Craft Focus - Jun/Jul (Issue 73)

38 Spinning a yarn Tell us a little about Viridian. Viridian began wholesaling knitting products about 15 years ago, initially as a distributor for Opal sock yarn. We began to stock other sock products and were approached by Clover to distribute its range. Around 10 years ago we introduced Knit Pro to the UK, and later, started selling Eucalan. We have been going from strength to strength ever since. Talk us through your product range. Opal is manufactured in Germany by Tutto Wolfgang Zwerger. The father of the current owner was the first person to develop self-patterning yarn, making it for other companies before establishing his own brand. The manufacturer produces several ranges each year, often based around a theme. The Rainforest collection is used to raise funds for a German charity that supports vital environmental work, while the Schafpate yarn is farmed in a traditional, eco-friendly way. We find that Opal always sells well but every now and then we see an exceptional range, such as the Claude Monet and Hundertwasser lines. We have chosen eight shades from Hundertwasser’s extensive selection to stock as an ongoing concern. This is very popular and has a long-established reputation as a particularly vibrant and distinctive yarn. Eucalan is a laundry product that gets its name from eucalyptus and lanolin, a natural conditioner that is ideal for wool. After initial success in Canada, its maker introduced other fragrances and started looking for distributors around the globe. We took on this role for the UK market in 2011 and the 100ml lavender option is our bestselling option. Clover makes a range of knitting, crochet, sewing and embroidery products. When we first started working with the company, we only focused on knitting and crochet items but have since taken on the entire range. The quality of Clover is extremely high and its bestselling product is the 3126 pom-pom- maker, as used by Kirstie Allsopp on the Channel 4 show Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas. We just can’t get enough of them. We are also proud to be the first distributor of Knit Pro in the UK and one of the first in the world. We started working with the manufacturer in 2008 and, over the years, have collaborated on new product designs and packaging improvements. It has been a very successful partnership, with sales rising significantly year-on-year. Across needles, the two bestselling ranges are Symfonie and Zing, while the Waves hooks refuse to stay on our shelves. Are there any new launches coming up? Over the next few months we have a number of important Opal launches including Rainforest, which comes out in July. Beautiful World will be released in August, Schafpate XI in September and Naughty Friends in October. These are all wonderfully interesting and can be seen along with all our products on our website. If business owners and buyers want a more hands-on approach, they can visit us at CHSI Stitches at the NEC each February. What are this year’s biggest yarn trends? We’ve seen an increase in mindfulness and mental health awareness, and knitting is a perfect example of how crafting can be a fantastic tool when it comes to achieving and maintaining a “We’ve seen an increase in mindfulness and mental health awareness, and knitting is a perfect example of how crafting can be a fantastic tool when it comes to achieving and maintaining a healthy state of mind.” David Husbands, director of Viridian, tells Andrea Ashfield what’s coming up for the popular yarn specialist