Yarnsmith was the brainchild of Brooke McConochy and her husband, Tim Smith, during a five months recuperative stay in the small Northern Californian town of Arcata. It was here that Brooke was inspired to start her own yarn business on her return to London. From here, Yarnsmith was born and has evolved into the exciting venture it is today.

It's really important to me to keep the "Arcata ethos" alive by offering a friendly, reliable, and creative service to our customers. We aim to offer a wide range of unusual and inspirational yarns from around the world, with an eye to ethical production and distribution!

I am a great believer in the restorative properties of knitting - satisfaction can be achieved on many levels; whether it be conquering a new technique, stitch or pattern; completing a much admired project; making a present of a hand-knitted gift or simply discovering beautiful new yarns and dreaming of what can be done with them! The tactile benefits of hand-knitting cannot be underestimated - you literally feel your work and efforts grow and each finished piece drives your confidence to bigger and better things! So I hope you feel as inspired as I do by this craft and enjoy what we have to offer.

My husband, Dave, and I are lucky enough to be bringing our two children up in the beautiful North Essex countryside, however, we are not so fortunate as to have easy access to stockists of yarns of the quality of Artesano, Debbie Bliss or Noro etc. So, if you are local to us or fancy a meander into the country please do not hesitate to contact me to arrange a no obligation visit. (Tea and coffee can be provided!)

I would love to have your feedback and comments; share your knitting stories, successes and disasters (we all have them) and receive any suggestions you may have or finds you might make!