Welcome

Yarn Farm Kingston is thrilled to welcome NYS Sheep and Wool Festival attendees to our yarn shop’s soft opening beginning Thursday, October 13 at 11am! (Our wine bar will be opening later in November.) It’s Wednesday night, October 12 and we spent the day and night preparing for our shop’s soft launch… Yarn orders are arriving! Notions and haberdashery! Self-care treats! Our contractors worked diligently through the past few days on the renovation of our storefront space, all to create the coziest creative space for our Yarn Farm Friends and beloved patrons. We are opening our doors to share with you our initial launch selections for this Fall/Winter 2022/2023 season, and could not be more delighted. Note: our buildout isn’t fully completed, but we have yarn and smiles and the joyful spirit of sheep and wool and are so excited to open our shop to you for an early look and first dibs! If you have a lucky coupon (10% off your purchase of $75 or more), please remember to bring it to use it!

About

Yarn Farm Kingston offers a curated selection of yarn, fiber, fabric, tools, accessories and embellishments for those who say and know, “I can make that!” with particular emphasis on locally sourced and small batch, hard-to-find, must-see-in-person goods. Items like farm to skein fine wool and mohair yarn, a complete farm product made entirely on site at Buckwheat Bridge Farm in Elizaville, and hand turned yarn bowls and charcuterie boards by Hudson Valley Wooden Bowls. At YFK, founder and owner Jocelyn Songco proposes to delight fiber artists — knitters, crocheters, spinners, weavers, and sewers — as well as non-crafters aka “curious creatives”.

Within YFK’s creative community space YFK will offer classes such as knitting, crocheting, spinning, weaving and sewing. Creative session drop-in dates will be offered for groups or individuals including cross-stitch, drawing and nail/string art. Going beyond the traditional yarn shop model, YFK will also feature a cozy wine bar in the same storefront location, slated to open in November with a date to be announced on the shop’s website. After the opening of the wine bar, crafters can pair their work with the best wine and craft beer available. Or enjoy your wine and cheese board, without the crafts.

Directions and Parking

Street parking: pay meters with coins or the Flowbird app (excluding Sundays, holidays and other days after 6pm). Free parking in the municipal lot on Rondout Landing at the end of Broadway (under the bridge) and also by the Trolley Museum (short walk).

Distances

• Dutchess County Fairgrounds, 10.6 miles

• Hutton Brickyards (Kingston), 1.5 miles

• Indie Untangled Event (Saugerties), 14.0 miles

Other fun activities while you’re in town

Though we wonder, who has time for anything unrelated to sheep and wool, we also accept that some fiber fanatics may come with partners and families who may want to explore. Fair enough. Suggestions in no particular order: Esopus Meadows Preserve, Kingston Point Rail Trail (part of the Empire State Trail, including Kingston Point Beach and a clear view of the Rondout Lighthouse), and Poets’ Walk Park (across the river) for easy-to-moderate outdoor strolls; and Kingston Consignment, Half Moon Books, Exit 19 and Rough Draft for a bit of shopping in uptown Kingston. Dog owners should visit shop mascot Zorro’s favorite, Kingston Point Dog Park. Bring water for you and your pup, recently the water tap hasn’t been turned on.

Autumn 2022 Offering (as of October 10, 2022)

Battenkill Fibers is producing YFK’s House Yarn, which we will offer au naturel and also, from time to time, dyed by us. We love how the lighter weight yarns (fingering, DK) play well with other yarn like kidsilk mohair… and how the natural colors blend and soften dyed hues when two different yarns are held together — very hygge. Battenkill’s founder, Mary Jeanne, is a force in the sustainable fiber industry and co-founded the Hudson Valley Textile Project, a community of farmers, dyers, millers, designers, makers, distributors, and retailers that work towards a farm to fashion fiber chain that supports local growers, processors, artisans, manufacturers and consumers. YFK is a member of the HVTP.

Aleksandra and Tomasz are a wife and husband team that own and manage Bobbiny, a Poland-based company that produces 100% natural cotton cords made from recycled content and that come in various thicknesses and a dizzying array of colors, from classic to very now. Bobbiny cords are perfect for macrame, crochet and other crafts, including for little recipients since these cords are certified as non-toxic and safe for children.

