This year, the whole world watched as U.S. Border Patrol Agents separated migrant children from their parents. Like many of you, I saw the video of children crying in cages, and I wept with them. Now, months later, as we’ve moved on to different crises and deplorable actions by the Trump administration, many of those families have not been reunited. As the new mother of a baby boy, I can’t help but think about how heart breaking it must be to lose your child. I cannot imagine what it would feel like to be separated from my child for weeks, months, or longer. I hope that I never find out.
Instead of allowing my own outrage fatigue to paralyze me, I'm doing what I do best - selling yarn. When we decided that we would vend at Vogue Knitting Live in San Francisco, I knew that I wanted to create a special color to highlight the diversity and values of the Bay Area. That color is Sanctuary City. It has a grey base with speckles of turquoise, blue, and teal, reminiscent of clouds and fog forming over the water in the bay. The name is one that has become a flash point in recent years. A slur to some, “sanctuary city,” has also been a point of pride and admiration for those who would proudly offer refuge to the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to be free.
Our Sanctuary City colorway is a tribute to every person who recognizes that the American ideal is one of equality and justice; and that patriotism is not the same as nativism. All profits from the sale of Sanctuary City will be split between two organizations. Raices provides free and low-cost legal service to immigrant children, families, and refugees. The International Refugee Assistance Project(IRAP) mobilizes direct aid, litigation, and advocacy to work on behalf of refugees and displaced persons.
The color is available for pre-order, and it will begin shipping when we return from The New York State Sheep and Wool Festival (Rhinebeck) on Monday, October 22nd. We are dyeing these to order and will do our best to keep up, but please allow for a few weeks of processing time.
As much as it pains me to live in a world where I feel that I need to use my business to benefit those impacted by the current administration, I am eternally grateful for the ability to do so. It is because of your support that we can do this, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Here at Neighborhood Fiber Co., you may have noticed that we aren't exactly shy about our beliefs. We were all stunned to the point of paralysis after the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School. With Karida out on maternity leave and Stitches West quickly approaching (more on both of those below), the decision of what to do got pushed to the back of our brains. Well, now we're back and we're ready to do something.
On April 20, 1999, I was one of millions of high school students across the United States who felt their safety shattered by the Columbine High School Massacre. For me, it felt like one of those moments where everything changes and nothing can ever truly be the same again. Before I graduated from high school, there were school shooting or bombing scares that raised all manner of hue and outcry against the availability of guns and bomb-making materials. But nothing really changed. In recent years, I’ve watched the aftermath of so many school or mass shootings, that I felt myself becoming desensitized to them. Until February 14, 2018. Watching the students at Stoneman Douglas High School flee their school buildings, hands in the air, as police and EMTs pooled around them, I was horrified, but I was also really scared. For the first time, I experienced a school shooting through the lens of a parent. As many of you know, I recently gave birth. My son, Kai, was still 6 days from being born, but the brother that I have been raising for the last 3 years was still at school. Many of you are parents too, and even if you’re not, I know that you share my horror at the events in Parkland. Watching the young people who have come of age in this climate of fear rise up to make a change has given me hope that I haven’t felt in long while. These young people are the victims of these school shootings. The adults have failed to protect them, so they are demanding what we should have been able to give them. Now is the time to give them all of our support. - Karida
Because we are yarn dyers, of course we turned to color.
Parkland will be available until March 24 with all proceeds going to March For Our Lives so that more young people can join the fight and have their voices heard. It's working and we want to keep it that way.
New colors and patterns!
We've been doing weekly posts in our Ravelry group highlighting patterns and color combinations. One of our favorites (and one we were anxious to share with the whole world), is the Separate Wayspattern from the newly released Interpretations Vol. 5 collection. Joji Locatelli designed a stunning new take on her very popular Boxy featuring our yarn! We developed 4 new colors for her and took inspiration from her theme (ground) to name them for historic Baltimore markets. From left to right: Broadway Market, Cross Street Market, Hollins Market, and Lexington Market.
We have them available in sweater bundles and as individual skeins.
