Every once in a while I feel that I need to tell you about some of the brands that we stock, and this week I am going to tell you all about the two Danish companies we buy from: Hjertegarn and Knitting for Olive.
Hjertegarn means “Heart Yarn”. The company, which is family run, has been around since 1926, so it is a hundred years old this year! It was founded in Odense by Carl Bremer, and it moved to Jutland in 1992. It is one of Denmark’s largest suppliers of yarn, and its products are sold all over northern Europe. Their core philosophy is to sell yarn at reasonable prices so that everyone can participate in the craft and this is clearly reflected in their pricing strategies. Their products are not the flashy ‘fashion’ yarns, nor do they seem to bother at all with having a social media presence to promote their brand, yet their yarns are excellent quality, reasonably priced and are steady sellers.
Interestingly, Hjertegarn does not have its own spinning mills. Instead, it collaborates with other producers, half from Europe and the rest from Asia. Much of their wool is sourced from Peru (as is reflected in the names of their yarns such as Lima and Highland Wool) and it is amazingly high quality. I have to be honest, however, I cannot find out any more information about where their yarn is sourced and now feel an urgent need to dig deeper!
Of their yarns that we stock the ones that do the best are Natur Uld – a gorgeous pure wool chunky which is a good substitute for Icelandic wool, Longcolors – a soft variegated sock yarn, and Organic Trio – a blend of wool, cotton and silk which is our go to for summer knits. We also have a range of their Silk Kid Mohair, again a very reasonably priced version of all the mohair/silk blends that are currently out there. And I have recently introduced Dream Air, a ‘blown’ yarn made of alpaca with a nylon core, which is great for warm, light knits.
Knitting for Olive is a much newer business, founded in 2015 by a mother and daughter, with another family member joining more recently. Originally they just sold patterns, but in 2016 they founded their own yarn range. I think they have been very clever in the way in which they have limited the types of yarn which they sell, focussing instead on quality and lovely colours. Unlike Hjertegarn, they are brilliant at marketing – resulting in lots of people being pleased to be able to see their yarns ‘in real life’. We stock their Merino (4ply), Heavy Merino (somewhere between a DK and an Aran), Soft Silk Mohair and Pure Silk, all of which do really well. The thing I like best about Knitting for Olive, of course, is their dedication to sustainability. They are very clear about where their yarn is sourced and their commitment to the animals and the people producing the yarn.
Knitting for Olive’s yarn fits very well with many of the wonderful designs coming out of Denmark at the moment – not only their own Pernille Larsen’s lovely knits, but the ever popular Petite Knit as well. I can access all of Knitting for Olive’s patterns and keep several hard copies of them in the shop if you want to get some ideas.
I have to say that Denmark is next on my list of places I want to visit, if only so that I can indulge myself in their lovely yarn shops!