When I say that I have a wonderful husband, I mean this: I have the sort of husband who calls me from work to say, “Honey, I passed a sign on my way to work that said, ‘Yarn and Fiber’, so I stopped off to see what it was, and it’s the store for A Verb for Keeping Warm! You’ll love it – I’ll take you on Friday!”
So on Friday, we took a pilgrimage to the land of beautiful natural dyed fibers and got to poke about and see all the lovely colors all in one spot. This, by the way is a very cool thing. It’s one thing to see some of the yarn on its own, but when you see it in the shop, all stacked and painted and beautiful, it’s amazing. We also got to talk to the owner, Kristine, who is just the nicest person, and who is supremely talented in the ways of fiber and color. (Also, though this is not appropos of much, Verb has my favorite logo of any yarn company. I am a sucker for good typography.)
It’s cozy in there, as one might expect, and the yarns…oh my. Kristine told us a little about the various conditions that affect naturally dyed yarns, which is just fascinating. Whether the water is alkaline or not can affect the colors that the dyes produce. You can read more about her process and ideas on the About Us page at Verb. The dedication to the natural dyes pays off when you see the beautiful and almost antique appearance of the yarns and fibers.
It’s not just the dyes, either. Verb sells yarns spun from undyed wool from sheep raised in Oregon. The Farm Series includes a favorite fiber of mine, Jacob wool, which I have to admit is not one I’ve actually used. I still claim it as a favorite, though, because the Jacob sheep is about the coolest looking sheep on the block (having anywhere from 2 to 6 horns), and the fiber feels amazing. And someday I will knit with it, dagnabit.
Of course, I didn’t leave empty-handed. I went with something specific in mind. I won’t be starting for a bit yet, but I have a shawl idea floating around in my head in two sizes, one in lace weight and one in fingering weight yarn. I have the lace weight, so I went looking for fingering weight, preferably in a light, antiqued shade. I got a skein of Creating sock yarn in Elephanta, a lovely pink/grey yarn that fit the bill perfectly. You are probably aware that pink is not usually one of the colors I’m drawn to, but the image of this shawl has always had one version in pink in my head.
I’m hoping to get around to more local dyers and yarnies soon! This was great fun, and I’m so excited to have a skein of something unique to this area to work with for a new design.
October 12, 2009 at 2:47 am |
that was so sweet of your husband!! How awesome. And I love the name of that store!! Glad it’s proven to be a good find.
October 12, 2009 at 3:04 am |
Yay! I love Verb’s fiber and yarns.
October 12, 2009 at 4:30 am |
Looks like a neat shop, and what beautiful goodies. Well done by your husband.
October 12, 2009 at 5:18 am |
Hurray for Husband! that’s awesome. The store looks beautiful–I really want to visit their physical premises next time I’m back in the Bay Area. I’ve only seen their fiber via mail-order.
October 12, 2009 at 12:04 pm |
I have a husband like that too! Aren’t we lucky? Gorgeous store.
October 13, 2009 at 3:51 am |
Dang girl, you hadn’t been there yet? I have to not go on purpose. Temptation, she is a strong and bewitching mistress there.
October 13, 2009 at 11:05 am |
Haha, that’s a killer story – my friend’s boyfriend is just like that, too.
I also love the sock yarn! Dusty pink is a wonderful colour for anything, but especially shawls.
October 13, 2009 at 7:36 pm |
Ooo, oooo! They have a store? I want to go! If they have any of the Teeswater wool from Shaggy Bear Farms, don’t pass it up. I have such a hot passionate crush on that yarn that I wish I had more than just two socks’ worth. Can’t wait to hear more about your new shawl idea!
October 18, 2009 at 10:38 pm |
I’ve always been drawn to A Verb for Keeping Warm’s website, but haven’t found anything that I have to have yet. The store looks gorgeous though!