Essential Sweater Dress

Jeanne and Dan Carver, the owners of Imperial Stock Ranch, are two of the nicest people you will ever meet and boy are they passionate about what they do! Their ranch sits on more than 30,000 acres of land in eastern Oregon's high desert where they raise sheep and cattle and grow grains and grasses. The ranch is also home to many wildlife including elk, deer, antelope, game birds and fish that play an integral part in their ranch ecosystem. The Carvers work year-round with various agencies to make sure that their ranch land is healthy, sustainable, and preserved for generations to come.

Raindrop Bag

When Jeanne and Dan stopped by Jimmy Beans Wool on their way through Reno to drop off our first shipment of their yarn, we were blown away at their sustainable approach to ranching and how passionate they were about sharing their philosophy with others through their educational programs. For those of us knitters and crocheters who like to support American  and conscientiously made products, companies like Imperial Stock Ranch provide us with not just a supply of beautiful yarns, but also inspiration.

Rustic Shawl

In fact, their beautiful website outlines that educational component perfectly with information on sustainability, how their yarn is made, and much more. My favorite part is their "Ranching News" section, a backlog of all of their e-newsletters that include plenty of fun ranch-life tidbits and plenty of lamb pictures! Who doesn't love lambs?!? So cute! I highly recommend checking it out!

Felted Bracelet Trio

The more I learn about Imperial Stock Ranch and Imperial Yarns, the more I want to don a pair of dungarees and work boots and wrangle some sheep. (And then I would probably get distracted and hug them and pet them. I wouldn't make a very good rancher I'm afraid.)

Sliver Roving

Ok, so I haven't said much about the yarn, but let me tell you, yarn like this speaks for itself! Naturally soft and gorgeously textured, Imperial Yarn is such a welcome addition to our collection of high quality yarns. We are carrying the Columbia 2-ply (my personal favorite), Tracie Too, Native Twist, Bulky 2 Strand (Pencil Roving), and Sliver Roving. I think it's particularly exciting that we are now carrying roving! We've long been asked about spinning materials and this is just our first step in that direction.

Sumptuous Cowl

Did I mention their designs yet? Oh my! Their pattern support to go along with their yarns is simply amazing as well! Some of our favorites include the Swing Cardigan and Rustic Shawl in Tracie Two, the Raindrop Bag and Essential Sweater Dress in Columbia 2-ply, and the Sumptuous Cowl and Moonshine Hat and Mittens in the Bulky 2 Strand. And these are just a few of the beautiful designs from Imperial Yarn!

Swing Cardi

Remember when I mentioned how nice Jeanne and Dan were? Well, when they came to visit, they gave us a box full of goodies to share with our amazing customers! We have three kits to give away today on the blog as well as two 4oz bundles of sliver roving. That's five different winners! If you'd like to enter to win one of these kits and roving, please leave us a comment on this post telling us what your favorite Imperial design is (Feel free to check out their site as well and let us know if there are any other patterns we should carry!) We'll randomly select 5 winners next Friday, 7/13 and announce them on the blog!

Retro Thrum Slippers

7/13 edit- the winners have been announced on today's Crochet Corner blog. Please go there to see if you've won!

Additionally, we have two more kits and another bundle of sliver roving reserved just for our Reno retail store customers! The first 3 customers who come into the retail store on Saturday, 7/7/12 and mention this blog post will get to take home either a lovely kit or some pencil roving! The kits are first come first serve! You must come into the store to win.

We hope you'll enjoy these beautiful American made yarns as much as we do! We are so happy to have Imperial Yarns as part of the Jimmy Beans Wool family! We hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and happy knitting!

Kristen