In other news
As previously mentioned - Karida had her baby! The Neighborhood Fiber Baby (as we've dubbed him) was born on February 20th. Mom and little one are happy and healthy and resting up at home. Everyone - meet Kai!
The same day Kai joined the outside world, Kristen was flying out to California for Stitches West. We had amazing booth help, as always, and very much enjoyed catching up with old friends and making new ones. Despite the less than warm weather (where did the fabulous California sunshine go?!) and various things that went wrong (there's always something), we were all smiles even by the end of Sunday. Our customers truly are the best. Thank you!!!
Happy New Year! |
It's going to be quite the year
Happy New Year folks! As I cross into 2018 and my family grows, I want you to know that I haven’t forgotten about my first baby, Neighborhood Fiber Co. With my due date just around the corner in February, there will be time over the coming months that I will not be personally available. However, I leave you all in good hands. For a long time Neighborhood Fiber Co. has been blessed by the support and growth of our staff. While I’m out, you can count on Kristen, Astrid, Jenelle, and the rest of the team to keep meeting all of your yarn needs. XOXO, As our fearless leader takes a step back to focus on her soon-to-be-bigger family, we are making all kinds of plans for the upcoming year! We looked long and hard at our show schedule and made the extremely difficult decision to skip Vogue Knitting Live in New York this year. There's just no way we can do it without Karida. To our delight, one of our new shops (Wasatch & Wool) is going and asked if they could take our yarn. Of course we said yes! We are sending them our new Bousta Beanie bundles, loads of faux fur pom poms, and a selection of colors in Studio Sock, Capital Luxury Sport, Studio Worsted, Loft, and Chromium. Wasatch & Wool will be located on the 5th floor in booth 323! Here's what our show/special events schedule looks like for 2018: |
It was 80 degrees at Rhinebeck (we were sweating in our sweaters - yes those are shorts) and snowing at SAFF (we were wearing all the knitwear and there were space heaters involved), but we came through in one piece! Our amazing customers make it all worth it. We dearly loved seeing everyone and fawning over their knitwear. Who doesn't love a good show and tell? Huge thanks to the folks at SAFF for welcoming us back to the south with open arms. We've already applied for next year, so the plan is to do Showtober again in 2018!
While we're talking about 2018...
Our fearless leader Karida is pregnant! The newest member of Team NFC (it's a boy) will be joining us in February. Know what a February baby needs? A ton of knitwear. Karida has already requested a pair of sock from our new ombre blanks (Kristen's on that one) and has a third tiny sweater on the needles. We're very much looking forward to seeing the Neighborhood Fiber baby decked out in all the hand knits.
In other news
We're heading to Fibre Space for Wool Immersion Weekend! Karida will be there Saturday (November 11th) with a whole slew of yarn including our new ombre sock blanks, Bousta Beanie bundles, Unity Tote bags, Capital Luxury Sport, Studio Sock, Studio DK gradients, Loft, and Rustic Bulky. The new Fibre Space location is amazing. If you haven't been by yet, this is the perfect time to do so!
Save the Date
Our annual holiday open house will take place on December 16th. We will have guest vendors, an ornament felting station, rigid heddle weaving demonstrations, cookies, cannoli, and spiced cider. We will also have custom dyeing all day! What's custom dyeing? It's pretty much the best thing ever. We will create the color of your dreams in any base of yarn we have on hand. Bring in any inspiration you'd like - pictures, paintings, nail polish, paint chips, you name it (the only thing we ask that you not bring is someone else's yarn to try and match). This is also an opportunity to snag a limited edition color that you may have missed out on (Hudson, cough, Hudson). For those who can't make it, we will be offering custom dyeing online as well. Get excited!!!
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If not, it should be! We are rocking the east coast this month with two shows: New York State Sheep and Wool Festival (aka Rhinebeck) October 21st-22nd and Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair (SAFF) October 27th-29th. We leave next Wednesday for Rhinebeck, come back the following Monday, then leave that Wednesday for SAFF. Needless to say, we have dyed a TON of yarn because we won't have any time in between to do so. We're rather proud of ourselves for pulling this off - go team NFC!
We created colors specifically for each show. For Rhinebeck, we came up with Hudson.
