Today I am so happy to introduce you to Gina, owner of Natural Yarns
Tell us about the beginnings of your business and how it has developed and grown?
Gina:
Natural Yarns is my ‘passion project’. It is an ideal project for me, as it offers the opportunity to harness my knowledge and experience in the world of Graphic & Web Design, and my love of natural yarns. The idea to start an online yarn shop sparked when I fell in love with the Manos del Uruguay’s Fair Trade yarns and it became my dream to bring their range to South Africa’s shores. In the early stages developing my website, I contacted Carle’ from Nurturing Fibres and we put together the first of Natural Yarns’ exclusive Nurturing Fibres colour range (I am very excited about the new colour range that Carle’ and I have put together – some of these colourways will be launched next month!).
I have met so many wonderful people who have been so supportive by way of becoming customers, friends and/or designers contributing patterns to my shop – and in this way, so far my business is growing in a direction I am very happy with.
Who or what is your inspiration?
Gina:
The experience of life and living.
I love the textures and colours of things… on the knitting front, these factors determine which projects I choose – which yarn type & colourway I feel inspired to knit a particular project in.
I really love and appreciate how colour contributes so much to the decisions I make – from which clothing I decide to wear on a particular day….to which colour I choose to paint my home..
What is it like living in Cape Town, South Africa?
Gina:
Growing up in George (on Western Cape Garden Route), the highlight of each year for me was our annual trip to Cape Town. I always knew I wanted to live here, and now, after being here for so many years, I increasingly realise how beautiful and diverse this and it’s surrounds are.
The combination of Cape Town’s rich diversity of its people, excellent food and contrasting natural habitat gives Cape Town a great advantage over most destinations one could ever chance upon. There is much opportunity here to mix with highly creative people, and so I find it easy to explore my creative ideas to the full living here.
Tell us about the different yarns you stock.
Gina:
All of the yarns that I stock are hand dyed – many of them are hand spun.
My Manos del Uruguay range includes:
- Lace – a gorgeous Baby Alpaca, Cashmere and Silk blend
- Serena – Pima Cotton & Baby Alpaca blend
- Silk Blend – Silk & Merino Blend
- Maxima – gorgeous superfine Merino
- Clasica – a single spun, lovely textured handspun Merino yarn
In my Nurturing Fibres range, I carry:
- SuperTwist Sock Wool – pure Merino fingering weight yarn with a lovely twist which is great for socks as well as shawls, scarves & cardigans
- ManSock – 400m of fingering weight Merino & Mohair with Nylon to make it really strong.
- Spaghetti Aran – Mohair, Merino & Silk..a luxurious firm favorite!
- SuperTwist DK – Soft, squishy and very versitile
- DK Singles – Soft with a lovely sheen – this is a really special yarn!
- Merino Lace Singles – perfect for lace scarves & shawls
Nurturing Fibres has just launched a few new yarns which Natural Yarns will also stock soon.
I also have a range of Adele’s Mohair yarns including:
- Roving Yarn – lovely and soft, pure Superwash Merino
- Skinny Wool – Superwash Merino lace weight
- Magic Balls – a fun novelty yarn comprised of Mohair, Wool & some sparkly bits to make it extra special.
- Medium Brushed Mohair – Handspun out of the finest Mohair & hand dyed.
My LeLana Merino Soft Spun yarns are hand spun Superwash Merino. They are hand painted by Lana on the West Coast of South Africa. These skeins are incredibly soft and ‘airy’ – a joy to work with.
I have a few other yarn brands / sources that I am currently perusing which I am very excited to launch later this year.
What do you enjoy most about your business?
Gina:
Interacting with the people I meet through my business — seeing all the beautiful creations on Ravelry that people have made with my yarn range is really exciting. When one is developing a young business as I am, it is very rewarding to see customers come back. I love my yarns and I feel so proud to send them out, knowing that they will be enjoyed by the knitter and wearer of the garment / accessory that are created from them! It is a pleasure to be able to share my love of natural yarns with others in this way.
