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A Verb for Keeping Warm

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Oakland, CA
A Verb for Keeping Warm

We're all about making your own clothing! We are a queer-latinx-woman-owned small business in beautiful Oakland, California.
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A Verb for Keeping Warm is an interactive space that features a retail fiber arts store, classroom, meeting place, dye garden, and production studio for artisanal naturally dyed yarn and fiber. Visit us online or at our Brick and Mortar Saturdays 11am - 3pm.

09/05/2026

Join us for a workshop on Friday, Sep 18, with local knitwear designer Ksenia Naidyon () to celebrate the release of her new book, One Skein Knitting!

Take a closer look at the stitches that can transform the ordinary knitted fabric into something extraordinary. During this hands-on workshop, we’ll cover a collection of techniques from slipped and wrapped stitches to knitting cables without a cable needle and further to more complex Estonian braids and nupps. We’ll work on each texture step by step, examining how it is constructed and what it contributes to the finished fabric.

All of the techniques featured in the workshop also appear in One Skein Knitting, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the textures that inspired several projects in the book and helping you tackle them with confidence.

Come ready to experiment, add some new tricks to your knitting toolkit, and discover a few stitches you’ll want to use again and again.

Ksenia Naidyon is a professional knitwear designer and the creative force behind Life Is Cozy. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, she creates modern patterns, tutorials, and classes that celebrate knit texture. Her pieces are often inspired by botanical forms and her native Ukraine.

Join us before class for a free book-signing and trunk show! Sign up now at the link in our bio!

09/04/2026

With our new shipment from , we've restocked bundles for the show-stopping Wind of Change Shawl by Nadia Crétin-Léchenne ()!

Wind of Change is an asymmetrical triangle, worked top down in one piece. The shawl begins with a garter section, where you can focus simply on the color and yarn. Now that you are warmed up, you will move to the lace section. Though the pattern looks as if it might be knit brioche - nope - this is knit in English ribbing, a technique much easier than brioche, but gives the same wonderful soft, squishy, full fabric.

We combined La Bien Aimée Merino Singles with Verb's silk-mohair Frond yarn and the result is stunning. Day by the Bay is our custom colorway from LBA: a blend of soft teals and neutral grays, with washes of gold and the occasional delicate speckle of rust and vibrant pink. To soften this highly variegated colorway, we paired it with a strand of Frond in Mist, which adds the gentlest lavender halo to the piece.

Due to the squishy nature of the stitch pattern, the softness and halo of the yarn combination, and the gentle curve of the shawl that drapes ever so easily around one's neck, this shawl is a must-have to keep warm.

Bundles include 2 skeins each of LBA Merino Singles in Day by the Bay and AVFKW Frond in Mist. (Important note: we made a slight modification to the pattern in order to only use 2 skeins of Merino Singles. Check out the details on our website.)

This shawl is both cozy and elegant, making it perfect for Fall layering. Wear it to a nice dinner or event, or throw it on with a pair of blue jeans for a casual touch of luxury. Reserve your bundle now at the link in our bio!

08/31/2026

Last call to enter Verb's Sunshine MAL! Be sure to post your finished project and tag us or by 8/31 to enter!

As a reminder, any finished projects using colors in our Summer 2026 color palette will qualify.

Post your FO and you will be entered to win:

+ 1st Prize: gift card to Verb - $150
+ 2nd Prize: gift card to Verb - $125
+ 3rd Prize: gift card to Verb - $100

We will be choosing winners next week!!

08/29/2026

Embroidery kits and samplers from are back in stock! These kits are especially suited to beginners - a perfect way to try embroidery for the first time.

There are two types of kits: stitch samplers and embroidered animal doll kits.

The stitch samplers offer an easy way to learn basic stitches that are used in a wide variety of embroidery patterns. Stitch instructions are printed right on the fabric, and most include a central image to stitch as a finished piece that can be framed in a 3" hoop.

The animal dolls are SO adorable - make a 4.5" plush animal friend adorned with decorative embroidery! We particularly love the little sheep!

Kits are marked at levels 1, 2, or 3, depending on the animal you choose, for varying amounts of complexity.

