Are you a die hard diy knitter or crocheter? Then you’ll definitely want to check out Kouture Crochet’s new Kickstarter project! The goal of this project is simply to bring single sheep breed yarns to the market in both an affordable and user friendly way. And, if you make a pledge of at least $10 or more to this awesome project, Kouture Crochet will send you skeins of her own hand spun yarn from single sheep breeds.
So if you’d like to see super luxury hand spun yarns made from single breeds brought to the market, then keep an eye out on this project! Better yet, you can help Kouture Crochet get a kick start on this project by donating as little as $1 to this diy project. Larger donations receive free skeins of hand spun yarn in return. The more you donate, the more you get.
Have questions? I thought you would. Here’s a little more about Kickstarter and Kouture Crochet’s project.
What is Kickstarter?
Kickstarter is a great “crowd-funding” resource. It allows everyday individuals to fund an idea they like or want to see become a reality. Additionally, Kickstarter can allow backers to help shape an how an idea comes to life. Karina, the girl behind Kouture Crochet, believes that this project will help to fill a need within the knitting, crocheting and weaving worlds and is therefore using it as a launching point to fulfill this goal.
Why yarn?
As a professional fiber artist, Karina has found that there is a lack of easily obtained information about natural yarns. While it’s simple to grab a ball of 100% Acrylic yarn off a shelf at a local chain, it’s not so easy finding 100% natural wool yarn for crafting a beautiful rug, a handmade baby blanket or even a quality, artisan sweater. Currently there is no easy way to try different breeds of wool to see which is best since access to these types of wool is more difficult to obtain. Karina’s Kickstarter project hopes to fill that gap.
Why single breed yarns?
Just as different breeds of dogs are bred for different jobs, throughout the past hundreds of years different regions and groups of people have bred sheep to fulfill different needs. Some breeds of sheep were bred for their meat or wool or both. Sheep bred specifically for their wool will have different characteristics than sheep bred for other purposes. These sheep will typically yield not only more wool, but also a much softer wool. Wool from animals bred for their meat varies greatly, but you’ll find it’s also full of surprises.
Single breed yarns vary greatly. For example there is the insanely soft, rare and colorful California Variegated Mutant, the workaday affordable Masham, the silky Polwarth, the rough and sturdy Jacob, and so many more.
The best way to know what to expect from a particular natural yarn is a hands on approach. You need to feel the yarn and work with it. However, there are hundreds of breeds and thousands of varieties and one skein of single breed yarn can cost anywhere from $15 – $50. As a result of this cost, many crafters and artisans do not have the means to try more than a few breeds in a lifetime.
Handspun yarns will have their own unique style, while mill spun yarns will be more uniform. The individual characteristics of artist handspun yarns, however, is what makes them so special. In the end, the goal is to put these unique yarns into the hands of knitters, crocheters, and weavers to give them a sense of what different yarns made from different breeds are like.
For more information on this project or to make a donation, visit Kouture Crochet’s Kickstarter Project. Donations are being accepted through February 10th, 2013 at 9:59pm EST. Pledges are accepted worldwide and donations of $10 or more receive free skeins of yarn. (Please refer to this Kickstarter project for full details.) You can also learn more about Kouture Crochet and the girl behind it all by visiting her on Etsy. You can also find Kouture Crochet on facebook.
