect name for the yarn at the time)!
Kersti the Daughter has grown up right in the middle of the Koigu business. She was born in 1998. My mother and I were still dying in our old farm house at the time, doing retail/wholesale. Kersti was 3 months old when we took her along to our last retail show Stitches East.  In early 2000 we had a play area near us for Kersti while my mother and I dyed yarn. As our Wool Shed grew she got a play room. Riding a tricycle or scooter from one end to the other of the wool shed was a daily routine.





JBW: What's your favorite project you've made with the Kersti yarn?


Taiu: My favourite project in the Kersti is The Cubes Block and Squares blanket in Koigu Magazine 1  - firstly it is really fun to make, and secondly the blanket is so cozy on the couch watching TV -while  and after you have made it.

I also love wearing Kersti Yarn Pullover, a cowl type sweater for the winter. As you can see, it is as much fun to make and design a garment or item as it is to enjoy the finished product!


JBW: Does Kersti also work with you? If so, what does she do there?


Taiu: Modeling for many of our Koigu ads. Many of our customers love to see our next ad to see how Kersti has grown up!!


JBW: Is she interested in the farm, the dying, the design?


Taiu: Kersti is a very busy 13 year old. With dance , piano and other school activities. Yes she has “hobby” interests into the dying and designing --The fashion forward  teenager!!

Kersti also has had her own hand dyed silk scarf business. At the age of 8! I am waiting for the next idea. In the last year Kersti has taken to crochet – we might see some designing by her soon. As to the farm, well there is no choice there, we have a motto, and that is team work, we all need to pitch in. Kersti enjoys the sheep and is very eager to show in 4H next year.
As Kersti gets older the knitting world will see her more at shows helping out – like Vogue Knitting Live NY. Kersti Helped out Soho in a pinched and was a fill-in model for their fashion Shows. Now at VK live LA she will be back stage help while I am teaching.



Thank you so much to Taiu and Kersti! The soft squishiness of this yarn is unbelievable! Don't believe us? Then try to win some!! We will be giving away 2 hanks of this yummy yarn to 5 readers of our blog! In order to enter, leave a comment here telling us what job you would want to do most on a sheep farm by Monday, October 3rd at midnight PST! (Only one entry per person please!) We will select and post the winners on Tuesday, Oct. 4th post.  

Thank you and good luck! Bethany

P.S. You won't want to miss our next couple of Newsletters, as we have some really exciting top secret stuff that should be revealed there soon! Our Newsletters come out twice monthly, are free, secure and just down right fun!




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Tough Love Giveaway!!- Welcome to the Family SweetGeorgia!

by : Bethany
We Beans couldn't be more excited about one of the newest additions to the JBW family: SweetGeorgia Yarns.   We've got 15 of their super popular, Tough Love sock yarn (80% superwash merino wool, 20% nylon. 425 yards per 115g skein)in 15 vibrant, beautiful colorways!  Here are my 3 favorites:


Autumn Flame
Saltwater
English Ivy



Felicia used to be a competitive ballroom dancer!
Here are some things you might already know about SweetGeorgia yarns:

<---- This is Felicia Lo, a.k.a. SweetGeorgia who is the head designer and dyer!

SweetGeorgia Yarns is an artisan luxury hand-dyed yarn studio based in Vancouver, Canada. They are passionate about vibrant, saturated color and offer over 50 jewel-toned, semi-solid and variegated colorways. Their collection includes silk, cashmere and fine wool blends in 12 different yarns (ranging from lace to sock to aran weight) and 12 different spinning fibers.


But that's the stuff you already know, right? We wanted to know more about this entrepreneurial hand-dyed company, so we asked Felicia some "tough" questions! 

JBW- Where did you grow up?

Felicia- I was born on the West Coast of Canada in Vancouver but moved to Toronto when I was just two years old. Then just before starting high school, my parents moved our family back to Vancouver and I’ve been here ever since.  

JBW- Did you really just get married last week?  

Felicia- YES!  I've been married for just over a week now! :)

JBW: What time do you start work?

Felicia- We officially open the studio at 10 am for visitors, but I’m usually answering emails and starting my day as early as 7 am. I’ll usually do all my “desk work” until about noon when we all break for an informal lunch break. Then the rest of the day is spent dyeing. I’m trying to maintain a normal workday schedule, so mostly I dye for just a few hours every day but occasionally the dyeing process runs as late as 10 or 11 pm. 

