New Jersey Dyer Profiles: Interview with Myra Rubin of Woolbearers
As part of the Jersey Shore Knits project, it was important to make sure that local companies played a big part. It wasn't hard to find some really talented people with great hand dyed yarn based in the garden state, it was however quite unusual to have the opportunity not only to work with Myra Rubin of Woolbearers in Mount Holly, NJ, but to visit her incredible store. There she is on the left wearing the Seashells Shawl, knit in her Fingering Wool. Below she answered some interview questions about her story, yarns, and retail shop.
Q. Can you share a little about your business and how you got started?
A. I started Woolbearers 11 years ago with a partner. We envisioned a tiny yarn shop with lots of our hand dyed and hand crafted yarns. It morphed into a big yarn shop with lots of commercial yarns as well as Woolbearers hand dyed yarn.
Q. What about your yarns, colors, or dye process sets you apart?
A. Some of our yarns are sourced from local sheep and alpaca.
These yarns use American wool
mini skeins of fingering weight yarn
Q. What inspires your colors?
A. Color inspiration comes from lots of different sources. I love soft colors -- as you can see in the shawl you created -- but have learned to step it up a bit and do some crazy, louder color combinations
Q. Do you craft with your own yarns?
A. Oh yes, I try to design small patterns specifically using my yarns and use them in lots of other patterns as well.
Q. [If so] what is your personal favorite yarn to work with and why?
A. Right now, I am in love with my fingering weight yarn. I love dyeing it in many color variations and working with it in blankets that call for lots of different colors.
Q. Where can people find your yarns?
A. Woolbearers (the shop in Mt Holly NJ) is the only place you can buy my yarns, in addition to the Garden State Sheep Breeders show in the Fall or the Vogue Live Show in January -- I have an online shop as well --- www.woolbearers.net
I'd personally like to add that the store was a really great place to visit - the kind of place where there were people sitting around knitting. The house yarn is the big draw, but there are a lot of other things to see. I was overwhelmed by the number of Cascade 220 colors, friendly patrons, and the range of class options for all sorts of fiber activities.
Here's some of Myra's amazing Baby Llama Glow yarn in Cornflower blue...
...I will definitely head back soon to Woolbearers, 90 High Street,
