Knit Picks Releases First 100% American-Made Yarn Line For Hand Knitters
Vancouver, Wash. (April 5, 2021) — Like for so many others, the Covid-19 pandemic inspired Crafts Group, parent company of Knit Picks, to embark on something new. With shutdowns over the last year spurring knitters to knit more and driving beginners to the craft in order to fill their time spent at home doing something that helped them feel safe, productive and happy, the demand for yarn accelerated. As a result, Crafts Group decided it was the right time to pursue something that had been on its wish list and provide consumers with its first custom made yarn grown, processed, dyed and milled entirely in the U.S.
“The pandemic was a catalyst for us,” said Crafts Group CMO Ursula Morgan. “It gave us a chance to reflect on our core values and goals and respond to demand from consumers. At Crafts Group, we look to our customers to be a navigating compass in where to go next. They had been calling for a responsibly sourced all-American-made yarn and the time was right for us to deliver on that.”
In what Morgan describes as a “twist of fate,” when Crafts Group began exploring domestic partnership opportunities one year ago, it swiftly found that Shaniko Wool Company Founder, Jeanne Carver, was simultaneously seeking a U.S. brand partner to buy her prized harvest of American wool. The only wool to-date to be certified under Textile Exchange’s Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), an international benchmark program for responsible land and animal management.
"I’m thrilled to have had the opportunity to bring Crafts Group the raw wool for its first American yarn line," said Shaniko Wool Company Founder Jeanne Carver. "The fact that this wool is RWS certified means it represents practices we all value. It has enabled us to provide confidence along with the premium quality and performance that we believe knitters will appreciate."
There is a natural synergy between Crafts Group and Shaniko Wool Company and the values they share. The responsible, dedicated care Shaniko Wool Company puts into both the land the sheep graze and the wool the sheep produce fits right in with Crafts Group’s corporate value to “do good” and maintain sustainable, ethical business practices in the sourcing and creation of products it sells. Additionally, Shaniko Wool Company is conveniently located just 120 miles away from Crafts Group’s headquarters in Vancouver, Washington and the ranches from which it sources its wool are all situated in the American west.
“We were elated to discover that Carver was looking for a U.S. brand partner to sell her wool,” said Morgan. All the stars aligned and we couldn’t have dreamt up a better opportunity than to bring customers our first 100% American-made yarn from such responsibly sourced sheep that practically live on our door step.”
About the High Desert Yarn Line
With a 20.5-micron count, the wool used to create the High Desert yarn line came from Merino and Merino/Rambouillet cross sheep living on family ranches made up of meadows, forest lands and deserts with natural water supplies and distinctive features like willow corrals. Each ranch is unique and has been run by dedicated families for 100+ years.
A nod to the striking landscape of Oregon’s High Desert from where part of the wool in the High Desert yarn line originated, it boasts 12 colors befittingly named: Wildfire, Lupine, Dusk, Juniper Berry, Mountain Bluebird, Willow, Lava Fields, Forge, Quail, Stargazing, Riverbend and Cottonwood. The palette of vibrant greens, blues, and red paint, charcoal greys and a natural white, is available in two weights: Sport weight (298 yards/100 grams) and Worsted weight (217 yards/100 grams). Balls of each weight retail for $18.99 and are available at https://www.knitpicks.com/high-desert.
High Desert is the first of multiple lines in a collection of high-quality 100% American-made yarn originating from Shaniko Wool Company wool that will be available exclusively through KnitPicks.com. Release of the next line in the collection is planned for Fall/Winter 2021.
For more information and/or to schedule an interview with Crafts Group or Shaniko Wool Company, please contact Kaity Ocean at kaity@ocean-pr.com or 775.544.9647.
About Crafts Group
Crafts Group's core mission (and passion) is to inspire and enable people to create beautiful things. For thirty years, the company has been making crafts accessible to everyone through quality products and engaging content. Today, Crafts Group is home to four successful e-commerce brands that serve quilters, knitters, crocheters, and sewists through print catalogs and content-rich websites, including Connecting Threads, Knit Picks, Superior Threads, and WeCrochet. As a leader in the ever-growing handmade movement and through direct relationships with trusted mills, manufacturers, suppliers, and designers across the globe, Crafts Group sources the best quality yarns, fabric, threads, tools, sewing machines, and other supplies at affordable prices so that crafters can do more of what they love: create.