Lightening Round! 
  • Coffee or tea? Coffee all the way. 
  • Do you eat the licorice jelly beans or throw them away? Throw them away! :)
  • What was the first album you ever bought? Cyndi Lauper, the one with Girls Just Wanna Have Fun on it.... She's So Unusual.
  • Little Known Fact: I started my first business, a dressmaking and alterations service, when I was 16. 
  • Next big adventure: Marriage. 
JBW- Finally, as a small artisan yarn company, do you have any advice for those folks out there hand-dying with kool-aid in their sinks on how to make a living doing what they love? 

Felicia- From my personal experience, I always believe that people should do what they love.  It’s truly a blessing to discover what you love. If you love dyeing, keep on dyeing. But know that doing what you love doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy to transition into a business. There are MANY, MUCH easier ways of making a living. As any entrepreneur will say, you need to put a huge amount of blood, sweat, tears, as well as time and energy behind your passion. In making any passion into a living, I would recommend making a plan and sticking to it. Don’t compare yourself or your business with others. Just compete against yourself to constantly improve in your chosen living.


And now it's your turn to do some sharing! We've got 5 glorious hanks of Tough Love to giveaway to 5 lucky winners. To enter, leave a comment on this post (only one per person, please!) telling us your own personal "Tough Love" story between now and Thursday, July 28th at noon! The winners will be chosen randomly and announced on next Friday's Featured Products post.  If you don't win here, you might be able to snag a hank or two of Tough Love on WoolWatcher Wednesday, the 27th!
Want to learn more about SweetGeorgiaYarns? Here's their info:

Welcome to the family, Felicia and SweetGeorgia! 


Good luck everyone! 
Bethany


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More about Hand Dyed Yarns...

by : Freaky Knitter
With so many colors, dyers and options out there, it's hard to know where to start with all of the beautiful hand dyed yarns on the market these days. And then, of course, there is the issue with keeping the 'lots' consistent.  Many hand dyed yarns do not have dye lots (Madeline Tosh, for instance, or Manos Del Uruguay yarns) so we have done a lot of work for all you about this great topic. You can find more information on how to work with hand dyed yarns and which companies we are currently carrying in our line-up right here on our very own Guide to Hand Dyed Yarns page!



Sandy's Dragon, alternating every 2 rows!
When I first started knitting and working with hand dyed yarns, I have to admit I was totally clueless about what yarns would do what, but after sometime now I think I am getting the hang of things. We have recently started a very small internal KAL with some great Madeline Tosh sock yarn in Filigree! The term KAL is used a bit loosely as we are all just using the same yarn but different patterns! There are four of us involved: Sandy, Sharon, Terry and yours truly! Two of us are working one pattern while the other two are working on something else.

Sharon's Dragon, just going for it...go Sharon!


However, due to some extreme color differences in this particular yarn, we decided to use this opportunity to mix it up a bit and show you how we are working through the differences to make the colors flow together for each project. Even though Sandy and Sharon have chosen the same project, they are approaching the issue of color differences in the same yarn a bit differently.

Terry's Martimonia Bolero, alternating every 2 rows
Sandy and Sharon are working up a beautiful scarf out of the most current Piecework magazine. Sandy is alternating 2 rows of one ball of Filigree and 2 rows of another while carrying the yarn up the side of the piece. Sharon has decided to just let the stitches fall where they may and will be working with each ball until it is finished and then adding the next one to the piece. I love this idea and can't wait to see her scarf completed!

Terry is working up the Matrimonio Bolero and is using her yarn in rows of two, just like Sandy. I have finished my first Veyla by Ysolda Teague from Whimsical Little Knits 2. Since it is a smallish project, I worked the cuff by alternating the 9 row repeat with 2 different shades of the Filigree. I worked the hand portion in only one shade, but it is completely different from the other 2.

I will of course work the second mitt in the same manner, for a similar result. I don't know about you, but I love the surprise that comes from working with hand dyed yarns and with some planning you can create a truly beautiful piece!

As always, happy knitting and crocheting! (remodel update in the 4th week at least 2 more weeks to go, sigh, stay tuned)

Jeanne

P.S.- Sometimes the only way I can keep up with what's going on around the shop is to read our twice monthly Newsletters (really so much to know:), so if you aren't getting it I hope you will sign up and remember we never share you information!!


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