BB's News

Dear Weavers

As promises this year I really try to have a blog post out every month with news from BB Yarns weaving world and what's happening up here in Horse Camp. Can you believe it is already four weeks since my last scribble?

This month I have shipping cost news: Because I had to restrict my posting days to Monday and Wednesday only, I thought I make it fair with arranging the shipping costs with an amazing deal for you.

• All orders over $150 have free shipping!
• All other orders have a straight shipping cost of $9.95.

No more adjusting to the weight of the order. All shipping costs are now very straight forward and easy to deal with. These prices are only valid for standard shipping costs. The prices for express shipping have not changed and still vary depending on the weight of your order. But be aware that even express orders will only be posted Mondays and Wednesdays. I simply can't just drive to the post office quickly to drop the parcel off asap.

The next news is that I can now reveal that there is going to be another weaving seminar this year! I have again booked the Brookfield retreat for a long weekend in October, 14. - 16. 10. This year the workshop is going to be all about "Deflected Double weave" and again we will have great talks on Friday and Saturday night. A special talk will be by Jenny Jackett showing us her tips and tricks about "Making up Handwovens". There will also be a follow up on the photography talk from last year and taking it one step further on how to make up the photo on your computer. If time permits we will even venture into how to create an Etsy shop. Next to all this there is a pool, spa and a beautiful garden to enjoy with plenty of food and I am sure there will be a glass of wine. The most common feedback I've got from last years seminar was that it was simply a great time to enjoy with other weavers, have time to weave and chat together, relax and enjoy each others company. Did I catch your interest? If so let me know via email, text or phone and I can put your name onto the list to receive the registration form first up. Last year the 12 spots available were booked within 4 days! If you really would like to be a part of this, you need to get in contact with me now. 

• sales@bbyarn.com
• Ph.: 0402 973 655
• Facebook: BB Yarn Supply
• Instagram: bbyarnsupply
• Or simply write a comment on this blog post
• www.bbyarn.com

Easter is here! Traditionally I will be dyeing eggs with onion skin on Good Friday and finally be allowed to eat chocolate on Sunday. I hope you all have a wonderful Easter celebration and maybe even find time to do some weaving over the coming days. 

Happy Easter everyone and don't eat too much chocolate!

Ursula

Dear Weavers

It's been a while! But can you see the rainbow in the picture above?

I hope this blog finds you all well & safe and I hope you have all started 2022 with a new and happy lookout! Yes, it has been a while and I have to say, I missed writing this blog. This might sound rather crazy and weird, but writing these blogs bring me a lot of enjoyment and clarity. It feels a bit like when I write all this down, it seems to clear in my head and there is relief. And I really, really do enjoy being able to help or maybe give a little support or happiness to other weavers. Or to friends. I learned that not just weavers read this blog, there are also some friends who enjoy reading it. 

Now to the news: Yes, BB Yarn Supply, Roland and I, with Lucky the dog have moved. We have spent the last two years building this house in the bush with no intentions to move this fast. It was always the intention to retire in this new house and we are no way near retirement. But I guess over the two years building, a lot of things changed. First up there was this mad virus spreading around the world. It made us think that living in the country could be much safer than in a big city. Then of course there is the temptation of being able to move into a brand new house. One that we built ourselves! We thought about this and discussed it many times, before the argument that this new house needs looking after too, gave us the decision. How could we leave this house alone now, when we spent so many hours building and caring/worrying. This house literally has blood, sweat and tears on it. Shouldn't we enjoy it now?

So we collected our courage and took the step. We did it! We moved at the beginning of December last year and had everything unpacked by Christmas. The business side of things took a little bit longer but now eventually I am fully set up and going. 

New office

Okay where did we really move to? It is a location called Horse Camp out in the bush, about 15 minutes drive from Gin Gin. Our house sits on a hill and we have the best view in the whole world. It really feels like we are alone on this earth and there is no one else here. In German there is a saying for a remote place, it goes something like a place where the fox says goodnight to the hare. That is how it feels like up here, nature all around with birdsong waking you up in the morning and the croaking of green frogs putting you asleep at night. I haven't seen any fox yet, but there are hares...

