Keyword: Manos del Uruguay

At Maschenfein you will find many different yarn manufacturers, including BC Yarn, Erika Knight, Manos del Urugay or Kremke Soul Wool. Our partner for all these manufacturers is Schmeichel-Partner. We would like to introduce you to the wholesaler in more detail. So welcome to a summer Saturday coffee of a different kind!

Even as a small child, Britta Kremke was surrounded by wool. After all, her mother had a needlework store in Hamburg. But all the knitting and crocheting didn't deter the young girl - on the contrary: she crocheted her first sweater when she was eight. Knitting at school and at the movies? Quite the Britta. And today? Today, the trained business economist runs a successful wholesale business as well as her own online store with a wide variety of brands and yarn qualities.

Schmeichel-Partner is based in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern - in Garwitz, to be precise. And what sounds so contemplatively rural now extends all over the world: Kremkes export their yarns as far as Canada and China. Here, too, the selection has grown steadily.

But of course it was a long way until then. "It all started eleven years ago," says Britta Kremke during our video call. "That's when we started with a small store for end customers." Actually, it was intended as an experiment, a byproduct, so to speak, of the joint advertising agency with husband Carsten. That's also when the name "Schmeichelgarne" came about. "We never thought that we would work internationally one day and that no one would be able to pronounce 'Schmeichel'," says Britta with a laugh.

Eco is in demand

However, they have remained true to their name - and above all to their claim of wanting to sell only yarns that flatter the skin and hands. A gain in this respect was the purchase of the yarn brand BC Yarn in 2018. The eco yarns from Denmark then opened the doors to Russia, China or South Korea. "Here, people like to buy ecologically produced yarns," says Britta. Due to the internationalization, the name was then also adapted: Schmeichel Yarns are known in those same countries as Selected Yarns.

You can also find 21 BC yarns in the Maschenfein store, twelve of which are GOTS certified. This means that all products bearing the GOTS seal must consist of at least 70 percent organically produced natural fibers. The letters G-O-T-S stand for Global Organic Textile Standard. The seal is awarded not only for the fibers themselves, but also for the production and processing conditions. Neither humans, nor animals, nor the environment should suffer.

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Anyone who wants to know what role yarns play in Britta's life need only look at her involvement when it came to acquiring BC Yarn. The brand was founded in 1996 by Bo Carstensen, who comes from a weaving family. Together with his wife Marianna, he developed and marketed natural yarns with a high demand on the production and value chain.

But at some point the couple wanted to retire - "...and then approached us," says Britta. And so the business economist, who is also trained as a translator, and her husband took over the BC Yarn brand and drove to Kolding several times in a rented truck to bring the stock there to Germany. "We drove back and forth a total of eight times in a 7.5-ton truck." In the end, there was so much yarn that Kremkes had to rent two empty supermarket spaces to accommodate it all. To this day, Britta and Carsten are in contact with Bo and Marianna. Recently, the two Mecklenburgers even managed a small coup: With Brushed baby they are the first to carry a pure brushed alpaca yarn that bears the GOTS seal. "This is a really exclusive product, nice and fluffy and light." The yarn is undyed and only available in three wonderful natural shades. And already almost sold out again.

Each yarn something special

What makes up BC Yarn also makes up all the other brands that run under the Schmeichel name. "Every brand we carry should have a face," explains Britta. And so it is: BC Yarn as an ecological manufacturer from the North, Erika Knight with the "British touch" from the island, Manos del Urugay and Cowgirl Blues with a focus on Fairtrade and hand-dyeing. Finally, things get luxurious with Shibui from the USA, where the Cocoknits knitted accessories distributed by Schmeichel also come from.

A fine addition is the in-house brand Kremke Soul Wool, "my playground", as Britta Kremke herself puts it. Founded in 2016, its profile is now gradually emerging. "There are many special yarns here." For example, there is the raffia yarn Papyrus, the glitter yarn Stellaris, the recycled cotton yarn Reborn Denim - currently a favorite of Britta - or Eco Cashmere Fingering.

Our tip: Check out the yarn Breeze from Kremke Soul Wool. We used it to knit our Luna sh awl. Breeze gives the shawl a certain weight, which makes it a wonderful companion in winter.

Principled, but not missionary

In general: Eco. The word - or rather its meaning - is often found again when you look at Schmeichel's yarn range. The topic is important to Britta, even if she doesn't want to be missionary about it. "If I can make a contribution, I will," she says. There is one dogma, however, in Garwitz: no merino wool from Australia and New Zealand. "That way I can be sure the wool is mulesing-free." This practice involves removing the skin from around sheep's tails. This is to prevent fly infestation. The method is extremely controversial - and is only used in those very countries because the flies in question only occur there. In addition, Britta and Carsten carry few yarns with merino content compared to other manufacturers. "Other breeds of sheep also provide great, soft wool."

High-quality sheep's wool, for example, also comes from Great Britain - the land of Erika Knight. Here, in 2020, the question was: Should Kremkes take over the British brand? Whenever Britta has a decision to make, she and her husband sit down on their favorite bench in front of the house. With a mixture of calculation and gut feeling, the two then decide what suits Schmeichel - and what might not. "I enjoy spending time in our warehouse and showroom far too much to carry yarns we don't stand behind 100 percent," she explains. In the case Erika Knight it was quickly clear: It fits. Very well, in fact. And thanks to some new hires, Britta also has more time for creative work again. Which is why she is now working on a vegan cashmere yarn, for example. Eight-year-old Britta's passion for yarns and colors continues to this day.

So, how did you like the Saturday coffee? Have a look at our knitting kits in the store - there you can already find some with yarns from BC Garn, Kremke and Co.

And before I say goodbye to the weekend, an important note: You can now pre-order the new Laine magazine. In the latest issue, which is beautifully photographed as always, you will find 13 English-language tutorials from eleven designers. The issue will be shipped on September 10 - the official publication date. As always, please note when pre-ordering: Anything you order along with this issue will be shipped along with it. And I am sure that we will discover one or the other flattering yarn in the kits, which we will of course also post to you bit by bit to match this issue!

Have a wonderful summer weekend and as always a lot of fun browsing and knitting!