How We Choose Our Inventory - Part 2

Written by Jane (they/them)

Click here to read part 1 about how we choose yarn for both shops.

Choosing Yarns for Cleo's Yarn Shop in Bushwick

This is Jane, the manager of Cleo's Yarn Shop in Bushwick checking in to talk a little about the yarns we carry and specifically how I choose new yarns to bring into the store!

I took over the wholesale buying of yarns and products at Cleo's in September of 2025. This happened only a year after I learned to crochet, so I have been exposed to a significantly smaller range of yarns than Cleo has, who has been knitting for over 20 years. I have come to feel that this lack of experience has actually given me an advantage: I look at yarns completely differently than someone who has been knitting for a long time.

Cleo and I had the privilege to attend H&H Americas in Chicago in May of 2026 and it was during this trip that Cleo noted something to me that made me realize this advantage. I had recently decided to bring in a few yarns from MadelineTosh, something I was incredibly excited about. So when Cleo and I walked up to the MadelineTosh booth at H&H, I was ridiculously excited to see their new colorways. It was then that Cleo noted how I was enjoying MadelineTosh's yarn with the eyes of someone who is new to the world of yarn. Cleo explained that MadelineTosh had experienced a boom in popularity around 10–15 years ago, meaning that while they were still beloved, most people did not feel the same excitement I had as someone who had just discovered them. Since many of our customers are new to the yarn world like me, I had a feeling they would be just as excited as I was!

My favorite kind of yarn to work with is funky, hand dyed, variegated yarn from small indie yarn dyers. When I took over we already had a wide variety of basics from brands like Plymouth, Malabrigo, and Amano. We also carried yarns from smaller companies like Woolerton Estate, Toil & Trouble, Nine of Swords, Loop Fiber Studio, and Cashmere Treats. The latter three are even all based in New York State! I loved all these small companies that we carried but I wanted more!

Since we already had our inventory basics well covered (more on that in Part 1 here!), I got to dive right in to searching for those funky, indie dyed yarns with the fresh eyes of a newbie. I also knew I wanted to focus on indie dyers that weren't stocked in any other yarn stores in NYC. I wanted to give people a reason to cross the five boroughs to visit Cleo's in particular!

My first ever yarn love was Toil & Trouble's Cadence Worsted in the color Pumpkin King, so I used that as my reference point for what I wanted to look for. However, I can't stock the store with exclusively variegated, worsted weight yarn; we need a variety!

In order to carry a well-rounded selection of yarn I began to search for yarns that would fill gaps in our inventory such as variegated and hand-dyed yarns with fiber contents that included cotton, linen, bamboo, or lyocell. That's how I came across Savannah Rose Handmade's Daisy DK and Aster Fingering yarns. We will be the first store to stock Savannah Rose Handmade yarns outside of their home store, Weird Sisters, in Portland, Oregon.

Another dyer I am incredibly excited to be carrying soon is Reiko Fibers! Reiko Fibers is hand dyed by Erin Reiko and based out of Boston, Massachusetts. What drew me to Reiko Fibers was the wide color range and wide variety of bases (and maybe I am a little biased, being from Boston myself). We are expecting over 35 colors of their Cotton Merino DK in both variegated and tonal colorways. Included in this selection will be all six colors from their Kiki's Delivery Service collection (pictured).

We're expecting to receive both of these new brands in August 2026 at Cleo's, our Bushwick shop!

As we move into the fall/winter season, I planing on searching for funky and unique yarns that consist of wool, alpaca and other animal fibers in a wide variety of new textures. Even though we have plans to bring back some retired customer-favorites, I will always continue my search for newer dyers who bring something fresh and different to the table! Those yarns are what excites me the most and give me the best project ideas, and I hope they'll inspire our customers in the same way <3

Click here to read part 3 about how Cleo chooses yarns for Rory's in Ridgewood!