Introducing Ranch 01
Posted by Christina Rondepierre on
Before the release of our first yarn, Shelter, we challenged ourselves to answer a few humble curiosities. With such a rich textile history and an exciting variety of wool resources amidst a booming U.S. community of knitters and makers, why was it challenging to source and develop traceable American yarns? Would it be possible to develop from scratch a 100% American-sourced, designed, and spun yarn in a way that reflects the values of an intentional maker? These questions, and our continued seeking for their answers, have come to shape the heart of our mission here at Brooklyn Tweed. We are proud to have grown our core yarn offerings over the years — five versatile, breed-specific yarns developed with an eye to traceability, reproducibility, supporting domestic mills, reinvesting in the textile industry, and more importantly, providing a meaningful experience to the handknitter.
Now, we are going a step further with our Ranch Project. In our desire to continue to explore the possibilities for domestic yarn production, for this series we are partnering with single ranches to source limited, single clips, quantities too limited to use in a core yarn line but for which we are able to highlight their unique and special qualities. Our aim is to also highlight the exceptional stories of these ranches and the noteworthy work they are doing in reimagining ranching practices in the U.S.
[[Video 261018211]] For Ranch 01, our first offering in this ranch-specific, single-batch series, we sourced Climate Beneficial American Rambouillet wool from Bare Ranch in Surprise Valley, California. We are inspired by the work that Bare Ranch is doing, in partnership with Fibershed, to implement carbon farm planning to support hearty sheep, quality wool, and, ultimately, a healthier planet. To take the project a step further, we also worked with the Green Matters Natural Dye Company in Pennsylvania to achieve a naturally-dyed color palette that will further remind you of how close this yarn is to the earth.Over the next few weeks leading up to launch day on April 20, we will dive deeper into the stories of the people whose dedicated work supported this very special yarn. We hope you will join us on the journey of Ranch 01's story.
[button link="https://www.brooklyntweed.com/news/profile-bare-ranch"]Read our profile on Bare Ranch[/button] 
[button link="https://www.brooklyntweed.com/news/profile-Fibershed"]Read our profile on Fibershed[/button] 
[button link="https://www.brooklyntweed.com/news/profile-green-matters-natural-dye-company"]Read our profile on Green Matters Natural Dye Company[/button]
[button link="https://www.brooklyntweed.com/news/welcome-ranch-01/"]Watch our Video Welcoming Ranch 01[/button]
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18 comments
Interesting….In response to the comment above, I believed the yarn mentioned previously started back in 2015, same wool, spec, farm, climate beneficial wool, natural dyes, etc, and they have been doing this long before you did. But I just don’t understand, with all your resources and creative energies, why do you come so close to step someone else’s shoes?! even the name you chose for this yarn is only two letters different from the one that comes way before you. In such a small community, shouldn’t we give more respect to one another? It is disheartening to see the other brand who took this initiative decided to discontinue its yarn because of this duplication of BT.
finsheep on
This is kind of amazing. Thank you so much. I hope that others in the industry are inspired to follow your lead. I can hardly imagine how much work and resources it takes for a small company to pull this off. Congratulations to the whole team.
Kay on
Hello Millie,
Thank you for your question! Not all sheep require colder climates to produce quality wool. In fact, the Targhee-Columbia sheep breed we use for our woolen-spun yarns was created by the USDA in the early 20th century and was bred specifically to live and thrive in the arid region in which it lives. The Navajo Churro sheep as well as the Gulf Coast Native sheep are two other examples of sheep breeds that thrive in hot climates.
Jamie Maccarthy | BT Customer Service
Jamie Maccarthy on
I honestly have no real objection to imported wool, especially Canadian. I do worry about the extensive transportation of the raw product all over a large country in order to do the various processing. I know scouring takes a lot of water, but why is this so often done in Texas?
I try to buy most of my yarn right here in Wisconsin (where I live), especially if the entire process is done here. Local, local, local. I also spin some of my yarn myself from local sources.
I also second the comment of Rebeca McDonough, above about the “humane” aspect. The smaller the operation, in general, the more humane treatment of the source creatures can be expected. Wool is a precious gift from lovely sheep—gentle creatures who deserve as little stress as possible involved in obtaining their precious wool.
I’m not totally vegan, nor do I support PETA, but I do feel responsible to all creatures, especially those who have been domesticated to serve humans.
Janet Camp on
I commend you on your path and purpose. And as a knitter/crocheter, I will enjoy using your projects. But I have two requests. One, can you branch out into plant-based fibers? And, two, my passion is weaving. It is so hard to find yarn sources for that fiber art. Could you consider branching out into my passion?
Thank you!
Linda Morehouse on