Are there any new exciting products you would like to tell us about?
Gina:
I have a lot of new products / brands planned.. In particular, there is a very special & exciting new South African yarn range which is currently in it’s development phase — I will announce the launch of these and all other new items on my Ravelry page as well as Facebook & Twitter as soon as they are available.
A Note for Overseas Customers from Gina’s FAQ page on her shop:
It is not currently an automated option on our site (we are working on automating overseas shipping calculation & payment)
If you would like to order from abroad, please place your online through the website as normal. For Shipping & delivery options: Select the “Overseas customers” option.
We will send you a payment request from PayFast (our South African payment gateway for this website) which includes the cost of your yarn, postage & a tracking number.
If you would prefer to pay via PayPal, please comment in the order notes & we will send you a PayPal payment request which will include postage, tracking number + a small % added for extra Paypal and bank commissions. No orders will be shipped before payment has cleared.
Gina’s Social Media Links:
Email: info@naturalyarns.co.za
Giveaway:
For the give-away, Gina would like to offer 1 reader the choice of 1 of the yarns from the above photo from her current South African inspired colourway collection!!
AND
Together with this giveaway I will be offering 2 patterns to the winner, the Sherpa Hat and the Seaglass Cowl
See below how to enter this lovely giveaway:)
Each of the South African inspired colourways have personal meaning for Gina:
- Cape Town – Man Sock: Cape Town is my home & the place I dreamed of living when I was a child. It really is a dream come true to live here.
- King Protea – Spaghetti Aran:
I have always found King Proteas to be majestic! The Protea is South Africa’s national flower — I’ve always loved Protea – their petals are hard, but often soft to touch, and I love their colours. - Springbokkie – Spaghetti Aran:
The Springbok (Afrikaans: spring = jump; bok = antelope, deer, or goat) is our national animal – I have family in the Karoo & have spent much time there Springbok spotting.
To enter this giveaway to win one of Gina’s beautiful yarns and 2 Mamma4earth Patterns:
Leave a comment below, to earn extra entries, share about the giveaway on Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram, remember to leave an extra comment here each time you share.
This giveaway is open worldwide.
The winner will be chosen on Thursday the 30th of May and will be announced here in this post.
Congratulations to:
Would love to win this. Thanks!
Gina, thank you so much for sharing about yourself and your lovely business and for offering such a generous giveaway.
Capetown is so very pretty! What a great giveaway!!!!!
I would love to win your gorgeous wool yarns! They inspire!
Thank you for the opportunity to win a skein of your beautiful work.
What a gorgeous range of textures and colours! Wrapping yourself in colours that remind you of your favourite places is a wonderful way to feel memories hugging you!
Shared on Facebook…not tech savvy enough to be a part of Twitter, Instagram or Pintrest, sorry. Good thing for me that knitting doesn’t require more screen interaction 😉
Oh wow. Thank you Linda for introducing me to Gina (Natural Yarns). I had no idea there was someone so close to where I live that has the yarns I have been dying to buy.
Would be wonderful to win a giveaway but will definitely be placing an order in the near future.
What lovely yarns! I really enjoyed reading about your business passion & I can tell you have a love of nature. It inspires you. Well done, Gina!
Shared on Facebook & happy to do so. By the way, love your knitted animals!
Repinned & shared on Pinterest….thank you for the opportunity!
I would LOVE to use these yarns!!! Thank you so much for the give-away!
The yarn sounds exciting. Do you ship to the US as I live in Wisconsin. I love silk blends and would love to be chosen for a skein and Linda’s patterns are lovely.Hugs
Hi Barbara,
Gina does ship internationally, you can read about it over on her shop under the tab FAQ. Here is the link http://naturalyarns.co.za/faq/
Have a wonderful weekend
Linda
🙂
the yarns look fabulous – would love the chance to use them!
The yarns are beautiful! I would love to try one. Thanks
Beautiful yarn, thank you!
