A Verb For Keeping Warm is a yarn, fabric and fiber store in Oakland, CA (San Pablo Ave @ Alcatraz) founded and run by Kristine Vejar. It also happens to be one of our favorite places to frequent when in search of gorgeous, high quality yarn and fibers.
One thing that sets this delightful store apart is the in-house natural dye studio and the fact that they offer their own line of naturally dyed yarns. Dyeing your own yarn with plants or purchasing yarn dyed with beets and marigolds is a wonderful way to connect more deeply with your craft and your lasting creations!
Read on to learn 5 reasons we love to shop at A Verb For Keeping Warm.
1. Focus on local handmade products
The different yarns, fabrics and fibers at A Verb For Keeping Warm are thoughtfully chosen and made by hand. More often than not, they're also made in the US and from US raised wool and cotton. We love that when we shop at A Verb For Keeping Warm we know that we're getting a high quality yarn that's often made by hand locally. We love to support other local artists spinners and farmers whenever we can!
2. Natural dye house
Inside the Oakland shop is a fabulous natural dyeing studio with a dye garden out back. These facilities allow A Verb for Keeping Warm to offer their own line of naturally dyed yarn, fabrics and fibers. They generally plant in the spring and then harvest and dye their yarns with the different plants they have grown over the summer. This means that much like the plants and vegetables you see at the farmer's market, the yarn colors and selections are seasonal.
This is a fun way to feel connected not only to your yarn, but the seasons as well. They also use this lovely space to teach natural dyeing classes, so take a look at the calendar and learn how to make your own seasonal yarns.
3. Unique knitting workshops and events
A Verb For Keeping Warm hosts an array of interesting classes as well as events! They offer classes for Crochet, Natural Dyeing, Felting, Knitting, Sewing & Quilting, Spinning, and Weaving. They also hosts some great events, including our own Lea Redmond's Knit The Sky book launch. Thanks for an awesome party!
4. Great curation
At first glance A Verb For Keeping Warm seems like a small cozy shop. In fact, it's both of those things and much more, incorporating classrooms, the dye studio and garden, and the shop in a 1700 square foot space. A vast selection of colorful yarn lines one entire wall, while a remarkable selection of carefully curated goods fill the remaining walls and tables. They spend a lot of time making sure they have high quality gorgeous yarn available in every weight. While they may not have 100 choices per weight, the ones they have are so thoughtfully chosen and deliberate that you are sure to find something stunning and well suited to your needs.
5. Beautiful online shop
Finally, A Verb for Keeping Warm also a simple and well designed online shop for those of you without plans to be in Oakland anytime soon. Check out their hand dyed yarns, fibers, fabrics, patterns, and project bags. They even ship internationally!
All photos: A Verb For Keeping Warm
A Verb For Keeping Warm is a Bay Area knitting and craft institution. We love the original hand dyed yarns and creative classes they offer, both of which contribute to a strong local crafting community. We're sure you'll enjoy checking out this shop and dye studio that is so close to our hearts, so make a point to drop by sometime soon!
Do you have your own favorite yarn shop? What is it and what makes it so special for you?
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