Jo from Second City Yarns

Here is Jo from Second City Yarns. She talked to our guild yesterday about her business which has only been going for 2 years here in Birmingham. She was a very inspiring speaker and her enthusiasm for yarns and dyeing was apparent all the time. She began by telling us how her business came to be...

She was visiting a yarn shop with a friend and wanted to be able to knit socks like the ones she saw there. She also wanted to leave the company she worked for and set out in a new direction. So she learnt to knit socks and dye and decided to start a yarn business. She went to a workshop to learn the first steps in dyeing. It was going to be an environmentally friendly business, so all yarns and fibre would come from British suppliers. She would have no plastic packaging and no superwash wool which uses chemicals in the process. Her colours and names would be inspired by Birmingham.

Her inspiration has come from The Botanical Gardens, Bartley Reservoir, Woodgate Valley, Moseley Bog, Hurst Street, Kimichi School, The Custard Factory, St. Peter's Church-Harborne, the 11 bus route, the Brummie Beanie and The Jewellery Quarter.

She showed us how she keeps meticulous records of everything she does and all her dye recipes in journals. She had 3 books full and maybe more she didn't bring. She talked about how hard she has worked and how she found outlets to sell her yarn. She learnt many new skills in the process. She uses her own house, kitchen and utility room to dye and wind her yarns and we saw pictures of her rooms with yarn taking over!

I was super impressed by her organisational skills. Also she told us she plays a cello (I think it was a cello) in an orchestra as well as running the business.

Any details that are incorrect are because I have a terrible memory and I apologise for any mistakes. 

Thank you Jo for such an inspiring talk and we wish you good luck in continuing to grow your business. I will definitely be one of your customers. (I love the peacock yarn I bought to knit myself a pair of socks, knowing that it is 100% Blue Faced Leicester.)

Here is the Brummie Beanie with all the images Jo used to create it.