Thank you, beautiful yarns. My husband is just now telling me about cape town. X
Hi Gina, I’ve liked your Facebook page 🙂
Thank you!!
FB: Eva Kasapi
Twitter: @EvaKasapi
Hi Linda, I’ve shared this giveaway on Facebook
what a lovely giveaway…thank you !
pinned too!
They look so nice and Soft. I hope you consider, shipping in Europe. I will love to make my first pair of socks with this yarn.
Wow! The colors are amazing! I can almost see the springbok! I am a relatively new knitter although I have always loved handwork. I would love to try your beautiful fiber and share my experience. Please
Shared on facebook
Tweeted
gorgeous stuff. the Sprinkbokkie wins my heart. and I’ve been eyeing your Sherpa Hat pattern. lovely to think about it all!
Great Giveaway idea. Off to post everywhere I can!
Georgeous yarns, I’m drooling. fingers and toes crossed….!
tweeted!
Pinterest-ed
Posted on Facebook too.
Very beautiful work.
Thanks for this lovely giveaway! Beautiful, beautiful yarns.
Repinned on Pinterest
Beautiful yarn and patterns! Thank you for this opportunity to win!
Very neat company, and great giveaway. Thank you!
ummrania on rav.
What a great source this is for all of us knitters. I would be honored to have any of your delicious looking fibers. Thank you for the opportunity to give them a try!
I love these colors and can already picture my little sherpa hat in one of these lovely yarns. Thank you for telling us about this lovely shop. I love reading about women in business.
What beautiful yarns. Loving the colours of the Cape Town sock yarn!
lindarumsey on Ravelry
Thank you Gina for your very generous giveaway! I like the way you have related the colours of the yarn to specific South African themes. Greetings from Sydney, Australia.
What lovely, yummy yarn.
I bought some King Protea sock yarn some time back and I’m absolutely in love with it! Springbokkie is also to die for!
Love the animal pattern and yarns
Facebooked
Thanks for the chance to win this beautiful yarn, and the lovely patterns.
I like the Capetown colorway. Thanks for the giveaway!
Thank you so much for the giveaway. These yarns are beautiful and the patterns are ones I have been eyeing. I so enjoyed your interview.
Shared on fb
Shared on Pintrest
Gorgeous yarns and lovely patterns 🙂
Oh what an exciting giveaway! I love learning about new yarn, the maker and the inspiration. It adds so much meaning to the yarn and I love it. Also the patterns are fantastic and such an added bonus.
I love the Cape Town Sock!
Love the Cape Town colorway and the yarn is so beautiful!
asteride on Ravelry
hi gina! it’s nice to meet you! love your shop and your selection of wools and your inspiration, everything! oh and i love cape town too, and imagined what it would be like to live there.
thank you linda and gina for this giveaway, but please don’t add my name, i just wanted to be sure and say hi and how lovely everything is!
Thanks Lori! 🙂
Gorgeous yarns! I love all three! I have been working a lot with sock yarn, so I am going to chose Cape Town. Thanks so much for this opportunity! Going to visit your shop now! 🙂
What a great giveaway! I’ve been wanting to try the Spaghetti Aran because Linda uses it so often in her pieces, but I couldn’t find it anywhere here in the states. All these colors are pretty, but I like the Capetown colorway the best.
Beautiful colors! I like that your inspiration comes from nature. 🙂
so beautiful!!
These are delightful! Thanks for a great giveaway. I really like the browns in the Springbokkie colorway.
All the yarns are beautiful but the protea is one of my favorite flowers and the colors of the yarn match the flower so wonderfully I would love to win it. I salute you Gina for your entrepreneurship and talent for color and design and the hard work that has gone into your special shop.
I would love to win some of your yarn!
Beautiful! Thanks for a chance to win. 🙂
hugs
Vanja
I love the yarns and the colors but specially that they are natural. I imagine the softness and ease to work with. Thank you for sharing the products and introducing Gina to us.