We think it's the perfect blend of everything that is fall in the Hudson Valley. We will have it available in Rustic Fingering, Studio Sock, Capital Luxury Sport, Studio DK, and Studio Worsted. Come see us in building C, booth 37!
For SAFF, we came up with Montford. Since it's our first time at SAFF, we decided to make something a bit more celebratory.
It reminds us of fireworks and popsicles. It is our homage to the end of summer. We will have it available in Studio Sock, Studio DK, and Studio Worsted. Come visit us in Barn F, booths 28/29/30
Planning for next year
We have our City Zen Dye Retreats for 2018 on the calendar!
The Baltimore edition will take place April 6th-8th and the one in Knoxville, MD will take place June 28th-July 1st. Spaces are quite limited (10 spots for Baltimore and 12 for Knoxville), so we suggest you sign up earlier rather than later. Both locations have monthly payment options to make things a bit easier.
Wrapping up our Summer of Giving
Thanks to our wonderful customers, we were able to finish up our Summer of Giving with a bang. We donated $1,400 to Planned Parenthood and $800 to Healthcare for the Homeless. That brings our grand total for the summer to $4,475! Needless to say, we are beyond thrilled with what we were able to donate.
Upstairs we go
Next week is going to be a busy one as we move the yarn shop upstairs and expand our production space over the entire first floor (you can follow our progress on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter). Please bear with us for the first couple of weeks as we get in our new fixtures and get everything just right. As of August 27th, our new shop hours are Friday and Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm. We will, of course, continue to be open by appointment. We look forward to seeing you upstairs when the new shop opens next Friday!
Who's fading?
We've had a tremendous amount of fun putting together color combinations for Andrea Mowry's upcoming What the Fade?! mystery fade along. If you haven't gotten your set yet, or would prefer to pick it up in person, we will be celebrating the launch of the first clue by helping you build the perfect fade in our shop. With nearly 60 colors to choose from, we're pretty confident that we can help you find the fade of your dreams. Stop by Friday, September 1st or Saturday, September 2nd to join in the fun!
New Limited Edition Colors!
Who's ready for some new colors? We gave you some sneak peaks of these in the color sets we made up for What the Fade?! and we finally got them listed on their own.
For fall/winter 2017, we have the following limited edition colors (pictured above from left to right):
Highlandtown - medium toned blue leaning green, lightly variegated
Penrose - light coral pink, semi-solid
Cedarcroft - mauve with caramelized sugar overtones, variegated
Violetville - lavender swirled with red, highly variegated
We currently have them dyed up in Rustic Fingering, Capital Luxury Sport, Studio DK, and Studio Worsted (Studio Sock is on its way and we will list it as soon as it arrives). If you would like it in another one of our bases, let us know and we'll make it happen!
psst: have you seen our sale section? It's full of one-off colors, skeins with knots, and general misfits. And they're all marked 50% off!]]>Taking over the upstairs
When we took over the lease for upstairs, we didn't quite know what we were going to do with it. If you haven’t seen it, it’s a beautiful, open space with great light and lovely, original tin ceilings. It’s PERFECT for our Studio Store. We look forward to welcoming you into our new retail space, which has the distinct advantage of being far away from the steamy dye kitchen. Unfortunately, the second floor is only accessible via stairs. With that in mind, we will be offering tours of our expanded production space (which will continue to be fully handicapped accessible) and will be more than happy to run up and down the stairs to fetch skeins if need be.
Along with moving the shop upstairs, we are updating our store hours. Starting in September, the NFC store will be open Fridays and Saturdays from 10 am to 6 pm. Our intention is to give us some more time to devote to what we do best, dyeing yarn. If our planned hours don’t work for you, don’t worry! We are still open by appointment the rest of the week. Also, every Friday, from 12-2, we will all bring out our knitting and have a good chat. Please join us! The shop will close on August 26th at 5 pm and reopen upstairs on September 1st at 10 am.
Our summer of giving continues!
