Ruth: get to know the founder of sustainable yarn business Raincloud & Sage
A few months ago I met Ruth, founder of sustainable yarn brand Raincloud & Sage. Not only did I love the concept of her business, but I also really liked and admired her as a person and that is why I wanted to interview her for heiter magazine.
Please introduce yourself.
Hello, my name is Ruth and I’m a knitter and entrepreneur from Canada, living in Marburg, Germany with my husband and four year old son.
When did you start Raincloud & Sage and why?
I actually started Raincloud & Sage as a blog back in 2013 when I had just moved to Germany and was (in all honestly) a bit lost and looking for a place to fit in. I originally wrote a lot about my life in general, including my knitting hobby. As time went on the knitting side of the blog kind of took over and I transitioned to doing a bit of pattern design and freelance work within the industry. In early 2017, when my son was still a newborn, I was looking for a new creative outlet and (in a somewhat round-about and surprising way) that turned out to be starting this yarn company later that same year.
What made you transition from a blog to a yarn business?
This is such a good question! I was not exactly planning to transition my blog and start a yarn company. But through a friend of mine, I connected with a local shepherd here in Marburg and discovered that much of the wool from the sheep in this area wasn’t actually being spun into yarn at all but was rather being thrown away or burned. I was shocked to discover this and set out to see if I could turn a small amount of it into yarn. When I shared the story and yarn online it was so well received that I decided to continue making yarns and now, three years later I am finally able to work full-time with Raincloud & Sage.
Ruth in her living room
What makes your yarns stand out amongst others?
One of the biggest differences with our yarns is how they are both sourced and produced. We focus on keeping everything as local and transparent as possible- our first yarn for example was completely sourced, produced and packaged within a 50km radius! Since then, we’ve branched out to work with other shepherds and producers here in Central Europe, but we’re always focused on how we can create our yarns with kindness to the planet as well as to the animals and humans involved in every step of the process. We also strive to be as transparent as possible and share all the steps very openly with our customers on our blog.
If people wanted to start working with your yarns but don't have a lot of knitting experience, what would you recommend to do?
I’m so glad you asked this question! I must admit that up until this point many of our yarns and pattern collaborations have been aimed at more advanced knitters and this is something I’m actively working to change. If people are willing to wait a little we’ll be launching a brand new collection of beginner-friendly knitting kits next year. Otherwise, I always tell people they can email me for personal project recommendations and tips.
Tell us a little bit more about your different offers (yarns, kits, services).
Our focus up until this point has definitely been on the yarns- we currently offer several 100% wool yarns in our shop, both dyed and undyed. In addition to that, we have a small collection of patterns and sometimes work with designers to offer limited edition kits for specific designs. This is something we are hoping to offer much more of in 2021, starting with the knitting kits (including pattern, yarn and needles) for beginners.
How often do you knit yourself? Out of the things you've knitted, what are most proud of?
Oddly enough I knit much less since starting this yarn company- who would have guessed? But I still find time to work on projects every so often in the evenings while watching movies or during a quite moment on the weekend. In terms of what I am most proud of, I think I would have to say my Willa cardigan, which was a collaboration with a designerfriend of mine, Sari Nordlund. The entire process- from sourcing the wool to having it spun, to working with Sari, to finally knitting it, took about two years and in many ways, I feel like the project is a testament to both the slow process of making our yarns and to the friendships I’ve made along the way in building this business.
What's next for Raincloud & Sage?
Oh, so many things! I feel like we are slowly moving out of these first three years of finding our place and building up our foundation to be strong enough to branch out and explore new and exciting projects. The most exciting things coming in 2021 are our new bulky weight base (which will be featured in the beginner knitting kits), as well as an exciting new yarn base that will be a blend of wool and alpaca, sourced and spun locally in my region of Germany.
What are the things that make you feel heiter?
For me (and specifically in the Fall) it’s definitely all the things that make up a cozy life at home- stacks of books and yarn, steaming cups of coffee, cozy oversized cardigans and taking long walks on rainy days.
Images: Raincloud & Sage
Interview: Katharina Geissler-Evans, heiter magazine