Buckwheat Bridge Farm and YFK are partnering to offer this farm’s limited/final (for now?) inventory. It is truly special and unique, being farm to skein. The fiber comes from the farm’s own livestock, and it was spun and dyed on the farm using energy generated on-farm. While that is already impressive, after squishing and seeing this yarn you’ll sing their praises yourself — it’s breathtakingly soft and dreamy.

Crafter Gamer Geek is a fiber artist based in neighboring Highland who offers hand dyed yarn inspired by gaming and anime. David Freer’s fun colorways are absolutely as entertaining as gaming, in our humble opinion. Not enough for you? We are also calling on David to host game nights once our wine bar is in full swing. Game on!

cowgirlblues is a Cape Town-based dye house and design studio specializing in South African wool and mohair. Their colors dazzle and provide a dose of joy as we head into the chilly months in this hemisphere. Jocelyn met cowgirlblues founder Bridget and her dyeing team on a work trip in 2013? (2016?) to Cape Town and couldn’t be more thrilled to introduce this yarn in a significant way to YFK patrons this autumn in our launch portfolio. 10/14/22 update - Huge and happy cowgirlblues yarn delivery has arrived… come see!

Jocelyn met Lagusta of Lagusta’s Luscious at a recent event hosted by Chronogram in Kingston, a few days later sampled her wares, and was immediately hooked. Lagusta’s artisanal chocolates are nourishing on so many levels, from the artful presentation and unique flavor combinations, to the company’s ethos… 100% vegan and ethical cacao sourcing + local ingredients. PS Lagusta’s Cafe in neighboring displays amigurumi dolls of team members who have been with the company for 2+ years (Jocelyn is wondering if she can moonlight there that is SO awesome).

Fred Ricci of Hudson Valley Wooden Bowls produces one-of-a-kind handturned yarn bowls, charcuterie boards and weaving looms for YFK. Not only does he excel in workworking, he knows a thing or two about what supports fiber artists in our craft. Fred is the father-in-law of Getting Purly with It, Nancy Ricci!

Jill Draper Makes Stuff needs no introduction in this part of the world and the fiber universe more generally. A pioneer in the sheep-to-skein movement, Jill’s color aesthetic is jaw-dropping and quintessentially Hudson Valley.

Kelbourne Woolen works with manufacturers that aim for high-quality production paired with environmental and social practices that respect and value the planet. Founders Courtney and Kate’s Lucky Tweed is particularly irresistible, an authentic Donegal Tweed yarn in fashion-forward colors, made with soft merino.

Loopy Mango offers unmistakably LOOPY yarn perfect for beginners and experts alike that epitomizes the feeling of “must squish”, not to mention relatively instant gratification! A quick knit hat of scrumptious Italian yarn in bold hues feels like a knitter’s bon bon! And yet their comprehensive patterns mean you could make an entire Loopy wardrobe and home accessories. We especially love that Loopy’s female co-founders Anna and Oejong make their home and HQ in the Hudson Valley — so we can always dash over to get more yarn! PS we are sharing an extensive Loopy Mango trunk show beginning later in Oct… come see a few pieces this weekend then come back for more!

Tampicobags found us reconceptualizing what we could offer as a project bag at YFK, not to mention bags that would have wider appeal to our wine bar patrons. Tampicobags are 100% produced in France by a family-owned company using natural materials and simple design. We think they are perfect for holding your favorite projects, your gear for a weekend away, and/or your everyday essentials for around town. Their Fall/Winter colors take our breath away and perfectly capture the Hudson Valley at this time of year.

We’ve selected Utopia Bath Ltd. best sellers and love the light, non-greasy yet sooo moisturizing effect of Merilyn’s products. Merilyn, who is based on the south shore of Long Island, knows what fiber artists need to care for our most important tool — our hands! Our feet soak up her goodies as well, at the end of a day at our shop.

YFK loves the double-punch of Yara Shea Beauty products: moisturizing well with the key ingredient of shea butter — and doing good. Nguzo, the Bronx-based maker, uses the brand's proceeds to promote the dignity of girls and young women in Nigeria. Ghanaian and Nigerian women in Yara's production process gain improved livelihoods. YFK embraces and celebrates Nguzo’s stance of using African resources to solve Africa’s problems.