Just one of the many projects I’ve knit with Kraemer’s Perfection.

Come wring hands with us over the closing of Kraemer, close on the heels of Jaggerspun, and brainstorm for the future!  Yarn Tasting this Friday,  20% off Kraemer and Jaggerspun–our two old friends. With what will we replace our main acrylic/superwash blends?  What do you wish to see on the shelves?  Be part of the discussion.  5-7 Nibbles and sips.  At 3:00 we’ll be discussing Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Knitter’s Almanac, chapter 3.  Join us!

So what is the buzz? The decline of the wool industry has hit Love.Yarn.Shop. hard recently.  In February, Jaggerspun of Maine closed their doors and at the end of this month, Kraemer of Pennsylvania will no longer be producing yarn.  If you know our shelves, you know that is all our acrylic/wool blends and super wash that is sourced from American wool. All others come from other countries. 

When I started up LYS, I had to make a decision about how I was going to curate my yarn.  I only had 500 square feet and I wanted to put up some parameters for myself, so I chose to concentrate on American wool.  There are a lot of American wools, but the majority (if not all now?) are not super wash, and many people want super wash for clothing and items that they can throw in the washing machine, maybe even throw in the dryer, and not worry about shrinkage.  Many charity projects require it!  The super wash process has been controversial—chlorine-bleached and then plastic-coated wool. You can read up on the super wash process here.

Needless to say, we have our homework cut out for us.  Most super wash is produced in Turkey, UK, Peru, China, and India.  Chargeurs (French-owned as name indicates) in Jamestown, North Carolina, is the only remaining super wash facility in the US.  In 2011, Congress mandated that all military clothing be produced in the USA and the military is a major contract with Chargeurs, as well as Kraemer (that part of their facility is also in danger of closure.)

We can’t save an industry, but we will keep providing quality yarn to our knitting and crocheting community!  Come join us for discussion or email us your thoughts.