About
Kelbourne Woolens is for those who love the craft as much as we do
Our Mission
Kelbourne Woolens is a yarn wholesaler, distributor, and retailer offering a collection of quality and affordable knitting and crochet yarns. Each Kelbourne Woolens yarn is carefully selected and designed by owners Kate and Courtney and their small, dedicated team. The yarns are meant to be crafted, worn, and enjoyed by all, with as few barriers to entry as possible.
We are guided and inspired by the refrain:
Kelbourne Woolens is for those who love the craft as much as we do.
Our Values
As part of our commitment to quality, we only work with manufacturers we have a personal relationship with, and all mills must have a commitment to stellar social and environmental practices. We are dedicated to getting quality products, while ensuring the respect and care our planet deserves.
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Fair Employers
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Community Oriented
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Women-Owned
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Fair Wages
We are owner-operators, running every day-to-day aspect of Kelbourne Woolens along with a dedicated and small staff. We have built Kelbourne Woolens yarns into a business that supports us, our families, and gives back to our community. Kelbourne Woolens champion the Fight for Fifteen, dedicated to raising the National minimum wage. All of our employees, including our student interns, earn a competitive, living wage.
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Giving Back
Kelbourne Woolens welcomes any and all regardless of race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, ability, size, or age. We strive to feature and support a diverse and inclusive range of customers. Over the years we have made a conscientious effort to give back to the community in the way of yarn donations, volunteering, education, and cash donations to organizations that align with our beliefs, such RAICES, CAIR, Brigada Solidaria del Oeste, End the Backlog, Decarcerate PA, ACLU, Black and Missing (BAMFI), and Color of Change.
Meet the Founders
Kelbourne Woolens was founded in 2008 by friends Courtney Kelley and Kate Gagnon Osborn. Kate and Courtney met while working in a local yarn store in Philadelphia, PA; Courtney was a new mom and Kate was in her final year of grad school. Together they founded Kelbourne Woolens at Kate's kitchen table, and have been working side by side ever since.
They operated in the beginning as a sole distribution company, working closely with other brands to make their products great. As part of this strategy, Kate and Courtney were also designing knitting patterns for the yarns they distributed. Designing and publishing knitting and crochet patterns was Kate and Courtney’s first true love, and something they excelled at.
Kelbourne Woolens had success with their pattern line, but were always designing in someone else's yarn. That all changed in 2017 when they poured their years of experience into their own line of Kelbourne Woolens branded yarns.
We are forever grateful to our customers who have supported us along the way. Whether you have been with us from day one, or are a brand new customer, thank you!
Your purchase of Kelbourne Woolens yarn means the world to us.
Founder's Favorites
Kate and Courtney's go-to yarns
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DK / Worsted
Studio Misha & Puff Merino Wool
Regular price ¥4,400Regular priceUnit price / per
Our Partnerships
In addition to our own line of Kelbourne Woolens yarns, we also distribute yarns and products we stand behind, not just as businesswomen, but as makers ourselves.
The products we carry include:
• BC Garn, a GOTS certified organic line of yarns from Denmark.
• Soak, makers of a natural and biodegradable wool wash and no-starch ironing spray made in North America that comes in fresh, fun scents.
• Navia, a line of yarns from the Faroe Islands that balances tradition with luxury at an affordable price, with fantastic pattern support.
• Studio Misha & Puff, the yarn line of the popular ready to wear brand. Beautifully hand dyed in Peru with pattern support inspired by Misha & Puff's most popular designs.
The excellent yarns we distribute, including our own brand, patterns, and notions are sold at independent yarn shops. For the most current retailer information in N. America, please check out our map here.
Visit Us
Kelbourne Woolens
231 W Mt Pleasant Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19119
Wholesale
For wholesale inquiries, please feel free to email info@kelbournewoolens.com, give us a call at 267.766.5480, or fill out a wholesale request form here.
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