YOTH Yarns. Father.
Today I would love to introduce you to a wonderful yarn company that I am happy to collaborate with for one very interesting project that will be out soon - YOTH Yarns. The story and people behind these beautiful skeins are amazing! YOTH Yarns is a family business that started in the garage and grew over the years into a company with its yarns available in the USA, Canada, Japan and Europe. I highly recommend listening to their inspiring story at Woolful - "Veronika Jobe, Danny Burda & Family – Czech roots, road trips, family and Yarn On The House". I really admire how loving and supporting their family is!
YOTH Yarns are mostly known for their color palette - more than 30 gorgeous shades available! Veronika and Danny are determined to keep the business local as much as possible - all their yarns are dyed in Maine, in Saco River Dyehouse. The company works with two bases (casmere/merino/nylon blend and 100% domestic Rambouillet, the latter is made and sourced 100% in the USA) and four weights - fingering, DK, heavy lace weight and worsted.
For our project I chose Father (100% Domestic Rambouillet, worsted weight) in a beautiful neutral Hazelnut shade. Isn't it gorgeous?!
I asked Veronika to share a little bit more about the company and the yarn in this mini interview.
Before becoming a yarn company owner, you were a passionate hobby knitter. During that time what was the most fascinating part of the process for you - choosing a pattern, yarn, color, planning, knitting, finishing...? What was the biggest inspiration "booster"?
What a good question! I absolutely adore choosing patterns to match yarn or vice versa. The creative aspect of combining fibers and textures, knitting elements, and everything else that goes into patterns, is my heart. I love the practice and vision that go into planning and modifying patterns and/or yarns to make them do what you want. It's the challenge and excitement of something new that I love. Color would come second, which is a given that I enjoy, and knitting the actual piece is why I started in the first place. Knitting is my happy place. It keeps me grounded, sane and connected to my creativity.
I guess during that time you started to have an idea of what your ideal yarn should feel/look like. Can you tell us, please, what qualities you were looking for in yarn, what appreciating most at that time as a hobby knitter and how it is reflected in your own yarn right now?
I'm a bit like a squirrel and often get distracted. My taste in yarn is always changing and evolving, but wool in general is for me. I have fibers and types of yarns I always come back to. I love a luxurious soft yarn, which is how Big Sister and Little Brother, our merino/cashmere/nylon blend came to be. However, even though this buttery yarn is lovely to knit with and yields an amazing finished object, it's not perfect for all jobs. I love a good hardy all wool yarn for classic sweaters, cabled hats and hard wearing longevity. When we were creating this type of yarn, we knew we wanted it to be made in the US from sheep to skein. Mother and Father, our 100% Domestic Rambouillet yarn, is what resulted from the need to fill this need in our yarn company, and it's actually my favorite right now! I know I shouldn't say that, because I consider them all like my little "children", but it's what is hitting spot for me now. We are also working on a new yarn for next year, which I am very excited about!
When you think about yarn, what comes first - color or fiber?
That is a tough one! I think it really depends on what I fall in love with first. Sometimes I grab a yarn skein and it's the fiber blend, the plying of the yarn, or the breed of sheep that has drawn me in, but other times, it's the color that I can't pass up. I absolutely adore picking out a color for a project and so if I had to choose, I would say color.
Tell us, please, a little bit about one of YOTH Yarns that I am knitting with right now - "Father", 100% domestic Rambouillet wool. How is it sourced and why did you choose this fiber to be a part of YOTH family?
We are proud to say that Father, the worsted weight, and its lovely heavy lace weight counterpart, Mother, are 100% American made. When we first started YOTH, we knew we wanted a hardworking yarn that was affordable and made in the USA. It was important to us to source a fiber that was soft to the touch, but also had some oomph to create traditional knitwear and hold up well. Father is a pro at cables, textured stitches, colorwork and good old stockinette stitch. We partner with the most wonderful and knowledgeable folks in the industry to help find just the right fibers for us. They source our Rambouillet from small and mid sized farms west of the Rockies. The fibers are then combined to create a well balanced and consistent blend, which is spun up and dyed on the east coast. It's all a phenomenal group of hardworking small businesses and talented individuals that help our dreams come true. We are so lucky to be able to do what we love each and every day, and hopefully add to the beautiful growth and resurgence of this industry that we are in.
From my part, I can say that knitting with Father is such a great tactile experience! The yarn is soft as merino, but has more bounce and amazing stitch definition, which makes it perfect for texture. It knits up very quickly, creating a beautiful fabric with perfectly even stitches.
The hardest part for me was to choose a color, each shade is unique, very deep and rich. My favorites are Hazelnut, Dates, Poppy Seed, Shiitake and Oyster (don't you just love these names?!). I went with Hazelnut, because it is such a universal color that goes great with everything!
I am really looking forward to this project, the swatches are making me so happy! Looking forward to sharing it with you soon!
Meanwhile, you can find YOTH Yarns at yothyarns.com and on Instagram @yarnonthehouse. You can find the list of shops that carry YOTH Yarns here - Stockists.
See you at Yarn Along today!
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