The mission of Two Swans Yarns is to promote the traditional forms of Fair Isle,
lace, gansey and
Aran knitting by providing patterns,
yarns, and inspiration. We are dedicated
to fast, friendly service. Established in 2003, we are entering our fourth year of business!
I am a native of the Pacific Northwest and grew up in a small town on Puget Sound. My mother taught me to knit when I was 11, as part of
the Girl Scout merit badge for needlework, but I did little with this skill other than to make
a scarf and a sweater during my college years at the University of
Washington. My passion for knitting was re-kindled circa 1998, when I learned Fair Isle knitting.
What a pleasure it was to knit stockinette in the round, around and around, and to watch the colored stitch patterns
flow from my needles. I felt like I was in my element, stranding and steeking.
As my knitting accomplishments grew, I went to work in a brick-and-mortar yarn shop where I taught Fair Isle and sock knitting classes. In a time when yarn shops around the country
were making most of their income by selling novelty yarns for scarves, I realized that few stores
were devoting shelf space to yarns and patterns for traditional knitting. I hated to see fine
gauge knitting fall by the wayside; I hated to see Fair Isle knitting be neglected to the point of
almost becoming a lost art. Thus, Two Swans Yarns was hatched.
When choosing a knitting project, I am most drawn to the color of the yarn. It is one of my goals for Two Swans to
stock the complete color range of every type of yarn that we sell. Additional colors of yarns are
arriving every week – check back often to see what’s new!
Another of my goals is that your shopping experience on this website should be easy and enjoyable.
Drop me a line and let me know if I’m achieving this goal – I’d love to hear from you!
The Seattle Knitters Guild is a large and active organization where I’ve found friends and drawn
inspiration; I’ve been an active member of the Guild for the last several years and served as the Guild's newsletter editor for two years. I lead a small knitting group called the
Feral Knitters (a play on words – we are “Fair Isle” knitters) that meets twice a month in Seattle. I’m also a member of TKGA and plan
to earn my Master Knitter certificate in 2007. And I belong to the Puget Sound Chapter of the Lacy Knitters Guild, where at every month's program I learn some new-to-me lace knitting technique.
I currently live in Kent, Washington (near Seattle), with my husband, two daughters
(knitters, both!), two horses, three cats, and a dog. Pay a visit to my blog here to see what I'm knitting now.
Check out some of my favorite places on the web:
- Susanna Hansson is a member of Seattle Knitters Guild who teaches knitting on the national level. If you take her Bohus knitting classes you will notice that she uses yarn from Two Swans Yarns.
Her website is: http://oneofsusannas.com
- Bonnie Franz Designs, home of Stranded, a newsletter of patterns, tips, and more for stranded color knitting.
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