Hello and Welcome to A Verb for Keeping Warm!

Spinning, dyeing, knitting, felting and weaving are just some of the verbs used to describe how humans have kept warm over the centuries.

Our company honors these traditions by specializing in high quality, naturally dyed fiber and yarn suitable for all of your fiber needs. Made in our Berkeley studio, our fiber and yarn are unique and one-of-a-kind.

About Us

A Verb for Keeping Warm was established by Kristine Vejar in 2004. Raised in the Midwest, Kristine learned as a young child how to knit and sew from her Grandmother. In 1996, Kristine moved to California to attend Mills College where she earned a BA in Art History.

As part of her studies Kristine traveled to India to study Indian Art and Architecture. She began to study with a group of nomadic camel herders, documenting their appliquéd and embroidered quilts, wall hangings, and clothing. In 2001, Kristine received the Fulbright to go back to India to continue her research with the nomadic camel herders. While there, she became close friends with a family of natural dyers and she hoped that one day she would be able to incorporate her love of natural dyes into her work.

A Verb for Keeping Warm incorporates Kristine’s love for fiber, community, and preservation of longstanding textile traditions.

Natural Dyes: Our Process & Colors

The dyes used at A Verb for Keeping Warm (AVFKW) are organic sustainably-harvested extracts from Earthues in Seattle. In addition to that, AVFKW has its own organic dye garden in Oakland. All of the dyes used have been tested and have passed vigorous light fastness tests. We use aluminum potassium sulfate as a mordant. This is a food grade substance that is used for pickling and as an astringent. It is non-toxic.

At AVFKW, we choose to use natural dyes because we can trace each dye to where it comes from and who is harvesting it. Also, we love the beautiful, natural color palette that comes from natural dyeing.

By participating in the art of natural dyeing, we feel like we are contributing to a textile tradition that is an endangered art form. We are carrying on a process that was the original way humans learned to add color to cloth.

A Note about Indigo:
Indigo is a dye with a complete and utter history onto itself. One could spend an entire lifetime on the study and practice of indigo dyeing. In order for indigo to permanently dye fiber, it must go through a reduction process where the oxygen is taken out of the indigo bath. The bath color changes from a blue to a green, then to a yellow. The color and testing the pH indicates the indigo bath is ready. As I dip a length of fiber or yarn into the bath, it comes out yellow. As it comes into contact with the oxygen in the air, the color changes from green to blue. Anytime indigo has been used in the dyeing process, the fiber must sit, curing, for at least a week in a controlled humid environment.

When spinning and knitting with fiber and yarn dyed with indigo, the blue color naturally rubs off on one’s hands. This is called crocking and is an inherent part of the process. It does not intimate a mistake or poor quality. Though crocking may occur, our products dyed with indigo are lightfast and high quality. Your hands turn blue, because although I have reduced the indigo, washed the fiber, etc. it takes pressured contact to release the extra residue.

Your handwork is part of the indigo dyeing process. After knitting indigo dyed fiber, typically, the residue is gone, and the crocking will cease. If you find blue on your hands or clothing, it can be removed with hot water and soap. Please take care when using bamboo needles because they may be stained by indigo. In short, indigo is alive. The use of indigo creates a contemporary artifact - representing a multitude of cultures, their ceremonies and craft, a dying art - being kept alive by you.

Material Choice

Our goal at A Verb for Keeping Warm is to give you unique, high-quality fiber, yarn, dyes, and spinning equipment. We are constantly looking for new blends of fiber. And are always trying to stock hard to find items – such as organic cotton, camel, cashmere, pygora, and rare wools. Whenever possible, we try to work with American and Canadian farmers, mills, and spindle makers.

If you are a farmer, and you raise sustainable/ organic fiber producing animals or harvest organic plant dyes, please contact us, I would love to support your endeavor.

Contact Information

Studio Address:
Activspace Building
2703 7th Street,#145/147 (ground floor, facing parking lot)
Berkeley CA 94710

Mailing Address:
A Verb for Keeping Warm
5399 Bryant Avenue
Oakland, California 94618
kristine (at) averbforkeepingwarm (dot) com