Oh my gosh the yarns are so beautiful. I would love to win.
Thank you for your very generous giveaway! All of the yarn looks beautiful but if I had to choose it would be the King Protea – Spaghetti Aran love it!
I pinned the giveaway!
Posted the giveaway on Face Book!
What gorgeous yarns and fabulous colors. Thank you for sharing your creativity with the rest of us.
Love the yarn and the chance to win.
Thanks
How lovely to read this interview! Thanks for taking the time to answer the questions, Gina, and to Linda, for asking and posting them!
These yarns are beautiful!!
This is a juicy giveaway! Thanks.
I posted to FB
I posted to Google +
I do love Cape Town, the city, and the yarn. Thanks for the opportunity!
I also shared on Facebook. Thanks again!
they’re all so beautiful! i think the capetown may be my favorite
What a great post today and a wonderful giveaway. Thank you for the chance. I love reading and seeing indie dyers. Their yarny, squishy goodness is always an inspiration. I especially love the earthy tones of the brown/cream Spaghetti Aran skein.
Have a great weekend.
Best,
Sheila
http://sheilazachariae.blogspot.com
Makes me nostalgic for Cape Town and I really miss visiting Carle’s Nurturing Fibres studio.
I miss you to Ruth xx
I also shared on facebook.
Pinned ya!
Shared on FB!
Tweeted ya!
I love the colours of the King Protea – the yarn and the plant. Thank you for the opportunity.
what beautiful colors! a true artist!
I love the Sock Wool and patterns!
Cape town is gorgeous!
Wonderful, as always!!! Thank you so much!
Beautiful yarn… I always love finding new sources for gorgeous yarn!
Enjoyed reading about your gorgeous yarns and colors…I love working with colors, too!
Thank you for this opportunity to win such beautiful yarn.
Capetown looks pretty! Thanks for the chance:)
So pretty
I would low to win
All the colours are to dye for!
I love proteas, and that colourway captures the flower so well.
Shared on Facebook too. I love the Cape Town sock yard as well. Just sayin’!
Shared on Facebook too. I love the Cape Town sock yardn as well. Just sayin’!
Beautiful beautiful wool. Thanks for the giveaway!!
Shared on Facebook
Shared on Pinterest. I would love to make a cowl.
These are so beautiful! I have shared it on fb and twitter.
I’m really loving the Cape Town colour way. Shared on twitter too!
I work with several S Africans and the accent alone puts it on my bucket list. Add all of the amazing natural history and now yarn and knitters?! A trip to SA is getting higher on the list every day.
Gorgeous wool! Amazing colourways. It’s a toss up between Cape Town and Protea. . .It does make me miss SA a lot. . .
Thanks so much for letting us know about this beautiful yarn and for the giveaway!
What beautiful yarn, and gorgeous colorways!!!
Each time I come to this site I am so inspired to create and see what others are creating. I would love to win this yarn and pattern. I am just finishing a sweater for my granddaughter and need a new project.
thanks so very much for this great site.
Absolutely love the Capetown yarn!
those are some delicious colors!!!
Such beautiful colors. Hard to choose!
What yummy yarn.
Pinned: http://pinterest.com/sherryglover1/
Shared on FB
sherryglover1 on Ravelry
Incredible, creative colours capturing such natural beauty. Your patterns are always inspiring Linda.
Wow, those are some gorgeous yarns and patterns! Thank you for this lovely interview and a chance to win!
What a great interview! It’s so nice to learn more about Gina and what drives her. She has beautiful yarns and I love so much how she works with Carle’ at Nurturing Fibres to develop beautiful color ranges. I love all the yarns in the contest. Cape Town is gorgeous and Man Sock one of my favorites.
Thank you! x
Thank you, Gina, for sharing your beautiful yarns with us!
I would love to win a skein of your Capetown Sock yarn. That colorway is gorgeous!!
