Inspired By Color and Texture: A Plan For Bobble Brand

I recall the first time I thought about opening a yarn store. My family was vacationing in Minnesota and my daughter and I were taking our annual walk down Broadway, exploring any new shops that might have popped up since our last visit. We stumbled upon a set of stairs that led to a basement store. The sign above the store front read Bella Yarn. Up until that point, my yarn buying experiences had been limited to large chain crafting stores. I had never been into a store that sold only yarn.  When we opened the door to the shop I was taken aback. Yarn lined the walls from floor to ceiling.  The large array of colors drew us in for a closer look.  The owner of the store was the best. She spent time showing us how to knit in the round, introduced us to hand-dyed yarns, impressed us by winding yarn into cakes, and helped us navigate through the patterns on Ravelry  to find the perfect project.  We were both fascinated: my daughter with the idea of learning to knit and me, inspired by the idea that maybe one day I could also have a career that allowed me to be surrounded by color, beauty, and creativity. Three hours later, with two bags full of yarn, we headed back to the cabin. That experience was a turning point in my knitting journey and most definitely was a factor in wanting to dye yarn for myself.  The process of learning to dye yarn opened my eyes to the world of fibers available to me. Small boxes began to arrive at the door, filled with shiny silk fibers, the softest merino wools, the fluffiest mohair, and new dye powder for creating the perfect colors. There was a learning curve involved but I loved every second of it. The dying was small scale. Small batches of fiber I dyed up to create projects for friends, family, and myself.

The dream of selling my hand dyed yarn developed while having a conversation with my daughter who was away at college. She was aware that for quite some time my work life balance was not in check and as a result, the level of creativity in my life was not where I needed it to be.  Together, we came up with an idea and a name for the brand. She designed the logo, and I began to curate more colorways and fine tune the fiber selection. I had created a 5-year plan, and it was something to look forward to. But in March, I was forced to make a tough decision and the planning for Bobble Brand was put into high gear.  Luckily much of the groundwork had been completed and the goal of launching the online store on July1st was met. That being said, there are still so many things I want to do. My work is not done.

I currently offer 7 bases in 17 solid colors. In the next few months, you can expect to see the addition of new alpaca, superwash, and mohair bases in a variety of weights as well as the release of the Postcard Collection which will include yarn bases in variegated colors centered around nature and travel.  My goal is to have yarns that mix and match well. Each of my variegated colorways will have a coordinating solid base so that layering yarns and creating multicolored yarn projects is super easy.

I look forward to working with you on your next project. Please stay tuned for all the new and exciting products headed your way.