All Kiriki patterns are screen printed by hand with vibrant, water-based inks right onto the fabric so no tracing or transferring is ever required. Kits include printed fabric, embroidery needle, floss, and instructions. All you will need is your own 6" embroidery hoop, and a pair of scissors.

These kits are everything you need for a cozy afternoon of stitching - and they make wonderful gifts! Reserve yours now!

08/26/2026

Our 2026 Winter Solstice Experiences are available for preorder! Join us at early bird pricing and save!

Our Solstice Experiences are similar to what many know as an advent calendar. Towards the beginning of December, you will receive a collection of gifts, marked and designed to be opened each day for a week surrounding the Winter Solstice (December 21st).

As December can be quite hectic, this experience is designed and intended to cultivate a bit of space each day to knit and to be calm and present with what is a beautiful time of year, to embrace the darkness and rejuvenate, as we pass through the Solstice and head once again towards the light, and to give you a little gift each day to inspire your creativity and to offer care.

There are two versions: a knitting experience and a stitching experience!

This year's featured designer for our knitting experience is Amy Christoffers (). She is designing a warm and cozy two-color scarf that can be knit using Pretzel or Horizon. Choose your kit size to make a smaller version with two skeins, or a larger version with four skeins. Your kit will include the pattern and the yarn to knit it.

For our stitching experience, this year's project will be a handstitched eye pillow, using naturally-dyed fabric and thread from the Verb studio. Our inspiration is night and dreams. As always, we will look to our natural environment to guide and inspire the colorways you will receive. And we will give prompts for thinking about your dreams and relaxing before bedtime.

Each experience will receive a collection of curated, hand-made gifts to be opened over seven days. Sign-up for both for two full weeks of treats, textiles, and coziness!

Get all the details and preorder your experience now at the link in our bio!

08/22/2026

Big news! We have received a new shipment of Flock from the mill! While we are in the process of dyeing and updating other our bundles, we've restocked one of the most popular and favorite projects knit in Flock: the Sister Cowl by Junko Okamoto ().

The Sister Cowl features intricate floral and geometric colorwork motifs. This cowl is knit as a tube so you are able to work continuously in the round, and create a final result that lays flat with the motif on both sides. The ends are then seamed together to create the continuous circular cowl shape.

The Sister Cowl is knit with four skeins of Flock in Granite, and two skeins of Flock in Indigo Blue Sky.

Flock is a cozy lightweight yarn made from American wool and milled in Vermont at Green Mountain Spinnery. It is made of a single strand of yarn giving it a rustic, handspun homey feel yet is very soft. The colorway Granite features wisps of grey wool winding around a white core, resulting in long running stripes of white and the colored wool. So when you knit with Granite, a self-striping effect will appear, gently marbling in the background against the colorwork.

Indigo Blue Sky is dyed with indigo in our vats at the studio. So amazing that this deep sapphire shade comes from a plant!

This cowl is substantial yet very lightweight, allowing it to work for both cooler and warmer temperatures.

We are so glad to be able to offer this special yarn to you again! Reserve your bundle now at the link in our bio!

08/20/2026

NEW: Thea Colman has created another new, stunning design featuring Bread & Butter yarn! Cerulean Sour 2, The Vest, knit in Pretzel, is out today!

Inspired by the cerulean blue sweater in The Devil Wears Prada movies, Thea recreated the vest version from the end of the second movie - this time as a more polished version with a clean, crisp cable motif. This top-down vest with its elegant, understated cables is a classic layering piece that is easy to dress up or down, and makes a perfect fall wardrobe staple.

Cerulean Sour 2 is knit in Pretzel, our soft, squishy 100% U.S. merino yarn. This round and bouncy DK-weight yarn has amazing stitch definition for cables. And the Ballpoint colorway is the perfect cerulean shade to match the vest's inspiration!

Pretzel comes in an array of beautiful shades. We asked Thea what other colors she could envision this vest in and she recommended deep navy Clear Night, elegant silvery Minnows, or warm Coastal Redwood. So we have added these as bundles too!

Choose your favorite color of Pretzel, either as a bundle or a la carte, and get ready to cast on for the cutest fall layering piece!

