BB's News

Dear Weavers

I hope this blog finds you safe and well within your comfortable home. What extraordinary times we live in at the moment with this covid-19 pandemic. Who would have thought at the beginning of this year, that we all suddenly have so much time on our hands? Luckily for us Australians, we escaped the worse and never had to encounter a total lock down. I feel for the people in Europe, especially Italy and Spain which have been locked into their houses or mainly apartments for now over 7 weeks! If you are a weaver over there, I guess there is no escaping, you will have to weave all day.... I also feel for the people in the USA which are doing it so tough at the moment. Please stay safe!

How am I coping with this isolation? Well, I have to say, for me not much has changed. I am a typical introvert and therefore not so much confronted with being alone. And I also work from home. So life has not really changed much for me. It only gets different, when I get out of the house. I am also in the not so risky age group for this virus. I therefore volunteered to do the shopping for my elderly neighbours, which is an experience by itself. To find specific items on a shopping list from someone else can really open up your eyes to new things! I did not know there are so many sorts of soy sauces available....

But I also know that with all this going on around us and we sitting in isolation, can have some strange effects on a human being. Things can be turning in our heads. Scary thoughts won't leave us and news have to be checked a million times a day to be sure one doesn't miss a thing. And news are always negative. I try to keep remind myself about the positive side of this pandemic. So here are my positive things:

- I can finally work on things I left in a box and forgotten about ....

- I can catch up on forgotten chores inside the house like clean the pantry or windows, hurrah

- I can still go for a walk with my dog every day

- I have a supporting and loving husband

- Keep in contact with family and friends with smart phone

- I can order everything online if I need to, thanks for the internet

- I can weave and have plenty of yarn to do so (my yarn stash will last for years of isolation if needed)

- I have a garden which is full of weeds and needs work, hurrah

- I have lots of work to do with my yarn business and weaving correspondence course

And here we are at the topic, the weaving correspondence course. 

I know that by now with several weeks of isolation behind us, we now have completed all these leftover chores, have a weed free garden, are sick of the walkways in the area, chatted with too many people online and are now looking for something else to do. Well I have something else for you. How about learning to weave in a professional way? This is not just a course where you learn to weave and that's it. This course gives you much more. You will learn how to draw your own draft, there is colour theory for weavers, you get to know all the yarn fibres and their attributes and much more. You will also complete real woven products and not just samples. Within the course you weave t-towels, runners, aprons, bath mats, table mats, scarves and much more. All designed and woven by you.

The course has three levels, beginners, intermediate and advanced. The first level has 4 weaving projects, the second level has 9 and the third level has 18 weaving projects to complete. So much weaving! The course is put together into modules (so called packages) which are full packed with studies and exercises to work through. Once finished with the package, the assignments have to be sent back for review and to apply for the next package. Each level of the course has 18 packages. There is lots of information packed into each one of these packages. Some packages even include a DVD with small videos on it with instructions for a specific technique or example.

This course is not just an easy way to learn to weave, it really is very comprehensive. The information you achieve through this course gives you the professional knowledge of the weaving craftsmanship. Some participants mentioned to me, that they feel like studying an university course. 

I have started writing all this down over the last couple of years, because while giving workshops over weekends or with continuous groups, I have been asked so many times, if what I teach could be done over correspondence. This was asked by people who work full time and only sometimes have time for their hobby in the evenings or weekends. It was also asked by people who live remote and aren't able to attend any workshops anywhere. So one day I finally sat down and started typing. And here I am now. At the moment we have about 50 participants all over Australia and New Zealand. These participants are all at different stages of the course and happily working on the course whenever they can. The course is made so that there is no time limit and each package can be worked through in their own pace.

The course is for any weaver at any stage. There are some pretty advanced weavers doing this course and they all tell me, that they pick up new and handy things by reading and working through the packages every time. The course can also be there for new inspiration. Sometimes a weaver can get stuck and feel like doing the same thing over and over again. This course can make you think outside the square and open eyes for new designs and ideas.

I have been working and writing on this course now for a while. I write whenever I have time to do so. It can be quite time consuming to put all this information together. Sometimes I start writing and soon realise that the topic is much larger than I thought it would be. Therefore ending up with pages and more pages. Most of the time I also weave the weaving projects to be sure they turn out the way they have to. At the moment I'm also working on putting some extra courses together like colour theory, drafting or weaving projects only. These would be courses where you can work on weaving projects only and won't be bothered by any theory. Or you may only be interested in colour theory or would like to learn how to draw your own draft only. 

There is still heaps to be done. But I thought I introduce the weaving correspondence course here in this blog. Because right now would really be the perfect time to start something like that. Plenty of time and weaving is really relaxing and rewarding. In this uncertain time, you would have a very certain occupation to look forward to. And at the same time you can further your knowledge, learn something new.

Should you be interested, please don't hesitate to send me an email sales@bbyarn.com or comment on this blog. You can read more about the course on the website www.bbyarn.com   The enrollment form can also be downloaded from the website.

Should there be a participant from the course reading this blog, I would very much appreciate a comment!