Healthcare is a human right. Full stop. I was raised by a mother who worked as an administrator and advocate for public hospital systems. It never occurred to me that healthcare could be anything other than a human right. Imagine my surprise when I began working on Neighborhood Fiber Co. full-time. I discovered very quickly that I could not afford health insurance (when I wasn’t rejected outright due to a pre-existing condition). Nor could I afford to pay the out-of-pocket cost of health care. Navigating the dizzying world of insurance information, finding community health centers, and attempting to qualify for low-income services with no pay stubs were all more than I could handle or afford. So, for years, I went without adequate healthcare. I lost working time to preventable illnesses, had a cavity turn into a full-body infection, and even had surgery in the emergency room. Through all of this trial, the one organization that consistently made my healthcare and life easier was Planned Parenthood. I visited their health centers in multiple different states for the only regular health screenings that I had for 4 years. Now that my life and business are stable and thriving, I have healthcare that I can afford. However, that’s not true for everyone. I hope that you’ll join me in supporting Planned Parenthood and Healthcare for the Homeless. Both of these organizations provide direct health services to vulnerable populations. Now, more than ever, it’s important for all of us to put our support behind organizations that are working to make healthcare accessible.
For August, we will be donating 10% of all online sales to Planned Parenthood and 10% of all in-store sales to Health Care for the Homeless.
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When it was announced that the United States would be pulling out of the Paris accord, our initial reaction was disbelief. And then our disbelief turned to anger. As you probably know by now, here at Neighborhood Fiber Co. we are not content to sit idly by. Because we’re dyers, our immediate thought was to create a new color, something that reminded us of our planet. And then we remembered that we already have that color in Easterwood.
When describing Easterwood to people, we commonly refer to it as our planet Earth yarn due to its blend of deep blue and green. Taking a color from our regular lineup instead of creating a new one serves as a nice reminder that you can’t always create something new; sometimes you have to make the most out of what you have. Earth is it. We don’t have a substitute planet we can move to if we destroy this one. We have to do better.
Click here to read more!
]]>It seems like every time we turn on the news, there’s a new tragedy to mourn or a new attack on civil rights. In a time of seemingly perpetual bad news, we want to spread a message of hope and empowerment. It is with this idea in mind that we kick off a Summer of Giving at NFC. For 3 months (June, July, and August), we will be donating 10% of our total sales to charitable organizations that are working to make the world a better place. The adage is to think globally and act locally. We believe that it’s possible to do both. So, for each month, we will select one local and one national or international organization that highlights our theme for the month.
Since June is LGBT Pride Month in the United States, we will be donating 10% of all in store sales to the Baltimore Chapter of GLSEN and 10% of all online sales to National Center for Transgender Equality.
Each month, we will feature one product that we feel embodies the spirit of the organizations we are supporting.
We introduced the 6 color version of our rainbow gradient in 2015 when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriages nationwide. We brought them back again last summer following the tragic shooting at Pulse in Orlando, Florida. This year, we are proud to have our Marriage Equality Gradients return to kick off our Summer of Giving.
Our Marriage Equality Gradients are available in 12 of our yarn bases and are dyed to order, so please allow for a bit of extra processing time.
Apparently March was a complete blur because here we are and it's practically April. Surprise! This year has been a busy one so far and there is no slow down in sight. More yarn! A huge thank you to everyone who came out to see us at our 9th Homespun Yarn Party and participated in the Charm City Yarn Crawl. Speaking of which, today and tomorrow are the last days you can shop with us and get the 20% discount - get your yarn on! We are so happy to be a part of the Baltimore yarn scene and are really enjoying the challenge of making a production yarn studio and local yarn store work together.
A Day of Workshops
Next Saturday, we're hosting designer Olga Buraya-Kefelian for a whole day of workshops! In Brioche & Beyond, you'll learn a variety of Brioche stitches while working on a Tenchi Cowl in 2 contrasting colors of worsted weight yarn. 3-D Knitwear explores basic principles of dimensional texture used in knitwear as well as a variety of cast on and bind off techniques. You'll be able to practice your techniques on your very own Boko-Boko Cowl.
Dreaming Big
A couple of weeks ago, we signed the lease for the upstairs portion of our firehouse. Yay! Karida has dreams of a room full of floor looms, but we're not quite there yet. In the meantime, we're doing some rearranging to take advantage of our expanded space. There's a bit of work that needs to be done to connect the two floors, but we hope to have it done in time for the Baltimore edition of our City Zen Dye Retreat at the end of May.
