December Meeting Recap: A Visit from Brooklyn Tweed & Moth Prevention

Jamie MacCarthy, community and customer service maven of Brooklyn Tweed, educates us on the company history.

Our last meeting of 2018 brought us one of our favorite business members, Brooklyn Tweed, to talk about the experience of working with the local, breed-specific yarn company. We also had an amazing giveaway and a some tips on how to save your precious woolies from moths.

Jeff from Ohana Pest Control shared his professional tips for keeping your woolies well. 
Scents like peppermint, cedar, lavender, and mothballs deter moths from laying eggs in your yarn and knitwear.

If you bring home natural fibers from a thrift store or yard sale, store them in your freezer for at least 12 hours before integrating them into your stash.

Program: The Brooklyn Tweed Experience

Every detail of Brooklyn Tweed, how they source their materials, craft designs, and the feel of a blocked swatch, reflects a certain kind of passion. Customer and Community Relations expert Jamie visited us to talk about the story and experience of one of our favorite business members.

Where Did Brooklyn Tweed Begin?

Its namesake comes from the New York City borough where founder Jared Flood first started a blog about his knitting adventures. With a reverence to Elizabeth Zimmerman, he became obsessed with knitting and yarn making, soon having one of his designs on the cover of Vogue Knitting. 

Women wrapping skeins of Shelter by hand at the historic mill in New Hampshire BT works with.

How the Yarn Gets Made

Brooklyn Tweed 's mission is to "develop and manufacture breed-specific yarns that support domestic textile production—designing, sourcing, dyeing and spinning our yarns within the USA." Jamie took us on a quick journey from sheep to skein.

Targhee-Columbia sheep, an American cross-breed, in Wyoming. Woolen spun yarn like Shelter start on these cuties.

Getting cleaned in Texas.

Ready for spinning in New Hampshire after a visit from the dye house in eastern Pennsylvania.

What Is It Like Designing for Brooklyn Tweed?

With a team of expert knitwear designers like Gudrun Johnston and Norah Gaughan, Brooklyn Tweed patterns get a lot of love. To create collections like Wool People, the design team gathers for a retreat in which to deep dive into brainstorming and developing. Sounds like a dream, right? From there, design and marketing coordinators work with Jared and company to bring new patterns to you.

To show their appreciation, Brooklyn Tweed brought mini skeins of Peerie for each member. When you knit it up, be sure to bring your FO to Show and Tell! Thank you to Brooklyn Tweed for a wonderful program.

Show and Tell and Our Raffle

Our members make the most amazing things. This gorgeous lace shawl was knit by a member (on the far right with the mic - holler at us so we can properly acknowledge you!) for her wedding. 

Emme Von, co-host of the Stitch and Stir podcast and March program co-guest, won a blanket's worth of Noro in our raffle. Yes, you read that right. 

Join us in 2019 for a review of Double Knitting by Renate Yerkes!