Baa Baa Brighouse set up the Yan Tan Tethera Yarn Club, an exclusive subscription yarn club that aimed to showcase the best that independent wool industry of Yorkshire has to offer, in September 2014.
But for those of you who haven’t signed up to the club before, we’d like to take this opportunity to provide a little more information about how it works and what you can expect.
The name, Yan Tan Tethera, comes from the old Yorkshire counting system that shepherds would traditionally use to count their flock – literally it translates as one, two three.
Our idea was to team up with Yorkshire based independent dyers to create unique, unrepeatable colourways, using British yarn and wherever possible, yarn that had been reared, sheared and spun right here in Yorkshire.
The dyer would take their inspiration for the colourway produced from a photograph of the Yorkshire landscape, wildlife or architecture by Yorkshire based photographer, Gary Turner, of Shutterspot Photography.
The very first indie dyer to join us was Katie Pearce of Sylvan Tiger Yarn, based in Leeds. We discovered Katie at Wharfe Wool Fair 2014, then hosted in Otley, and were so impressed by her yarns that we very quickly became the first retailer in the UK to stock them. We then broached the subject of the club with Katie and were delighted to hear that she wanted to be involved.
We launched the club on Yorkshire Day 2014 and the first colourway produced by Katie was based on Gary’s stunning image, ‘Marsden Moor’.
At the time, running a subscription yarn club was a new venture and a learning curve for us here at Baa Baa Brighouse and although we’ve had so much positive feedback from our customers, we’re always keen to make the whole experience from signing up to the club, to receiving your package, a truly delightful one filled with anticipation and surprise.
As the club grew in popularity, it was suggested that we include a Yan Tan Tethera Gallery on our website where customers, both old and new, could view what each other had made with their hand dyed yarn. I has become a wonderful place to find inspiration and ideas for future projects.
The dyer for the club changes every month on a rota basis and in August 2015, Jaki Bogg of Hot Butter Yarns, which is based in Skipton, made her debut.
Jaki is a talented textile artist who we discovered at Shepley Spring Festival 2015. The inspiration for her first colourway came from Gary’s iconic image, ‘Malham Cove’.
Jaki used a 4 ply fingering weight superwash Merino yarn for her project and the result was some beautiful deep teals, burnt oranges and spring greens.
Elaine Jinks-Turner, of Baa Baa Brighouse, has recently completed a project using Jaki’s yarn for two of her children, Florence, aged five and Benjamin, aged four.
Florence is wearing a short sleeved cardigan with a lace yoke, trimmed with West Yorkshire Spinners’ Signature 4 Ply in Chocolate Lime from the Sweet Shop range. Elaine has also added some wooden bird buttons in contrasting colours.
Benjamin is wearing a short sleeved raglan sweater, knitted primarily in West Yorkshire Spinners’ Signature 4 Ply in Chocolate Lime and trimmed with Jaki’s hand dyed August 2015 Yan Tan Tethera Yarn Club yan, ‘Malham Cove’.
The yarn handled very well on the needles and felt soft and smooth to the touch.
The beauty of the Yan Tan Tethera Yarn Club is that items knitted are truly unique as the yarn is exclusive and because colourways are variegated, they can be teamed with a whole range of beautiful solid shades for maximum effect.
The items pictured took just one skein of Yan Tan Tethera yarn and one ball of Signature 4 Ply combined to create, which just goes to show what great value!
Jaki is once again our indie dyer for July 2016 and her inspiration this time will come from ‘Spring Border’, an image taken in the gardens of Rastrick Library, West Yorkshire.
You can sign up here and as always, the Yan Tan Tethera Yarn Club operates on a monthly basis so you are not tied in for extended periods like other yarn clubs. Being monthly, you are free to join in as and when you like.
Following feedback from our customers, we have recently changed the packaging of the Yan Tan Tethera Yarn Club and now all yarn clubs are posted out in crisp white boxes tied with satin ribbon. They also contain a copy of the inspiration photograph and a complementary gift from Baa Baa Brighouse. Previous gifts have included lavender bags from Yorkshire Lavender:
Bath truffles from The Yorkshire Soap Company:
Yorkshire Mixtures from Joseph Dobson & Sons:
And screen printed notebooks from The Knitting Goddess:
Again, partnering with businesses from across Yorkshire to enhance the quality of our Yan Tan Tethera Yarn Club. Sign ups for the July Club close on Friday June 17th, 2016. Don’t miss out!