For the Knoxville retreat, we decided to try something new. Not into dyeing but still want to get away for a nice long weekend? Come hang out with us at the Blue Mountain Retreat Center! This option does not include any of the dye classes, but you will still get to enjoy the beautiful setting and the marvelous food. Unwind and get away from it all! More details can be found here.
Making room
Our long sleeved Unity Shirts have been so popular that we decided to make short sleeve t-shirts for the summer! They will make their debut at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, which means we need to make some room! All of our original Ball So Hard t-shirts, Knit Your Hood t-shirts, and Ball So Hard sweatshirts are now 50% off!
Showtime
Speaking of the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, it's only a month away (eek!) and we've got a lot of work ahead of us to prepare. This year we doubled our tent size, which means we can bring way more yarn!
We are in our usual spot - Outside East Vendors: E7 (come in the main gate, take the 2nd right and we are about halfway down on your right in the big 20x20 ft tent).
We reformulated our Studio Sock last fall and it's amazing! We used it to make our new Find Your Fade bundles and are frantically working on a sample so you can see how pretty it looks knit up. We're dyeing up a bunch for the show and will have plenty of full sized skeins of Studio Sock in case we run out.
Along with our new Studio Sock, we are also bringing Studio DK, Studio Worsted, Rustic Fingering, Cobblestone Sock, Capital Luxury Lace, 3 Color Cashmere Cowl bundles (we're bringing a lot so we hopefully won't run out this year), Chromium, and Loft (weather permitting - no one wants muddy mohair).Everyone cross your fingers for nice weather!
Even with a bigger space, we simply make too many types of yarn to bring them all. What a terrible problem to have, right? Our studio store will be open our normal hours (10 am to 5 pm, Wednesday through Saturday) and we will cover the shipping on any orders placed at the show.
*We decided on Mondawmin and Upton, because you know that's how we roll. They'll be available at Stitches West and online after the show!
]]>In the coming months, you can expect to see more fundraising efforts from us. Instead of selecting exclusively non-partisan organizations, we will be raising money to support groups that are acting in opposition to Trump’s agenda. I will raise my voice and be counted among the people resisting tyranny. I encourage you to do the same.
Yours in unity,
Karida Collins
Owner and President of Neighborhood Fiber Co.
The full newsletter can be found here.
]]>The full newsletter can be found here.
]]>Increasingly, I’ve realized that I’m unable to separate my political self from my public persona. I believe, with all of my heart, that the personal is political. In many ways, this declaration is a scary one for me. I don’t want to offend or alienate any of my customers. However, if you’ve met me, you know that I’ve never actually been neutral on issues of social justice or human rights. Even in my attempts to position myself as an apolitical yarn dyer, my beliefs have always been a part of my art form. As the business has grown, so have the stakes. Now, when I use Neighborhood Fiber Co. to raise funds for a cause, such as the Baltimore Community Foundation’sFund for Rebuilding Baltimore, that decision impacts all of the people affiliated with and employed by NFC.
So, with the support of the entire NFC team, below are a few of the ways that Neighborhood Fiber Co. is trying to make a real difference in the world. I am aware that these initiatives will not make everyone comfortable and will make quite a few people downright uncomfortable. But we do not live in a world where I can sit by and do nothing. At a time when the world’s moral compass seems to be spinning out of control, we are taking a stand. A stand against violence and tyranny. A stand in favor of justice for all people and unity in the face of oppression. It’s time for all of us to do something.
In peace,
Karida
The full newsletter can be found here.
]]>November - so many new colors!
]]>Our biggest show of the year is just around the corner! We will be in our usual location (Outside East Vendors: E7) and the tent will be PACKED with yarn, as will our 15 ft back stock truck. All the yarn!
Studio Store Sale & Custom Dyeing
Since we can't bring everything to Maryland Sheep and Wool, we are keeping the studio store open all weekend! Our shop is an easy drive from the Howard County Fairgrounds and we decided to run a sale for those willing to make the trip! 25% off Rustic DK, Subte Worsted, and Beltway Bulky and a whopping 50% off everything in the sale bin!