Warping with view

The next larger town with facilities like a small hospital, supermarket and post office is Gin Gin. This town is at the Bruce Highway approx. 450km north of Brisbane. Or the larger town of Bundaberg is just an hour away. Having Gin Gin 15 minutes drive away is quite handy and we are very lucky for the supply of things down there. But it is a 15 minutes drive for a packet of screws or some eggs! You certainly start to think what is needed when you drive down the hill and planning ahead is essential. So far I managed to drive to town maybe two times a week. This of course means, that the parcels of yarn orders will only be posted then. We will see how this goes in the future. So far I have reserved Monday's and Wednesday's as my parcel posting days and at the same time do my personal shopping. The best and quickest way to order yarns is now to do it over the weekend or Tuesday. When you order yarn on a Sunday, it will be posted Monday. If you order yarn on a Tuesday, it will be posted the next day. I hope this makes sense and you do understand the reason for it. I will outline these ordering norms on the website too, so it can't be missed. Of course if it doesn't matter to you when you receive the order, then you can make the order any day you like. 

Other than the parcel posting, nothing has changed. There are still the same great quality yarns available.

We have the popular Pearl cotton 10/2 in 40 colours

The new organic Cottoline in 28 colours

The fabulous Bambu 7 in 36 colours

Our everlasting yarn the Tussah silk 20/2 in 26 colours

The new soft organic 8/2 cotton in 36 colours

Not to forget the Pearl cotton 3/2, 5/2 and 20/2, Tencel 10/2 and 20/2

Soon there will be a new range of linen 16/2 available

I am also finally able to build up the stock and yarn boxes will soon be ready to be ordered again

Of course the weaving correspondence course has moved with me too and is distributed from here now. 

There are still some handwoven articles available on the bbyarn website or you will also find the Glui7 products on www.glui7.com

Email address, website and phone number have not changed. They are still the best way to reach me. sales@bbyarn.com www.bbyarn.com

Looking forward to hear from you all soon and thank you for your patience over these last couple of months (I'll promise I will never move again....)

Happy weaving

Ursula

PS: In case you wonder about the floods.... I started writing this blog before this weather system passed. But we are fine. We only had storms one night long with heavy rain and it dumped 120mm of wet stuff on us. Then the weather moved on south towards Gympie and Brisbane. We were very lucky once more! I feel for all the people who have a flooded house yet again and are cleaning up right now. I can still remember the smell from 2011 and how this mud sticks to everything. I feel for you right now!

Dear Weavers

There is going to be a weaving seminar in October this year in Brookfield, Brisbane, which is planned and organised by me (BB Yarn Supply). There it is, the cat is out of the bag. I have been thinking about this now for a long, long time. Actually, I would have liked it to take place last year, but Covid made it impossible and the seminar was postponed to this year. (And I really hope that it can go ahead this year!!! Fingers crossed.)

The idea behind all this is quite simple. I was looking for a gathering just for weavers, a fun weekend with lots of interaction, talks, speakers, workshop and support. Basically the ultimate weaving weekend. I know that these days you can further your knowledge in weaving very easily online or completing workshops with zoom. But a zoom workshop will never be the same as one to one, being able to interact with everyone and touch the handwoven pieces made. Anyway: The idea came to me after being asked, if I would like to host a workshop with a tutor from overseas in Brisbane. I quickly looked at the costs having this tutor to fly up, overnight stays, venue hire, overall workshop payment and I had to realise that this would not be possible. I simply would have struggled to get the weavers together to cover the costs. This was before Covid, mind you. And as much as I would have liked to have this tutor come to Brisbane, I just did not see it work. But it did make me think. Eventually I came to the conclusion that we don't really need (as nice as it would be to get to know this person) an overseas tutor here. We have plenty of brilliant weavers here in Australia who are able to give a workshop. Just look around or ask any guilds from the East Coast to the West Coast. That is where my idea started to grow into a seminar. 

I thought I start this weaving seminar small to hopefully, if successful, give it a chance to grow. The easiest way is to give a workshop myself. I asked around the weavers in Brisbane and surroundings on what they would like to have a workshop of and the topic "Echo & Iris" topped all points. So I have put together a workshop on "Echo & Iris" based on the book from Marian Stubenitsky. Instead of having her here, we will follow her book and create our own colour fun. I have also thought about speakers or topic weavers would like to hear about. One topic close to my heart is photography. Do you know how to take an excellent picture of your pieces to be put into an exhibition or show? I always struggle with it, no matter what I have created and I am never sure if the photo I have sent in was good enough. Coming from this idea, I have organised a product photographer who will come and give us great tips and tricks on how to photograph a textile piece. There will also be a talk about Japanese textile and an introduction to the TC loom from Norway.

