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We're here to help you stitch sustainability into every aspect of your making.
With our carefully curated selection of non-superwash, plastic-free yarns and notions, we have everything you need to get started on your next project - and the one after that.
Here's to a wardrobe of knits we love and want to wear for years to come!
We're here to help you stitch sustainability into every aspect of your making.
With our carefully curated selection of non-superwash, plastic-free yarns and notions, we have everything you need to get started on your next project - and the one after that.
Here's to a wardrobe of knits we love and want to wear for years to come!
November 20, 2019 3 min read
Nestled on the cobbled streets of Edinburgh, there's a very special yarn shop that we are proud to count as one of our stockists. Run by Jessica James-Thomson, Ginger Twist Studio is a cavern of pure woolly joy, bursting at the seams with squishy wool, fibre and patterns. It also serves as home to Ginger's Hand Dyed, a range of beautifully hand-dyed yarns from the Jess herself. You may remember us using her gorgeous Masham Mayhem 4ply which we showcased in BREEZE for our Coromuel pullover. We thought it would be fun to take a trip to Scotland today and find out a little more about Jess and her woolly world!
My name is Jess and I live in Edinburgh, Scotland. I was born in the Philippines, grew up in Oregon, came of age in NYC and have become delightfully settled in Edinburgh. I've now had a wool shop (Ginger Twist Studio) for over 6 years, and life is good.
I run a weekly knit and crochet night at a pub near the shop. We meet every Monday evening and I typically enjoy a glass of wine with my current WIP. We are a wonderfully diverse group of gals (the occasional man will come along), and these are some of my favourite people! We are a very kind, fun and welcoming bunch.
I have always wanted to have my own wool shop, and after becoming settled in Edinburgh, I saw there was opportunity to turn this dream into a reality. I've always knit and been a lady of crafty ambitions, and a wool shop seemed the perfect fit for combining my skills of business and creativity. I started up on the teeniest of shoe string budgets (the shop hardly had any wool in it compared with now), and it was such hard work. But I just kept moving on ahead and feel more passionate about my wee shop and work than ever.
When starting up the bricks and mortar store, I wanted to offer something special and personal. The answer was to produce my own range of luxury hand dyed yarns. Ginger's Hand Dyed was born! I have a wide variety of bases from lace weight all the way up to chunky, and I love seeing how my colourways take to different bases.
I love Making Stories' ethos and what they stand for, and the patterns are always of high quality and beeeeeeeeeeautiful. I only sell what I want to use myself.
I was so honoured to be selected as a yarn partner! My Masham Mayhem 4ply was selected to be used for the Coromuel Jumper in BREEZE. To be considered for the position of 'yarn partner' I had to send in a shade card of my nominated wool as inspired by a mood board, and was so thrilled when mine was chosen. And I've since made 2 versions of this jumper myself, and perhaps there is a third one in the pipeline.
I LOVE to knit sweaters and cardigans.
My Woolly Originals project bag, no question. And my Hiya Hiya Interchangeable Sharp Stainless Needle set.
My Nana teaching me to knit left-handed, even though she is right-handed. We managed alright, and little did she know, she was starting me off on my career!
I have my favourite comfy chair to curl up on in my living room and binge on my latest TV obsession. I'm currently in the middle of watching New Amsterdam and manage to cry every at single episode. Ha!
My shop is super wee, and I therefore have to be very selective about what I stock. I do stock yarns for a wide variety of budgets, but everything is stuff I want to work with and use myself. I think this helps preserve my passion for my career choice.
The shop is located at 11 London Road in Edinburgh if you are in the area, or check out the website www.gingertwiststudio.com.
I ship everywhere! I'm also on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
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May 16, 2024 5 min read
Spinning yarn can seem a daunting craft, requiring arcane tools and techniques, but the fundamentals are simple. It is about adding twist to fibre, which gives it the strength to not pull apart. Most preparations of fibre will require drafting – that is, continuously pulling the fibre so fewer strands (or staples) are twisted together to make a thinner yarn. Drafting and adding twist are all that are needed to make yarn.
You might hear about woollen and worsted spinning, and the long- and short-draw methods associated with them. While interesting, and good to understand when improving your skills, the beginner spinner doesn’t need to worry overmuch about these terms.
We’re going to look at the tools and fibre you’ll need before you start spinning yarn.
May 08, 2024 5 min read
Learning to spin yarn comes with a huge array of new jargon, and a lot of these terms relate to how the fibre is prepared. Whether animal or plant fibre, there is a variety of ways it can be processed from raw material into something you can spin into yarn.
We’re going to look at some of the common formats available to hand spinners, what their characteristics are and the kind of spinning techniques they’re suitable for.
April 10, 2024 4 min read
Hi lovelies! Spring has sprung here in Berlin – as I am typing this (mid March), the buds on the chestnut tree out the window are a few days away from bursting, the forsythias are in full bloom, and our strawberry plants have started their comeback as well (leaves so far, but Aurin checks every day for berries :)).
So it's no surprise at all that today's blog post is very much inspired by the sun and the warmer days to come! I have put together a sweet roundup of 6 joyful spring knitting patterns, all of which I'd love to have on my needles soon. (If someone can get me an extra day or two per week to knit (oh, and to spin), I'd love that!)
The three yarns I've paired them with are my favorite spring / summer yarns: De Rerum Natura's Antigone, a delightful sport-weight linen yarn, Wooldreamers' Saona, a 50% Spanish cotton, 50% Spanish wool blend, and Natissea's Pernelle, our newest spring yarn: A 100% European hemp yarn!
We're a delightfully tiny team dedicated to all things sustainability in knitting. With our online shop filled with responsibly produced yarns, notions and patterns we're here to help you create a wardrobe filled with knits you'll love and wear for years to come.
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