As an added bonus, we are going to do custom dyeing again on Sunday, May 8th! Bring your color inspiration and let us make your very own custom color. Even better, if you stop by our booth at Maryland Sheep and Wool, you will get a coupon for an additional 10% off at our shop good through May 15th.
Tea Time in the Studio & Summer Hours
Tea time starts this weekend! At 1 pm every Sunday afternoon, we'll have a fresh pot of tea and sweet treats to share. Stop by the studio, grab a cup, and a comfy chair! We will occasionally host a pop-up shop, food truck, free workshops, and special guests. And we have our very own Engine No. 7 custom tea blend, because why not? See you Sunday!
In addition to a slight change in our hours (we're now open 10am-6pm on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays), we will be closed from May 25th until May 31th because Karida's getting married in the studio! We will have the store set back up in time to open on June 1st.
Change is in the air
Now that you're all excited about the sale, tea time, and Karida's wedding, here's the bad news. We have to raise some of our prices. Studio Worsted, our workhorse sweater yarn has been the same price for more than 5 years. Last year we began having problems keeping it in stock so we made the decision to change our supplier. We feel it is important to get as much of our yarn as possible from North America, so our choices were limited (14 of our 17 bases are milled in North America). We found an amazing new mill in Canada that was willing to make the yarn to our specifications (we're picky) and can keep up with our demand. Even better, they have access to a higher quality merino wool! The improved quality and supply makes the yarn a bit more expensive, but we think it's worth it and hope you will agree. Studio Worsted will go up to $44 on May 1st.
We also have to raise the prices on Loft and Chromium. We import both from Japan (along with Penthouse Silk Fingering) and the cost of materials and duty taxes have risen steadily over the years. We are keeping the price of Penthouse Silk Fingering the same, but will raise Loft and Chromium to $22 (also on May 1st). Again, this was a very difficult decision, but we have absorbed the price increases for years and just can't do it anymore.
Spring looks like it might be here to stay this time and we are very much looking forward to the sunshine! Our new limited edition collection is out and we have been very busy the past couple of weeks with Stitches South, the Charm City Yarn Crawl, and the Knit Long Island Trunk Show - whew!
We had a lovely time at Stitches South and were saddened to learn that it has been been put on hiatus while the Stitches crew searches for a new venue. Fingers crossed for the return of Stitch South in 2018 and maybe even Stitches East!
The Charm City Yarn Crawl was a huge success and we were so happy to be able to take part this year. Thank you to everyone who came to shop, hang out, and participate in custom dyeing. We are forever amazed at the fun sources of inspiration you bring us, which is what makes custom dyeing so much fun!
Our trunk show at Knit Long Island was such a treat. We are a very recent addition to their shop and we had a blast showing off all the pretty NFC colors to their excited customers!
MDSW is quickly approaching! We are dyeing yarn right now and will continue to do so right up until we load up the truck. We will have brand new kits in Capital Luxury Lace for Joji Locatell's 3 Color Cashmere Cowl (preview pictures below) and are working on some fabulous combos for Ann Weaver's The Rothko Sweater inspired by Rothko paintings. Prepare yourself for for a tent stuffed full of saturated NFC colors! We'll be in the Outside East Vendors: E7 (just like last year).
Our store will remain open so you'll still have access to the yarn that won't fit in the booth. 17 different types of yarn in 50 colors, plus limited edition colors just won't fit in a 10x20 ft tent no matter how hard we try! An easy 30 minute drive from the fairgrounds will get you to our studio store and we'll have the air-conditioning running! To entice you further, we are also going to offer custom dyeing on Sunday, May 8th. If you missed out during the Charm City Yarn Crawl, here's your chance! The shop will be open 10-6 on Saturday and Sunday.
Come learn basic color theory and the joys of kettle dyeing! We have two Dye Workshops currently scheduled: April 24th and May 22nd.
If you've already taken one, consider signing up for our open dye studio hours! Why mess up your kitchen when you can mess up ours? We have all the equipment you need and have a dye technician on hand to supervise. Please note that you must have attended one of our dye workshops or dye retreats in order to sign up for open dye kitchen hours. Open dye kitchen hours are currently scheduled for April 24th and May 22nd from 2-4 pm.