Purlescence from Ravelry
everything is so beautiful! what a wonderful giveaway 🙂
Pagecsa on Ravelry
What a beautiful offer, I love the meanings behind the colours, they are so good and you can see the inspiration in each one xxBrenda
Gorgeous yarns.
Beautiful yarn and patterns! Thank you for the chance to win them!
Loved reading about Gina – such beautiful yarns. Thanks for the chance to win
I love the colors of all of the yarns, but I think the one I love the most is Springbokkie. The variations of brown are just beautiful. They are not too harsh, I like that the change is very soft.
Such very beautiful yarns!
I love the Spaghetti Aran, but all of then are beautiful.
I love the colors of the sock yarn, and my good friend just gifted me with a kit to make a bali bag in those same colors, so it would match. I would probably knit that hat – very cute pattern! I love the fact that you explain what the colors mean to you! – how personal. I sailed out of Cape Town Harbor in 1979 on the South Atlantic Yacht race, what a beautiful city. I call Australia home now, but a piece of my heart still resides there in SA.
Thank you for sharing Gina’s wool with us. I didnt realise that her shop was right on my doorstep. Will be taking a visit soon.
Thank you Linda for this wonderful article & giveaway!!
And Gina my friend good luck!!
XX
A
PS. I shared on Facebook too!
Thanks Alene! x
I like to enter this giveaway. Lovely yarns!
I would like to enter the giveaway. Beautiful yarns, Gina!
I have pinned this page as well. Cheers!
I really do love all the natural perfect fibres that wool means working with, it really is just eye candy!
Thanks for the chance to win!
I love those yarns! They would make beautiful dollhair, too! Hope I win!
I shared is on my FB page, too! I love the blue shade yard the best. Would look really cool for a mermaid doll!
what a lovely giveaway, such lovely yarn and patterns 🙂
I have knit with Manos del Uruguay and loved it!! I would love to work with another beautiful yarn!!
The yarns are so beautiful…I am dreaming of knitting with the blue and green sock yarn – gorgeous!
I love all 3 colors but my favorite would be Cape Town. Both of the patterns are really cute, too.
What beautiful colors! I would love to receive any of these yarns — and I know the patterns are great too as I did several cowls for Christmas gifts in 2012! Thanks!
Love the prizes! I’m a huge fan of natural fibers! 🙂
What a great giveaway! I would be so honored to win and knit with any of the yarns and those patterns. Cheers from California!
Beautiful yarns. I would love to win some!
What beautiful yarns- I’d love to win any of these!
Oh, such pretties!
-isabeautiful on rav
The King Protea Yarn is gorgeous! Thanks for the awesome giveaway!
Fantastic giveaway! The yarn colourways are lovely and I do love your Seaglass Cowl 🙂
The Super Twist sock wool in Escape or Autumn is so great!
You have a beautiful shop!
I love the patterns added to this giveaway as well! How cool to get yarn and patterns together!
thx so much for this offer!
Thanks so much for all your lovely comments! 🙂
Tweeted the giveaway! Love Escape – almost done with a lovely mitt pattern using it!
I love them all, but I think Cape Town is the one!
Cape Town – Man Sock , lovely colorway..
Would love to win this. Thanks!
Simply georgeous! The Seaglass Cowl is fabulous 🙂
What lovely yarn, so want to go and see the wonders of Cape Town but will gladly settle for some yarn 🙂
Your wool looks edible
Beautiful yarns and patterns!
dropped on your website by accident – what a happy accident !
Yarn looks fab and well done you for making that leap into the unknown
Thank you for the giveaway
Would love to win any of the three yarns…all are beautiful, and the patterns are wonderful. I am a reader from the Southeastern U.S. and always enjoy seeing how knitters in other parts of the world are so similar to me.
Gorgeous yarn inspired by a gorgeous place! I’ve been to Cape Town and loved it. I’m really impressed at how well these yarns capture the colors of the place. Really lovely.
