SouleMama Sponsor ~ Kelbourne Woolens ~

Today, we bring you a giveaway from SouleMama Sponsor, Kelbourne Woolens . In Courtney's words:

"Kelbourne Woolens is the distributor of The Fibre Company artisan yarns. All of our yarns are custom spun and hand kettle dyed to create a rich and subtle color variation. We are known for our unique fiber blends of natural fibers; linen, baby alpaca, silks, cotton, soya and more. Our newest yarn is Meadow, a blend of baby llama, merino wool, mulberry silk and linen.

We blog at kelbournewoolens.com/blog and maintain both the Kelbourne Woolens and Fibre Company websites.  You can also find us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram (our latest obsession!)."

SouleMama: What inspired you to start your business?

Courtney: Kate and I both had backgrounds in textile design and were working in a yarn shop together and doing a little bit of designing and pattern writing as part of our job at the shop.  We started writing patterns together and discovered that we were a good team. When I had my son in 2008, the opportunity to distribute The Fibre Company yarns presented itself and Kate was the first person I thought of to partner with. I knew we would be able to pull it off, and I think we are both good self-motivators and “do-ers” as we say! We worked so well together, and our creativity and dedication are well matched. I guess the short answer is that we inspire each other!

SouleMama: What advice do you have to a new artist/crafter/maker looking to make a business out of their passion?

Courtney : Hard work, long hours, discipline and the ability to never let anything be “good enough” are the name of the game. If it’s what you really want to do you just have to go for it. Don’t let your life get away from you, leaving you looking back wishing you had taken a chance on your dream. I know that might sound sort of corny, but it’s really true. Stay true to your vision, stay focused and be prepared for a long, hard road. I also think it’s important to decide what you have to offer, and who your audience is. Play to your audience and don’t get distracted trying to be all things to all people. You don’t need to, and the ones who love what you do will follow you to the end.

SouleMama: What role does 'handmade' play in our society?

Courtney  : I think this is a really poignant question given the nature of the book we’ve just published. We feared a lot of push back from the knitting public for publishing a book of baby and kids clothes in yarns that require hand washing. But, at the end of the day we had to just move forward, comfortable knowing that we hand wash our kids’ hand knits so others must do so as well. Kate and I make a lot of clothes for our children, and ourselves, and we’ve never been daunted by the time it takes not just to create them but to care for them. If knitting or making in general is about taking time and care to focus – even mediate – on the doing, then the same time and care should be considered when maintaining and caring for the item. I don’t mind hand-washing the very special items I’ve made for my son. I wouldn’t want to hand wash every item every day – but just as I would wash my own special hand knit sweaters I treat his items with the same love and care they deserve, and I don’t feel put out by it. On the contrary, it gives me great pleasure!

 

For today's giveaway, Kelbourne Woolens is generously offering the following gifts to THREE winners:

~ One lucky winner will receive a copy of our new book, Kelbourne Woolens: Baby Collection along with one skein of Canopy Worsted to knit the Florence Cap and Booties!

~ Two additional winners will receive a copy of the Kelbourne Woolens: Baby Collection!

(Baby Collection has 13 heirloom quality knitting patterns ranging in size to fit ages newborn to 4 years old, and ranging in technical difficulty from easy to knit to advanced beginner. Each pattern began it’s life as an item we knit for our own children, and we’re so happy to finally put pen to paper and make them available to the public.)

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 To enter today's giveaway, please leave a comment (one entry per person, please) in today's post. I'll close comments by 8am EST on Monday, and announce the winners, chosen via Random Number Generator, shortly after.  Comments closed! The winners are...

Nipping in just under the wire to say, I'd love to own this book! I have three babies due to make an appearance in my life in the next year, and hope I'll be able to knit something special for each one.
Posted by: Elizabeth

How beautiful! Our second baby is due in October, and I've just started knitting for him. Yikes!
Posted by: Tara

I am starting a stash and hopefully another baby! Woo hoo!
Posted by: Felicia Nutter

Thank  you,   Kelbourne Woolens!