Spring may have just arrived, but surely there are people out there dreaming of summer already. We suggest you take a well deserved vacation surrounded by yarnie goodness. We have two dye retreats scheduled this year, one in Baltimore (only 2 spots left!) and one in Knoxville, MD. Hang out, make new friends, and leave with bags full of one of a kind yarn that you dyed yourself!
Starting May 1st, every Sunday afternoon will be tea time at the studio. We will provide tea, cookies, and comfy seating. Occasionally we will have a pop up coffee shop, free workshops, and special guests! Wednesday knit nights will continue through the end of April and then we look forward to seeing you on Sunday afternoons!
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More shows!
Homespun Yarn Party is almost here! Come join us in Savage Mill on March 20th for a truly spectacular afternoon. We wouldn't miss it for the world and you shouldn't either!
Not even 2 weeks later, we're packing our bags (and the yarn, can't forget the yarn) and heading to Nashville for Stitches South. We haven't been since 2013 and we hear the new venue at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center is amazing! Come see us in booths 501 & 600.
Limited Edition Yarn
We will be launching our new spring/winter colors at Stitches South, which means there are only a few weeks left to order the current winter/spring colors! March 31st is the last day to get Pigtown, Magnetic Midnight, Aurora Australis, and Aurora Borealis. Full disclosure, Pigtown will likely be joining the regular lineup, but we have to figure out what color it's replacing first!
Charm City Yarn Crawl
We're doing a yarn crawl! The Charm City Yarn Crawl runs from April 1st-10th. Our shop will be participating both weekends and Wednesday, April 6th. Our tote bags are on their way! Tote bags are $15 and will get you 20% off yarn & fiber purchases at each store. Visit 6 or more stores to be eligible for the grand prize drawing! Please email info@neighborhoodfiberco.com to reserve your tote bag.
Bonus: we're going to offer custom dyeing on both Saturdays (April 2nd & 9th). You can request discontinued colors, bring in a paint swatch, a picture, nail polish, whatever you heart desires and we will make just the right color for you!
Back Home
Once we return home, we plan on attending Homespun Yarn Party in Savage Mill. We won't find out if we're in until February 8th, but we have our fingers crossed! Great vendors and a fabulous group of volunteers keep this show on the top of our list every year.
Away We Go
Speaking of great vendors, we've heard amazing things about Stitches South and have decided to go see it for ourselves. We will be heading to Nashville to bring a little Baltimore flair to the south!
Click here for a full list of our shows, events, and flagship stores.
Classes & More Workshops!
Meanwhile, we are resuming our class schedule in the studio store. We have the following beginner classes scheduled:
February 10th & 24th from 6 pm to 8 pm
Feburary 14th & 27th from 12 pm to 2 pm
March 6th & 13th from 2 pm to 4 pm
March 9th & 16th from 6 pm to 8 pm
We also have another Dye Workshop scheduled for February 28th from 10 am to 2 pm and we've started Open Dye Studio hours! If you already attended one of our dye workshops or retreats, you can come use your skills in our kitchen without having to worry about the expense of procuring all the materials. There will be undyed skeins available for purchase, or your can bring your own! Please note that our dyes only work on animal fibers (wool, alpaca, silk, and the like). Open Dye Studio is available on February 28th in 2 hour blocks (2 pm to 4 pm & 4 pm to 6 pm).
From left to right: Magnetic Midnight, Aurora Borealis, Pigtown, and Aurora Australis, .
Studio Store Happenings
We've expanded our store hours! We are now open from 10 am to 6 pm on Saturdays and Sundays, and from 10 am to 8 pm on Wednesdays. Come hang out, bring your projects, shop for new ones, and see where the yarn is made!
We are busy working on our spring class schedule. In the meantime, we have a dye workshop scheduled for January 31st from 10 am - 2 pm. If you have already taken one of our dye workshops, or were at our dye retreat, we also offer supervised open dye kitchen time. Please email info@neighborhoodfiberco.com if interested.