I love the Cape Town man sock yarn especially but they’re all gorgeous!
wahoomerryf on Rav
I recently met a knitter who was from South Africa and I can see the inspiration. My favorite is the Cape Town Man – lovely colors.
What a wonderful giveaway and such beautiful yarns! Thanks for the opportunity!
You certainly do a grand job of dying your yarns with places in mind. So very lovely a feel of a place. Capetown in man sock really does that so very well; a breath of fresh air. What a great business and relationship with your peers as well.
Thank you for your graciousness in having a giveaway!
beautiful yarn!
I enjoyed reading about the lovely yarns, thanks for a chance to win, fingers crossed!
I have liked you on flickr and facebook too 🙂
What a fabulous giveaway! I love all the yarns, but I’ve loved King Protea before I even knew what it was. Long, long ago, in the dark days before the internet, i had an embroidery design for King Protea, embroidered it on pillows, loved it, but didn’t know what it was – until I was looking at the NF website. I love all the colors – and the Seaglass Cowl too!
Thanks for sharing this story! How lovely that the King Protea has been special to you in this way & that you now know what it is! 🙂
I’m in.
Such beautiful yarn – I got lost on the website browsing and imagining all the possibilities with the lovely colours!
Gorgeous, gorgeous yarns and colorways. And Linda I think your hat is so original, I’m in love! My fingers are crossed (and so are my toes)! 🙂
Blessings, Debbie
Pretty yarn!
a couple of weeks ago, I bought a pattern from Nurturing Fibres, the ‘crochet hook case’,
for which I would love to use this beautiful supertwist sock wool !!!
thanks,
Nele.
This yarn is all beautiful! Thanks so much for highlighting this vendor and offering this giveaway.
Thanks for the giveaway! I would love to win some of Gina’s beautiful yarn, and lovely Linda’s patterns.
I’ve also shared on Pinterest.
What a lovely giveaway. Thanks.
Tweeted about the giveaway: https://twitter.com/WifeMummyNurse/status/339825507648557057
What beautiful yarn! Congrats to the winner!
Still hoping about the yarn giveaway. Thank you for having one. Having patterns and yarn are a real treasure. The cape town yarn against the picture of Cape Town and the water behind are gorgeous.
🙂
Thank you for introducing Natural Yarns to us. You work with so many people it is wonderful! Keeping fingers crossed.
Just added notes in Facebook, Flickr, and Twitter. I am trying for the Giveaway. Thank you.
The colors are amazing. Any of them would make great projects.
I posted your giveaway on facebook
I posted your giveaway on pinterest
I posted your giveaway in twitter
Gorgeous yarn and I love those patterns! Thank you for sharing. – Ariesandewe on Ravelry
Posted to my pinterest page 🙂
Oh gorgeous, these yarns are beautiful!
Thanks for the giveaway!! The yarns look beautiful. I have my eyes on that beautiful skein of variegated greens behind the two yarns in the front. 🙂 Btw, I love your little whale pattern and am planning to make it soon!
Lovely colours!!
am in love with these yarns xx
What a great giveaway – those colorways are gorgeous!
Wow, that’s gonna be a hard choice for someone. They are all gorgeous!
Gorgeous! Love them all!
I loved the interview with both of you. When Linda asked what inspired you Gina, you stated that ‘Life’ and ‘Living’ were your inspiration. I was so struck with delight to hear you say that.
It is wonderful that you feel that way and your yarn shop will show that inspiration with all that is within. Natural Yarns sounds like it has a great beginning and the venture surely will thrive with you at the helm and friends and cohorts like Linda and Carle’. My very best of wishes to you. And thank you for having this gracious and exciting Giveaway with wonderful spun and dyed yarn and patterns from a great designer. What more can one ask for. 🙂
Thank you for your kind words, and wishes, Joanne! x
Liked you on Facebook!
Those yarns are stunning
Nhsarab at yahoo dot com
Congratulations to Libby for winning this giveaway!
Thank you to everybody for your comments and messages x