Friday, 7 August 2015

Yarn Box & The Three Bears

Friday, August 07, 2015 | By


A few weeks ago I was approached on Instagram by a new, up and coming yarn company called Three Bears Yarn. They saw that I am an aspiring pattern designer just starting out in the world of design, and wanted me to try some of their yarn and give them my honest thoughts and feedback. As a new but small company lead by a family with a history of over 100 years of yarn dying experience, I was intrigued - I had to try this yarn. Their Instagram page is full of sample and trial colours, and some of the colours that will potentially be on offer are to die for, so naturally I said yes!

  

Not all of the colours that will be available are ready yet, but Three Bears sent me a whole big box of yarn in colours they did have. Some yarn that won't be used in production and some that will definitely be going ahead. I asked for cotton DK as I am a toy maker and that's all I will use for toys (I am a bit of a yarn snob that way!) and Three Bears kindly obliged.

 

Knowing everything that I do about this company, I really wanted to like this yarn and thankfully I did! I was worried that it would be splitty (my pet hate!) like alot of cotton yarns out there, but it doesn't split at all. It's not as thick as the DK I usually use, but it works up beautifully and so neatly - every stitch looks so clean and tidy! I of course, being a pattern designer, couldn't just accept a whole big box of yarn like that for free and wanted to use my skills to create something extra special for them. We discussed it at length and I will be designing their company mascots - a blue baby bear, a pink little bear, and a big white mama bear! I am designing the bears based on their company logo, and want them to look like "real" bears with a cute twist as opposed to teddy bears. Baby bear was first up in my design book, and he's working up beautifully so far!

  

He's made from Three Bears "Affection" 100% Cotton DK. Nothing is set in stone yet, but at least one of these bear patterns will be available for free here on my blog. The baby bear pattern may be used for promotional purposes, but we'll have to see what happens. If you would like to keep up with the progress of the bears you can follow me on Instagram where I post all my design updates, and of course if you don't want to miss the patterns when they are released make sure to follow my blog! Three Bears Yarn officially launch on October 1st when their full range of yarns will be ready & available to purchase.

Let's hear it for new friendships and new business ventures, yeah!

Julie xxx



Are you an avid crocheter? Do you frequently make blankets, hats and other items of clothing? Three Bears Yarn are looking for budding designers to join their team of brand ambassadors! If you love crochet and luxurious yarn make sure to get in touch:
             Three Bears Yarn - Instagram 
             Three Bears Yarn - Facebook

4 comments:

  1. Unknown1 September 2015 at 03:37

    I'm in love with your cheeky little monkey pattern... He's so cute!

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  2. Carla2 October 2015 at 08:31

    Love your little bear and can't wait to try the pattern. I am confused about all the different yarns...I use a cotton yarn for my amigurumi toys but they seem so stiff. What is the difference between cotton DK, cotton Aran, etc? I have used cotton yarn from Hobby Lobby (here in the US) Love This Cotton, Crafter's Choice and Peaches and Cream...all 100% cotton. While they work up ok, they do split and it's so stiff. Is Baby Bear Yarn softer? Is it sold here in the US? I wish that someone would do a post describing the differences in cotton yarn and the best yarn to use for individual projects. Since you stated that you are a bit of a yarn snob, I am thinking that you will definitely be able to explain the differences in the cotton yarns. I hope that this isn't an annoying questiong. Thanks for sharing your cute patterns and good luck with your new venture. Carla

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    Replies
    1. Julie Erskine2 October 2015 at 09:38

      Hi Carla,

      Thanks for getting in touch! It's funny that you should ask because I have a blog post scheduled for next week about that exact subject! I know what you mean about cotton yarns being splitty. You really need to use a yarn before you will know if it will split or not which is annoying! The Three Bears Yarn cotton range doesn't split and I can personally vouch for it.

      Personally I prefer using 100% cotton yarn for toys because it's durable and strong (toys won't fall apart or stretch with vigorous play or washing) There are usually 3 different yarn weights for cotton. A strand of yarn is made up of several tiny strands woven together. The more strands = the heavier and thicker the yarn:

      4ply (4 little strands woven together)
      DK = 8ply (8 little strands woven together)
      Aran/Worsted = 10ply (10 little strands woven together)

      If you use Aran/worsted (10ply) you are going to get a much bigger amigurumi than you would of if you used DK (8ply) The thicker the yarn the more "stiff" your project will be, but on the bright side it makes a strong toy that won't fall apart and will last!

      Hope this helps,
      Julie :)

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