Neighborhood Fiber Company's Story

What led to you becoming a yarn producer?

I’m Karida, and I became enamored with yarn after learning to knit in college.

Shortly after, I started working in a yarn store in Washington, D.C., and I began to develop my own sense of color. Many companies were inspired by organic matter - like flowers and landscapes - but I wanted to develop a palette that felt distinctly urban. I grew up in Tennessee, but my mother and her parents are from Baltimore originally, where my grandparents owned a grocery store on Bentalou Street. I’ve since moved to Baltimore myself, after living in DC and Columbus, OH, and feel like Neighborhood Fiber Co. has grown to reflect Baltimore’s beauty. Our yarns are named after neighborhoods, artists, and landmarks here, and it’s a great way to teach people about Baltimore’s history, geography, and culture.

 Where do you create? Do you have a team?

 Our team is comprised of photographers, writers, artists, and dye experts - we put our skills and passion for yarn together to develop new colors and to market them. Right now, our studio is housed in a 150-year-old firehouse, but we recently bought a building in the Midway neighborhood; we hope to be moved into this new location by fall of ‘22.

 What inspires you?

 People have a preconceived notion of what Baltimore is like, one that is often negative. By taking inspiration directly from this city, we engage our customers from out of town to learn more about our home, and bring joy to local folks who find their neighborhood among our colors. When people visit the shop, they get to chat with our associates, some of whom are lifelong Baltimoreans, who can explain the reasoning behind what neighborhood is paired with which color, leading to conversations about Black history, redlining, the arts scene, and more.