And for all this we will stay in a large mansion with spa, pool and garden to relax. Here is the program for the two days:

If you would like to read more about this seminar go to www.bbyarn.com and look for weaving seminar or use the link here

https://www.bbyarn.com/collections/weaving-seminar

Okay now listen to this: I have launched the registration two weeks ago, thinking let's see how many people I can get together without promotion. Within 4 days the whole seminar was booked out!!! It went so quick, that some weavers who were interested didn't have a chance to register. It was sort of good and bad. I struggled with keeping up with the registrations and even had to say no to weavers who really wanted to come. But overall I was amazed. It seems that this is really something weavers want. So therefore I thought I'll start a list for weavers who missed out and would like to be on the next one. Yes, I am thinking of either repeating the seminar or having another one next year. But first I would like to see how this one is going and how the venue is holding up. If you would be interested in a weaving seminar next year, let me know and you will be put on the list straight away. When the next registration will open you will be the first to know and able to register. Send an email to sales@bbyarn.com and let me know what you would like.

I sincerely apologise to each one of you who would have liked to come to the first weaving seminar and unfortunately missed out. You will be missed.

I better get going and start organising. There are only 3 months to go. 

Happy weaving

Ursula

Dear Weavers

In this month I would like to introduce the little and older brothers/sisters of the pearl cotton 10/2. The pearl cotton 10/2 is the most popular of the UKI pearl cotton series. There are three more yarns available, spun exactly the same way for which the pearl cotton is famous for. I've heard that this yarn got its name for the way it is spun. The twist in the yarn looks apparently like a pearl. I don't know if this is true, but I kind of like the idea of this. A yarn looking like a pearl, sounds good right?

There are two pearl cottons thicker than the 10/2 and one yarn is finer. The 3/2 is the thickest of them all and I estimate that it has about the thickness of a 4ply Australian standard yarn. The 5/2 is a little bit thinner than the 3/2 and the 20/2 is the very fine one. BB Yarn does now stock all sizes of the pearl cottons, but only in white so far. If I ever win the lotto, I promise I will have the 3/2 and 5/2 yarns in all its colours on stock immediately. Until then, we have to make do with the white. The 20/2 pearl cotton is no longer produced in colour and only available in black and white. I have both of them in stock. But should you need one of the 3/2 or 5/2 pearl cottons in colour, this yarn, being a 100% cotton yarn, is very easy to dye. It takes the dye very well and can be boiled, dunked, painted or even sun or freeze dyed. 

Pearl cotton 3/2 = 2548m/kg         100g = 254.8m = approx. 278yds

Pearl cotton 5/2 = 4247m/kg         100g = 424.7m = approx. 463yds

Pearl cotton 20/2 = 16987m/kg     100g = 1698.7m = approx. 1852yds

All of the pearl cottons from 3/2 to 20/2 have the same fabulous price of $16.90/100g

These pearl cotton yarns are good for many weaving projects. The Handwoven magazine has often projects with the 5/2 pearl cotton presented. Like the popular 10/2 pearl cotton, these yarns have a huge versatility of how they can be used. I was looking through my records to find some example where I have used some of these yarns. Maybe I can inspire you to choose one of the yarns for your next project.

Chair pads, stitched doubleweave, pearl cotton 20/2 in warp and weft, 36epi per layer, woven balanced

Did I make you feel like having a go at one of these yarns? Please do! The pearl cottons are such a easy to use yarn and there are endless projects waiting for you to be completed. The link below will take you straight to BB Yarns website and the pearl cottons. 

UKI pearl cottons

Looking forward to hear from you.

Happy weaving

Ursula

Dear Weavers

I hope this blog post finds you well and safe. I don't know about you but now that the cooler weather is approaching it makes me feel more productive and I can't wait to sit at the loom for many hours to come. 

This blog is all about the launch of my new Glui7 product, the pullover scarves. These fancy little scarves are now available to buy on the Glui7 website www.glui7.com

