A little history
Well for starters it has a name no two people pronounce alike. Scheepjes is a Dutch word meaning little boats. This explains why their logo is a little sailboat inside of a circle. The most common of the pronunciations I have heard sounds like “Ship-ees” in American english. That is how I say it when people ask, and I have been asked a multitude of times! Apparently, when they first started all yarn was delivered to stores on little boats. Not nearly as speedy as the UPS driver that delivers mine but far more interesting.
So, enough of the history lesson.
How I found Scheepjes yarn…
When I first became engrossed in crocheting and wanting to expand my skill set I found a pattern by a European designer. The yarn listed in the pattern was Scheepjes. I had never heard of it before, but I was new to the craft and hadn’t heard of a lot of things at this point. Because Scheepjes is based in the Netherlands and carried in what Europeans call a haberdashery, the American equivalent to Michael’s, Joann Fabrics or your local yarn shop, it is what most people overseas use for their projects. Kind of the way most Americans use Lion Brand or Red Heart.
Most of the yarns were lighter in weight which I loved. Chunky yarn isn’t my favorite, and the colors were so fun! I began following more and more European designers. Deviation from what they were using was not an option in the beginning. Not sure about you, but when I was new to this hobby I copied everything a pattern said right down to the color and brand of hook. Setting myself up for success in every project was a must. I wanted my finished product to look just like the designers.
Quality is essential to any product
One of the qualities I came to love about Scheepjes yarn is that it is very durable. If you are going to spend a lot of time making something beautiful for yourself, someone you love, or even a stranger who purchases your finished goods you want it to be made with materials that will last. You don’t want to sell a garment that will easily pill with wear or fade when washed. With proper care everything I have created with Scheepjes yarn has worn nicely.
In addition to the quality, and I hit on this before, I love all the colors! Not that they don’t carry yarns in beautiful neutral tones, they aren’t afraid to be bold which is inspiring to me. One of my favorite projects was the Amaya Mosaic Shawl by Lilla Bjorn Crochet. For this project I used the River Washed and Stone Washed yarns to create this beauty.
Aren’t these colors fabulous?!?! The second I scrolled through the River Washed collection I knew I would be using the Severn color for a project. I love the mixture of two tones in each color way and how you can match all of them up with a Stone Washed color to create incredible pieces.
My next venture once I complete a shawl for a best friend’s wedding (which I am using Scheepjes Stardust yarn) is to make another ’50 and Fabulous’ sweater with the River Washed yarn in the Colorado color. I designed the sweater, pictured below, for my sister for her 50th birthday in Stone Washed yarn.
The number of soft texture wool based yarns is among another quality I appreciate in this brand. There are several varieties in different weights for every project. Some wool, or wool blend, yarns can feel so soft when you squish the skein in the store, yet when you work them up they are scratchy/itchy on your skin. Really disappointing when you go to wear your beautiful new piece you slaved away to create. Am I right? But after using Merino Soft I have found a new favorite. It is so soft and really light but also warm without being hot. And like all the Scheepjes yarn it comes in so many gorgeous shades.
Last but not least another feature of this producer of great quality, rich texture and diverse colored yarns is they are sold at a reasonable price point. There is a time and project for every type of yarn on the market, but there are a select number of manufacturers that will produce a large variety of quality products at a fair price. All of these qualities combined were the driving force behind opening my own online yarn shop and choosing this brand. We hope you will too!
