Phone:  310.831.6810

Fax:  310.831.6816

Handcrafted in small batches in the U.S.A.

What’s in a name?

You may have noticed that all of our sock yarn names come from Alaskan words.  Although both Robin and Chuck were born and raised in California, we both have a love affair with Alaska;  Robin from living there for many years and Chuck from his annual fishing trips.  So, here’s what the yarn names mean.

Yukon – The Yukon was the territory where, in the late 19th Century, the Klondike Gold Rush opened Alaska to gold hunters.  It is a fitting name for Pagewood Farm’s merino/bamboo/nylon blend.  Fitting because the bamboo gives the yarn a gold-like sheen and because Yukon has become the “gold standard” of the Pagewood line exceeding all other yarns in sales.

Denali - Denali, also known as Mt. McKinley, is the highest mountain in North America and dominates the center of Alaska. Named by the local Tanaina people, Denali means "the great one."  We chose this name for our Merino/nylon blend.

Chugiak - Chugiak is a suburban community which grew up in the 50s. Located about 20 miles northeast of Anchorage, the name "Chugiak" comes from a Dena'ina word meaning "place of many places".   We gave the Chugiak name to our tight twist 100% merino sock yarn because of its many uses.  Tough enough to be a sock (even without nylon) it is delicate enough to knit lacy creations.

St. Elias – Described at the preeminent mountain wilderness, St. Elias is the largest U.S. national park and is approximately 6 times the size of Yellowstone.  It has one of the largest concentrations of Dall sheep in North America, so it was only fitting that we name our Blue Faced Leicester/Nylon blend after it.  Not only can you feel the softness of the Blue Faced Leicester wool, if you breath deeply, you can smell the sheep!

Glacier Bay – A popular cruise ship destination, Glacier Bay contains 16 glaciers and allows visitors to witness the spectacular event where the glaciers reach the sea and shed broken pieces of ice to form icebergs.  We named our “massive” 3-ply 100% merino sock yarn after the place of the glaciers.  Why do we call it massive?  Because 450 yards weighs 5.5 ounces.

Alyeska - The name "Alaska" is most likely derived from the Aleut Alyeska, meaning "great land."   It is only fitting that Pagewood Farm’s newest sock yarn bears this name. With a marvelous blend of Wool/Cashmere/Nylon (80/10/10) our customers tell us it’s a “great yarn.”

Kiana –  The name Kiana comes from a town of 500 located on the Kobuk River in Northwest Alaska.  It is 30 miles north or the Arctic Circle (in the land of the midnight sun) and 200 miles east of the Bering Straits.  This is a rugged land and we felt it fitting that our first true sweater weight yarn be named after it.

Willow Creek – Located near 90 minutes out of Anchorage,  Willow Creek is well known for its great fishing.  From the discovery of gold in 1897 through 1954 Willow Creek became the largest gold mining district in Alaska.  But we chose it for it world famous class III, IV, and V rapids.  The lacy look of our hand dyed lace weight yarn reminded us of the delicate patterns of the rapids on Willow Creek.

Tundra – We had a new yarn that was made of silk and camel. That usually makes you think of the Far East rather than the far north.  We pictured the hardy desert dwelling camels eking out an existence.  But there is no desert in Alaska.  But when we looked up Tundra, we discovered that it comes from the Finnish word tunturi, meaning treeless plain.  Looking further we found that the arctic tundra was known for its cold, desert-like conditions.   Kind of like a frosty desert.  And so the name was chosen.