Last night, our little shop filled with knitters and crocheters for a delightful event. We welcomed special guests Jeni Hewlett and Rachel Coopey, designers and yarn-makers from the UK. They arrived with a big box of books, enough to fill our teacart.

Jeni and Rachel began by telling us a bit about their journey into the world of knitwear design, then unloaded a huge pile of knit and crochet samples for show and tell.

Jeni shared a bit about the hand-dye process that makes her Fyberspates colorways so multifaceted and painterly, where skeins are dipped into multiple dye baths, one color after another. Thinking of garment wearability, Jeni favors semi-solid colorways rather than high-contrast variegates, and so the Fyberspates colorways are designed to look well-blended in the finished fabric, rather than streaky.

Rachel came to knitwear design with a background in jewelry-making and a penchant for sock knitting. When she partnered with Fyberspates to create her own sock yarn, she wanted it to have a few specific qualities: light colors for good stitch definition, tight twist for durability, and solid shades with a bit of color interest. CoopKnits Socks Yeah! is all this and more.

Rachel gave sock-sizing advice while signing copies of her books.

Michael del Vecchio, our Fyberspates sales rep and a designer in his own right, also spoke about the importance of quality materials, and the care that goes into the sourcing of fiber at Fyberspates.

Thanks to all who joined us, and thanks to Jeni, Rachel, and Michael for coming to our shop! We had such fun, and look forward to seeing what’s new from Fyberspates at market this weekend.

Look for Fyberspates yarns and books here at the shop!

One of the best things about our annual trip to market is meeting with the talented, fascinating folks behind the yarns we love. This year, we’re delighted to bring that experience to our very own shop with an exciting event: an evening with Rachel Coopey and Jeni Hewlett from Fyberspates, on Tuesday, June 7th, from 6:00-8:00 pm.

Jeni Hewlett is the creative genius behind Fyberspates, a European-based company bringing small production hand-dye and design to the US. We’ve carried their Scrumptious Lace and Vivacious 4ply for the past year or so, and just added Gleem Lace and Scrumptious 4ply/Sport–more on that in future blog posts.

Rachel Coopey is a knitwear designer who specializes in socks, and recently came out with a yarn of her own, CoopKnits Socks Yeah!

Jeni and Rachel will tell us about their background in yarn and design, present the yarns in their collections for you to try, share some of the designs that go with those yarns, and sign copies of their books. You may even get a sneak peek at what’s to come from Fyberspates! Jeni and Rachel come to the US rarely more than once a year, and we’re honored to have them visit our shop. We’re limiting attendance for this event because of our small space, so sign up soon if you’d like to meet Jeni and Rachel!