What is a pullover scarf, I hear you asking. Well, there is a story behind this product. My husband Roland rides a motorbike to work every day. It is not a very long drive to work, but he finds it the most practical way to wind himself through the city traffic every day. He drives his motorbike in sunshine or rain. So this means he is wearing good protective clothing and of course a scarf wound around his neck. I used to make him many scarves, fine, short, wide.... but none seems to fit him well enough. They always seemed to fall down or unwind leaving his neck exposed. Or the worst, get tangled in the velcro from his jacket. A couple of years back we discussed this problem and he suggested he would like something he could just pull over his head. And of course he also wanted it to be elastic, that it wouldn't fall down and it could also be pulled up over his nose in cold weather. The scarf would have to be wind resistant. Right and here was my challenge. Weaving a tube is easy, I'll do it in double weave I thought. But finding the right yarn to make it elastic, stay up over his nose, was a rather bigger challenge. I tried many yarns, made multiple samples until I finally discovered a yarn with elité from Silk City (USA). It is a viscose yarn with the elastic quality (10% elité factor) in the core. The yarn feels normal until treated with heat, that is when it starts to shrink and get elastic. Therefore weaving with this yarn is easy and very normal. After the scarves are woven I steam iron them. That is when you can literally see them shrink. Amazing! The elasticity of the yarn is not massive, just enough to pull over your head and stay in place if needed. This leaves the scarf more soft and I guess, stays more in shape. Once I figured this out it was then only a matter of time to work out how wide the scarves have to be to fit Roland's head. 

Of course I then thought someone else would like to use one of these scarves and started producing. This was last year, when the coronavirus came along. Because the scarf can be pulled up to cover the nose, it can now also be used as a protection against any bugs or virus. I have to make this clear, it is not a clinically tested mask and won't give you the full protection. But the pullover scarf will keep at least bugs away and can easily be washed. And it is soft and comfortable to wear, not like some masks!!!

So far I have only produced the pullover scarf for a head size of 56cm. Soon there will be different sizes available. You can now purchase the 56cm size in many different colours. It is made out of 50% cotton, 40% viscose and 10% elité and can be washed in the cold machine wash cycle. It feels beautifully soft, very comfortable to wear around your neck and so quick to put on. For Roland the most positive outcome is, that it doesn't fall down. I have been wearing one of these scarves last winter for testing and I caught myself in the middle of the day still wearing it. Sometimes I left it on because it just felt comforting, but other times I totally forgot it's there. This scarf is so light and soft, that you don't want to take it off.

The scarves are available for $35 each.

Feel intrigued and want to give it a go? Click on the link below or on any picture.

https://www.glui7.com/store/pullover-scarf

This is one thing I really, really love about weaving. You can make anything, no matter what the request and it leaves you thinking "what's next".... bring it on!

Stay safe and happy weaving

Ursula

Dear Weavers

Happy New Year! 

Now that the awful 2020 is gone, I wish you all a prosperous 2021. May this year be better than the last, in every possible way.

I am totally aware that a new year isn't exactly a new beginning. It is basically just another day. A butterfly doesn't know that it is New Years day. It keeps flying looking for a mate if it is New Years eve or New Years day. Just because it is a new year, doesn't mean we are going to have a covid-19 vaccine and the world will turn back to normal. Unfortunately not. Patience is needed and life as it is now, will stay that way for a while to come. Some call it the new normal. But even then, what is a new normal? Can we go back to the normal we used to have? Do we want to?

Over the festive season my husband and I got in contact with our relatives from overseas, as we usually do. But this time it was different. One could hear the sadness in their voices, the despair, the helplessness and the longing for this crisis to be over. One relative even compared the situation over there as living through a war. One friend lost his job, he is a pilot with all his heart and is now driving a bus in a city. All this was heartbreaking for us to hear. And then comes the realization how good we have it here. Especially here in Queensland! We are so so grateful for living far away from the rest of the world and not being affected by this pandemic as much as anywhere else. I hope it stays that way (touch wood).

You probably wonder why I'm writing all this. Well in one way this blog is an outlet for me, for my thoughts and feelings to let go. Nothing to do with weaving really. On the other side, I can show you how I cope with the situation and therefore maybe help you. You might feel the same way and sharing feelings always seems to make things better. Or maybe just by reading this you will feel better, realising that we all go through the same process. 

Here is what I do: I go for a walk every morning and afternoon. No matter what, sunshine or rain, I walk. This helps me clear my head, sorting thoughts in my mind and tanking up on sunshine, vitamin D. Back home I usually fill my day with work, which of course helps me not to think as much about the current situation. The best work is always weaving and if you have the chance to do some, I think it is the best relaxation method ever. Seeing the fabric grow, using different colours to make you happy and the fact you are producing something useful is priceless. Yes, this makes me happy and what else is there better in this current pandemic than doing what makes you happy?