Please everybody, stay safe, keep weaving and think positive

Happy weaving

Ursula

BB' s News

Dear Weavers

This month I would like to discuss the bamboo yarn. A lot of weavers seem to be rather skeptical about this yarn. I am actually not quite sure why, is it because the yarn is "man-made" or is it because it is hard to believe that it could actually be a real bamboo plant?

BB Yarn Supply sells a 100% bamboo fibre yarn called Bambu7 ^TM. It is truly made out of bamboo! Really. The Bambu trademark from Silk City, USA insists on cultivation from sustainable and environmentally-sound vegetation. Bambu yarn is 100% cellulose and similarly produced like a rayon or viscose yarn. It is called "man-made" because the yarn is not spun from fibre. The bamboo is cut into a pulp and then pressed through a very fine jet to produce the yarn. The Bambu yarn is also free of pesticide and chemical fertilizing.

Bamboo is known for its skin friendly abilities. In the shops you can now buy socks, baby ware, T-shirts and underwear made out of bamboo. It is because bamboo has the ability to be suitable for any skin problems. And this is not all, bamboo is also really easy to look after. It can be washed in the warm washing machine with no problems. It might be stiff when it comes out of the machine, but after drying in the shade, all it needs is a good shake and hot iron. The fabric will be back to its normal softness and shine.

A fabric woven out of bamboo has a beautiful drape and extraordinary softness. I haven't met anybody who didn't go "uhh" and "ahh" when touching the fabric. It is simply stunning. I always tend to explain to customers that bamboo feels to me like something between silk and tencel.

Can you feel me, yes I love bamboo and I have worked with this yarn many, many times and still not enough. It is one of my absolute favourites.

When I started BB Yarn Supply I always said that I only ever going to have natural yarns for sale. No rayon or polyester. Well I think I still do, because the Bambu yarn is still 100% cellulose or bamboo. There is nothing not natural about it. Let's face it, because it is "man-made" it doesn't mean it's artificial. It is just another way of producing a yarn. Yes, there might have been chemicals involved to produce the yarn. But this doesn't mean the chemicals are still in the yarn. How can it be so good for your skin otherwise?

The only thing to be careful with bamboo is the sett for weaving. If you have a too high sett for your project, it can get heavy and you end up with something nice and shiny, but rather heavy. Bamboo yarn has the same feel in weaving like tencel, it is as slippery and flat. There is not much elasticity in the yarn and advise you to loosen your warp, if you not weaving. If you leave a bamboo yarn warp under tension for too long, it will get loose and you end up with tension problems.

My favourite sett for Bambu 7 is 16epi and ppi, a balanced fabric. The yarn comes in 36 stunning colours to choose from. It runs 4247m/kg and a 100g spool goes for $16.90. The yarn is suitable for weaving, knitting and crocheting.

If there is someone out there who is by any chance reading this blog and is not a weaver, maybe a knitter, I would be very interested to hear how the Bambu 7 behaves in other crafts. Let me know at sales@bbyarn.com I would be very happy to have you included into my monthly blog with some productive comments.

Maybe for some weavers this Bambu 7 yarn might be too modern or out of the ordinary. I like to go with the time and try out new things. What is that saying.... if you never, never try, you will never, never know! Have a try and give Bamboo a chance. Click on any Bambu 7 or picture and it will take you straight to the shop.

Happy weaving

Ursula

BB's news

Dear Customers

As this year comes to an end, I would like to thank everyone for their loyalty and support throughout 2019. It has been a great year with new yarns and new developments. 

But wait to see what 2020 will bring! There are lots of plans for even more yarns, more colours and more weaving. I can't wait to show you all.

Have a wonderful Christmas and I see you all in 2020.

Kind regards

Ursula 

There are quite a few changes brewing here at BB Yarn Supply. Starting with the first news, the Cottolin yarn. This popular European yarn will be totally sold out to make space for the Organic Cottoline (yes with an e at the end) from Venne, which will hopefully be even more popular. I will describe this new and exciting yarn in the next blog.

But first the old Cottolin yarn: This beautiful yarn made out of 60% cotton and 40% linen is ideal for weaving t-towels, tablemats, tablecloths, dishtowels, coasters, potholders or even fabrics for a jacket etc. So many options and ideas. Years ago I made a dressing gown in waffle weave with Cottolin yarn! Why not? I am sure there are plenty more ideas of what you can make with this yarn.

Still lots of colours left to buy, like the amazing "teal", "lemon", "watermelon" or "forget me not". Lots of option to create something wonderful. A bobbin of Cottolin which is 250g is now only $22.50. 20% off, a bargain. Click here to get you straight to the Cottolin special page.

Hope you enjoy and happy weaving

Ursula

BB Yarns online store will be closed for an autumn break. We will be away from Thursday the 13th of April to the 2nd of May. You can still place an online order, but it will only be processed once we are back in the office.

We hope this doesn't cause too much inconveniences for you. We desperately need a break and hope to be back refreshed to fulfill all your yarn needs perfectly again.

Happy Easter to all of you

Ursula

BB Yarn online store will be closed from the 21st of December to the 3rd of January. Orders can still be placed, but there won't be any processing until we are back in the office.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year.

Looking forward to hear from you all again in 2017

Happy weaving to you all

Ursula