08/18/2026

The Sunshine MAL is in its last couple of weeks - and Sarah has finished a sweet project just in time: the Parterre Cowl by Zoë Scheffy (), knit using Graze in Wisteria + Marmalade Skies.

Knit with just two skeins of Graze, this is a quick and easy project that you can finish in a week or two!

Sarah wanted to make a cowl for her mom, using our 2026 Summer Solstice colorway, Marmalade Skies. She made the most of this variegated colorway by choosing a pattern with slipped stitches and contrasting textures. Marmalade Skies is inspired by the soft, serene sky that occurs just as the sun rises and sets when the sky has wisps of periwinkle and sherbet, and the gold flowers growing in the garden are illuminated by the light. Sarah paired it with Wisteria for a sweet, romantic result.

Only one skein of Graze in each color is needed. We've put together a few pairings to go with Marmalade Skies, including lavender Mist, clear blue Bay Sailor, and gentle ivory Lighthouse.

Want to enter the Sunshine MAL? Leave us a note at checkout and we'll ship your bundle ASAP so you can cast on for this sweet cowl right away!

Have another project coming off the needles already? Don't forget to tag us in your FO posts by 8/31 to enter to win gift cards to Verb!

08/15/2026

The Pro-Verbial Yarn and Fiber Club is open to new members! Sign up during early bird pricing to save $20 off the regular membership price!

We are so excited to share this year's designers with you:

Jeanette Sloan /
Lindsey Fowler /
Serenia Qiu /
Maaike van Geijn /

We will collaborate with these four talented designers over the next year to deliver quarterly installments of beautiful hand-dyed yarn and exclusive shawl or scarf patterns to you.

You will receive 4 seasonal shipments per year: November 1st, February 1st, May 1st, and August 1st - the order the patterns and yarn will be shipped is a surprise!

Members will receive A Verb for Keeping Warm yarn in a mix of classics and exclusive club colorways. There are many exciting possibilities, including classics like Annapurna, as well as specially milled yarns! Please note that this year one (very lovely) design will be a mix of Verb and Bread & Butter yarn. In total, you will receive 9-10 skeins during the year. (There is also a fiber option for spinners!)

Plus, members receive 10% off all regularly priced yarn, fabric, fiber, sashiko thread, and embroidery floss online and in-store, throughout the year.

We hope you will join us for a year of fun patterns and beautiful yarn! Sign up now at the link in our bio!

08/14/2026

The Seaport Shawl by Tori Yu () is out today!

"The Seaport Shawl is a timeless triangle, where delicate eyelets drift with rows of purl stitches. This shawl’s name is borrowed from the historic South Street Seaport in New York. Knit with fi*****ng and lace weight held together, it creates a luxuriously soft fabric that’s perfect for any season. Each row flows with a gentle rhythm, inviting you to slow down and savor the making." ~ Tori

Tori chose to work with Rumor and Wild Bloom to design the Seaport Shawl shawl. Rumor is a single ply of merino and silk, a gleaming treasure we only dye for special projects. Wild Bloom is a fluffy laceweight combination of alpaca, silk, merino, and yak fibers, which create an incredibly soft and warm halo. Together, these yarns make a unique and sophisticated fabric that is equally delightful to knit and to wear.

Tori is based in New York City and designs knitwear with a contemporary, urban aesthetic. We wanted an eye-catching colorway, so for Tori’s colors, we dyed the same exuberant, rich rose-pink on both yarns using a mixture of cochineal and madder. Wild Bloom has a naturally silver base color from the yak fiber, giving the dyed color depth, and allows a slightly tonal result when combined with the Rumor. We’ve named this vibrant color Cosmospolitan, an homage to Tori’s NYC roots, and the similarly ruby pink colored drink!

This sweet shawl is a lovely combination of soft, beautiful yarn, and a simple stitch pattern. A relaxing knit with a stunning result.

Reserve your bundle now at the link in our bio!

Address

6328 San Pablo Avenue
Oakland, CA
94608

Opening Hours

Friday	11am - 3pm
Saturday	11am - 3pm

Telephone

(510) 595-8372

Website

http://www.averbforkeepingwarm.com/

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