I looked at my yarns from BB Yarn Supply and let my imagination go wild. There is a suitable project for every yarn in my shop. Of course there are many more projects you could do with these yarns, the list below are just some of my ideas. Yes, I do have more, many more ideas. But I restricted it to one project/yarn. See list below:

• Tussah silk yarn = Double weave scarf with 4 shafts, 16epi/layer
• Organic cottoline = Colourful T-towels, 20epi
• Linen yarn 16/2 = Huck lace placemats, 20epi
• Bambu 7 = Scarf in crackle weave, 16epi
• Pearl cotton 10/2 = Apron fabric in twill, 28epi
• Rug warp yarn = Rag rug made out of old clothes or bed linen, 5epi

Can I also remind you, that some old colours from the tussah silk range and pearl cotton 10/2 are still 20% off. Not many colours left, but still this is a really good offer. In Tussah silk there is only one colour left, the navy blue. It is one of my favorites and I can't really understand why this hasn't been sold yet. Don't you like it? Maybe it is a sign for me to make something with it myself.... or did I just make you feel tempted to go and have a look. I'll give it another 2 weeks, then navy tussah will be mine. ;-)

I hope I was able to make you feel inspired and maybe grab some of the yarns and rush to the loom to weave. I sincerely hope so and I am pretty sure this will make you happy. 

Now to something a bit more private: Last year has been filled with all the worry about the virus, but for us, my husband and I, it has also been an extraordinary busy time. Next to work, business and household, we have decided to build a house. When we started this, the virus didn't even exist. But in hindsight it turned out to be the perfect time to build during lockdown and restrictions. You see, we are owner builders, meaning we are building the house ourselves. It is a lot of hard work, but amazingly rewarding. But this is another story to tell one day. The new house is 400km from Brisbane, so we couldn't just stay there and build for months. We had to take the time, a week here and two weeks there to make it work. Therefore the house is nowhere near finished. While I am away building, orders have to wait until I am back in the office. Some of you, dear customers, might have already experienced this issue last year. It will probably be mostly the same this year. I will do my utterly best to get your orders to you as quick as possible and I thank you already for your patience.

This turned out to be a rather long blog. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for reading. Looking forward to hear from you soon.

Happy weaving

Ursula

I wish you all a very peaceful and safe festive season. May Santa Claus bring you lots of creative goodies this year to cheer you up after this crazy year.

BB Yarn Supply will be closed from the 19th of December to the 3rd of January.

Online orders can still be placed but will only be processed on the 3rd of January.

Thank you for supporting my business, every order received is valued and I am looking forward to another great year with you.

Happy weaving

Ursula

Dear Weavers

Can you believe it? Christmas is only four weeks away. And then after Christmas, this year will shortly come to an end. What an year it has been. It is safe to say that this has been a dreadful but extraordinary year. An year we won't forget and hopefully won't ever happen again. If you reading this, then you are safe and healthy like me and very grateful for that.

If anything learnt from this year it is that we should live life at its best. Do not think, yes, I will do that in a couple of years or when I retire. No, from now on we should all enjoy everything we have to live for and what we have or can (allowed to) have. Get yourself something that brings a smile to your face. Like this luxury gadget you have always wanted but thought the money should go on travel expenses. Well no more travelling at the moment so therefore you can now support the artists and buy the beautiful piece of clothing or jewelry you always wanted.

The situation we live in at the moment needs and relies heavily on everything Australian Made. (Which is a good thing that came out of this virus.) Here is where my offer comes into place. This year I sell all my finished handwoven articles for a very special price ready for Christmas and with free shipping. There might be a piece you like and would love for yourself. But I am sure there are also pieces for someone in your family or friends who love a handmade article to treasure for Christmas. There are placemats, shawls, scarves, bags, hand towels, mats and even a sarong for the summer beach. All these pieces are handwoven, handmade with love and very unique. There is only one of each and nobody else in the whole wide world will have the exact same article. Isn't that a treasure?

All these handwoven pieces were made as a single piece and not meant to be woven ever again. Sometimes the warp was longer than expected and I was able to change and weave something different. Or it was meant to just be a single piece to try out a new pattern. Or it was made for an exhibition and didn't sell. All pieces are perfectly produced by me and should last a lifetime for you.

These handwoven products are available on my website. Once sold, they will disappear. Go to www.bbyarn.com click on collections and then Handwoven articles and you will see the "treasures". Here is the link: https://www.bbyarn.com/collections/handwoven-articles

Or you can buy the same pieces through my Etsy shop. Go to www.etsy.com and search for HandwovenbyBB (one word).

All pieces are offered with free shipping! And should arrive at your doorstep before Christmas.

Please support Aussie made this Christmas and buy one of my beautiful pieces. Thank you!

Merry Christmas 

Stay safe and happy weaving

Ursula