Jimmy Beans Wool Buys Madelinetosh

Jimmy Beans Wool, which started as a coffeshop and yarn store in the early 2000s, has positioned itself as a major player in the online fiber world, selling yarn and notions as well as acquiring companies that produce quality goods for fiber lovers.

In years past they have purchased bag makers Namaste and Della Q, and they just announced the purchase of indie yarn giant Madelinetosh.

“Yarn is such an important part of Jimmy Beans’ DNA and with the addition of Madelinetosh, it feels like a match made in yarn heaven,” Jimmy Beans founder Laura Zander said in a press release. “We’ve been carrying Madelinetosh yarn for years, and to see what Amy and John have created is remarkable. Their eye for color and ability to take dyeing from their kitchen to becoming the largest hand-dyer in the country is just incredible.”

For now Madelinetosh will continue to operate in Fort Worth, Texas, while Jimmy Beans operations are based in Reno, Nevada. According to an FAQ on the Jimmy Beans site, individuals will still be able to order Madtosh yarn from either website, though inventory on the Jimmy Beans site will reflect what they actually have in stock in Reno while orders made through the Madtosh site will be made to order and will take longer.

It will be interesting to see how this partnership evolves. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

[Photo: Jimmy Beans Wool.]

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Every knitter has a stash. Some of us have a neat little basket. Some of us have a “please don’t open that cupboard too quickly” situation. So a book called Knitting Stylish Stuff from Your Stash already feels like it understands the assignment.

Written by Erica Berntsen, this book is all about turning leftover yarn, odd skeins, and those slightly mysterious yarn purchases we were definitely going to use “one day” into stylish, wearable projects. The book includes 20 scrappy knitting designs and focuses on making the most of what you already have, with a practical zero-waste approach. It’s published by Landauer Publishing and runs to 168 pages.

What I like about this book is that it doesn’t treat leftover yarn as second-best. Instead, it leans into the charm of mixed colours, textures, scraps, and creative combinations. That’s where stash knitting becomes fun rather than just economical. You’re not simply “using things up”; you’re making something with personality.

The projects are aimed at knitters who want fashionable, useful pieces rather than another pile of tiny odds-and-ends projects that never leave the craft room. It’s a good fit if you enjoy relaxed, creative knitting and don’t mind experimenting a little with colour and yarn pairing.

This would suit knitters who:

have too much leftover yarn and want realistic project ideas
enjoy scrappy, colourful knitting
like sustainable craft projects
want stylish stash-busting patterns
prefer practical makes over fussy novelty projects

I’d say this is especially appealing for knitters who already have a little confidence and enjoy making creative decisions as they go. If you are the sort of person who likes everything to match perfectly, scrappy knitting might make you twitch slightly. But if you love a good “let’s see what happens” project, this book will probably be right up your alley.

For anyone working through this book, it’s worth sorting your yarn stash first by weight, fibre, and colour family. A digital kitchen scale is surprisingly handy for checking how much yarn you actually have left, and a few clear storage tubs or yarn bags make the whole process much less chaotic. The book itself is a natural Amazon book recommendation, and Mary Maxim is a useful place to look if you need extra yarn to pull a stash project together.

Knitting Stylish Stuff from Your Stash is a clever, practical, and refreshingly useful book for knitters who want to stop saving yarn scraps for “someday” and actually turn them into something wearable. It’s creative without being wasteful, stylish without being intimidating, and a lovely reminder that your stash probably already has more potential than you think.

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