[interview] Jared Flood from Brooklyn Tweed

This month is unofficially Brooklyn Tweed month at Knotions. We’re reviewing their new book, their yarn (they’re releasing 3 colors) and we’re also doing a giveaway for the book. So, it seemed fitting that we’d also sit down with Jared Flood, the co-owner and founder of Brooklyn Tweed!

Tell us about your journey. What were the big steps that led you to founding BT?

I started designing knitwear in 2007, and manufacturing yarns in 2010. Both of these pursuits came directly from my love of the craft, and a desire to find the yarns and designs that I was craving in my own knitting journey. Learning to handspin was the big light bulb moment for me when it came to learning about all the different ways fiber can behave based on the choices you make during carding, spinning, dyeing, etc. Knowing how to spin yarns by hand gave me the confidence to begin working with spinning mills and being able to develop and ask for the kinds of yarns I really wanted to see in the world!

What makes BT unique?

Brooklyn Tweed is very unique in its approach to yarn making and its dedication to domestic fiber growers and textile manufacturers in the United States. As far as I know, we are still the only yarn company making 100% of our yarn products domestically, from sourcing US-grown breed-specific natural fibers, to spinning, dyeing and finishing. It can often be a challenging limitation to work within, particularly in the years since COVID upended our world, but we’re very proud of what we make and that we can still bring knitters timeless yarns of such high quality and consistency. This has been our mission from day 1!

You let people know which type of spin each yarn is (worsted- or woolen-spun), and that’s not common. What do you want people to know about each spin? Why would people choose one spin over the other?

We’re passionate about yarn education at BT! Knowing how your yarn is made gives knitters the tools to make their best “materials decisions” to create projects that are successful and give you the finished garment you’re dreaming of.

The terms “worsted-spun” and “woolen-spun” refer to how the raw wool fibers are prepared (being combed vs. carded) and have a major impact on the hand of both the finished yarn and, more importantly, the finished fabric of your garment.

Woolen-spun yarns trap a lot of air inside, creating fabrics that are both light and warm, the addition of air within your yarn acts as a natural insulator. These yarns tend to have a ‘softer’ finish visually, with a cozy, traditional look that recalls historic knitwear traditions from Northern Europe and the United Kingdom. Shelter and Loft are our most popular woolen-spun yarns, and we’ve been making and knitting with them for 15 years!

Worsted-spun yarns are smoother and denser, due to the fact that each individual fiber is laid in a parallel structure before spinning. This decreases the amount of air that is trapped in the finished yarn, and results in a yarn with a smoother, more crisp stitch definition. Worsted-spun yarns are more common / more readily available than woolen-spun, and are prominent in the ready-to-wear industry as well. This spinning technique is also a great fit for luxury fibers like silk, cashmere and yak, because they help these short-stapled fibers remain held within the twist; they should pill less than a woolen-spun equivalent with the same fiber composition.

Read more about our woolen and worsted spun processes here.

I also see that you offer breed-specific wool. What does that mean for us as knitters and crocheters? Why would we care about that?

All of our yarn lines are breed-specific. This is another aspect that makes our yarns highly unique in the industry. Breed-specificity means that we get artisan fiber directly from ranchers BEFORE they sell their wool into a domestic “wool pool” that mixes various breeds to create something called “territory” wool.

Working with breed-specific fibers requires a higher level of engagement with ranchers, and also provides them with a higher premium for their yarns. Most of the ranchers that we work with really love being able to contribute their clip to a product that maintains the specificity and the unique qualities of their own sheep, rather than having it “diluted”.

When someone is new to breed-specific wool, we like to compare it to the analogy of wine. Different grapes provide different flavors and textures during your tasting experience, and this is exactly how the unique qualities of each breed may be experienced when knitting. Some are softer and finer, others have more body and tooth — each breed’s characteristics can be considered as part of your end goal for a finished fabric or garment.

Our current yarn lines offer breeds of wool including Rambouillet, Merino, Targhee and Columbia, all breeds that grow in abundance in the US.

Given you’re both a knitter AND a photographer, what are a few things you can teach us that would bring together both of your skills?

Being a professional photographer has been a huge aspect of my ability to build and grow Brooklyn Tweed, because it has helped me convey my vision and love for yarn and knitting with a wider audience. I think that photography skills are a massive benefit to small business owners, now more than ever, as we exist in such an image-heavy, social-media driven world. For me it has always been a major part of what Brooklyn Tweed is about, and has also helped us in our efforts to both inspire and educate knitters on how to improve their craft and become more successful in their slow fashion journeys.

I see that Brooklyn Tweed’s web site has a lot of resources! What’s the one thing you’d like everyone to learn and do?

Yes, we are passionate about education at BT! Our “How To Knit” tutorials are very popular and have helped us grow with our customer base over the years. We’re a team of BIG knitting geeks at BT, and our YouTube channel has been a great way to share this aspect of our team culture and interests with a broader audience.

I love learning new techniques, and knowing the right moment to use the right tool or trick. If I had to choose some extra special skills that I think every knitter can benefit from in a big way, they would be cabling without a cable needle, German short rows, or how to read charts. My list is so much longer than that, but I find these three have all been game changers for me in my own knitting!

What made you want to do a blanket book?

I am a coziness lover who has always adored wool blankets. I grew up in a home full of quilts, as my mother is a prolific sewist and quilter, so they’ve always felt like home to me. When we went into lockdown in 2020, I really leaned into trying to make my life at home as cozy and comforting as possible.

During that time, I pulled out a log cabin quilt that my mom made for me in 1997 when I was 15 years old. I spent a lot of time with this quilt again and started thinking about re-creating it in a knitted format. This ended up being the initial spark for my new book, which grew to include 25 pattern designs and collaboration with 17 other designers to create the collection. I’m so happy it’s finally being released and I hope many knitters will enjoy cozying up with these projects this year and beyond!

There are lots of different projects in the book. Is there one that you really hope that people choose?

I’m especially attached to the Cabin Quilt, as it represents such a meaningful collaboration with my mother. At the back of the book, I include pictures of the two blankets side-by-side, as well as a photograph with my mom and me in front of each of our creations!