Bo Carstensen started his company “BC Garn” over 40 years ago in Denmark: His mother used to spend a lot of time at her loom, but the yarns that were available at the time were not to her taste. She preferred natural fibers like wool, silk and cotton and had yarns custom-made for her in small spinning mills. Her husband had the connections she needed: He was a trader for coarse wools that were used for weaving carpets. Bo added yarns for hand-knitters and kept the focus on natural fibers. In 2016, he started looking for someone who would take over his business, and he found the perfect person in the north of Germany: Britta Kremke, an experienced creator of beautiful yarns, was the one he wanted to continue BC Garns for him. Britta routinely works with family-owned spinning mills and always keeps the goal of sustainably produced, beautiful yarns that knitters will enjoy in mind. Since spring 2018, she has been running BC garns – a challenging, but very charming task: “BC Garn has a unique look, clear and simple, so I feel very lucky to take it on” Britta said. Here in Strickmich! Shop, we have a small selection of BC Garn beauties in stock for you: "Bio Balance", which is an irresistible, light mix of cotton and GOTS-certified organic wool, the rustic-looking but super soft "Loch Lomond Bio" (also GOTS-certified, ie organic), and "Babyalpaca" that will make the most beautiful lace shawls. Enjoy BC Garn!
Bio Balance is a wonderful soft carded yarn from pure mulesing-free wool and organic cotton. The GOTS certified Bio Balance comes in great melange colors which gives each skein an even more interesting look.
A typical British Tweed Yarn: Loch Lomond is woolen spun, that means it has a nice volume and at the same time a good long yardage. This results in very light garments. The rustic look with the typical tweed nups inspires you for warm shawls. And last but not least: It is GOTS certified, that means from sheep to dye stuff, from production to stock keeping and packing, each step is inspected carefully and in line with very strict organic and social standards.Voluminous, with a rustic look and a soft and comfy feel: That’s “Loch Lomond Bio” by BC Garn, a lightweight Tweed inspired by British traditions. Just as its name – Loch Lomond is said to be the most beautiful lake in Scotland, located in a stunning National Park. So it only makes sense that this yarn is certified organic: The wool comes from small farms in Argentina that comply with the strict rules of the “Global Organic Textile Standard” (GOTS), as does the spinning mill that processes the fiber, and even the offices and storage at BC Garn in northern Germany. “We are required to work in an energy-efficient way, recycle and offer fair working conditions to our employees”, says Britta Kremke, owner of BC Garn. The standards are obligatory for every step of the production – so the knitter can be sure that the yarn she holds in her hands is made in an animal-friendly and sustainable fashion. The sample "Tough & Toasty" in our book "Strickmich! Knitting Inventions" was made out of half a skein of this yarn, color "Erika".
Want something really, really cozy? Then it has to be alpaca! It's warmer and finer than your usual merino, and Alpacas tend to be very environmentally friendlier than sheep. This yarn uses very fine alpaca fiber (just 22 to 24 microns) and is a heavy laceweight that is just perfect for cozy, amazing shawls.For "The Hitchhiker Collection" we knit Martina's pattern "Jasminde" out of two skeins of this yarn, colorway "56 Türkis". Perfect for beginning lace knitters.