Live Boldly Blog

There is nothing better than a girls ski weekend, and lucky me I had a great one in Steamboat Springs, Colorado this past weekend.  Steamboat Springs is home to 89 Olympians and known for it's "Champagne Powder".  Colorado is so dry (meaning little to no humidity), most days our snow is dry and fluffy powder.  This time of year, however, the sun will melt the snow a bit and refreeze overnight giving you super fast corduroy on the groomed runs.

The first thing I always make sure to pack is stuff for our hot springs visit.  Steamboat Springs lies against the western ridge of the Continental Divide and is surrounded by national forest and wilderness area.  Evidently, there are 150 natural mineral springs in the area!  There are two popular soaking hot springs one in downtown with a water slide and then there is Strawberry Hot Springs just out of town.  I've been to both and a nice soak in the hot springs is always so welcomed at the end of a great ski day.  For this trip, I've packed my new Krimson Klover Leia Sweater, shorts, bikini and flip-flops.  If going to the Strawberry Hot Springs, you'll also want to bring a headlamp (as there is no electricity after dark) and if it's been warm and melty maybe footwear that you're OK getting muddy...and don't forget your towel! (p.s. the Leia sweater is sold out on krimsonklover.com but you can find it at our Boulder Showroom and local retailers!  A great back-up online is our Harbor Hoody)

Strawberry Hot Springs

The steam is so inviting in cold temperatures!

Old Town Hot Springs, perfect if you want to get in a workout too!

A few of my essentials I pack for any weekend away is this new Sherpani bag and MyChelle skin care.

The Sonora Sherpani bag is large enough to carry my iPad mini, Kindle, toiletries and an extra bottle of water.  It's made from a coated cotton which looks like leather and has great pockets everywhere to stash all your important things.  It's super sturdy and the coating on the cotton makes it stain resistant, perfect for whatever you throw at it.  The tassels are a cute bonus.  I love that Sherpani is a local Boulder company, and I usually fall for their new bags every season.

Another Boulder (well, Louisville) Colorado company, MyChelle Dermaceuticals, they make my most favorite skincare.  Not only does their stuff keep my Colorado skin moisturized -- but their sun care line is perfect for all of the sunny days here.  My favorites are the sun shield stick, this little stick is perfect for throwing into your ski jacket and keeping your face protected while skiing, shopping or enjoying some sunny après ski cocktails.  The sun shield stick has a great consistency and is easy to blend and doesn't leave you with zinc-y white marks on your face.  I always have one of these sticks on me -- in my cycling jersey, my purse, and my SUP dry bag!  The sun shield stick now comes in a tinted version, I've not tried it yet, but I'm guessing I'm going to love it.  Also on my must-have list is the liquid tint in nude, the sugar scrub and the lip hint in berry.  Bonus:  This little blue zip pack is TSA approved!

Après Anyone? Base Layer and Socks

Krimson Klover Lightweight Base Layers and the girls at Four Points Lodge

 The view from Four Points Lodge

Of course, you have to bring your ski gear.  I love the Krimson Klover lightweight base layers for spring skiing.  They are so soft and the perfect weight to keep you warm on the ski lift and so adorable to show off at lunch.  I love hanging out on the Adirondack chairs at Four Points lodge on our lunch break.  With 3,000 skiable acres, there is something for everyone and the mountain is big enough that it never seems crowded.  You can even see on Saturday, we basically had the mountain to ourselves.  Bonus:  These base layers are printed with original artwork that have a fun retro ski vibe.

Our friend Amy, skinned up the mountain (hiked up the mountain in her AT skis) and met us at the top of the gondola for a day of skiing.  Let me tell you -- she's definitely a bad a$$.  Steamboat Springs Ski resort lets you hike up anytime, some resorts have rules or restrictions around skinning, so make sure to check them out before you head up.  Don't worry, I took the gondy up so I could get to skiing down faster. Après Cocktails! With the ski resort in the background.

After a full day of skiing and before we hit the hot springs, it's time for a little après cocktails and dinner.  Our favorite places for happy hour in town are Laundry and Salt and Lime.  Both have a great happy hour, great food and delicious cocktails!

We don't dress up often, but on a girls weekend, it's a must.  In this photo, we've all got on our Krimson Klover favorites.  From left to right:  Jen is wearing our Rita dress made from a beautiful blend of cotton/silk and carrying the Sonora bag, I've got on a Fall 18 sample, it's a little too big for me and the wrong colors, but too cute to pass up --it's called the Pearl dress and I'm carrying the Vibe bag, Amy is wearing our Marta sweater made with 100% ultrafine merino wool (one of our best-sellers) and carrying the Tempest.  Bonus: the Tempest turns into a backpack and can also be worn cross-body!  Double Bonus: 5% of the sales from the Marta sweater are donated to First Descents.

My other outfit was the Krimson Klover Classical Beauty dress -- it's made from a plant-based viscose yarn that is super yummy and flattering.

Included in my outfit is Bronwen Jewelry -- their cascade earrings in long and cascade necklace.  These are staples in my waredrobe, I love all of my Bronwen peices because they can be casual or dressy.  Bronwen is based in Bend, Oregon and their jewelry is made to withstand sweat and activity.  I wear my necklaces running, swimming and for happy hour.  They add a feminine touch to all of my outfits...even when I'm feeling super tom-boy-ish.

Ski Lift Selfie

View of the Continental Divide

Lunch!

The Pearl Dress coming out this fall, fits Jen way better! Look how cute she is!

Good Friends

On our way out of town, we had breakfast at Winona's...only so we could order a cinnamon roll as big as our head!

My other favorite eateries in town are Mountain Tap, Rootz, Johnny B. Goods Diner and of course the business fries at Carl's Tavern.

This weekend was a fun get-away, so thankful I have some great friends that help me #liveboldly.

Photo cred goes to Amy's husband Matt, we let him join us from time to time mostly because he takes teasing well and a good photo.

Submitted by:  Emelie, marketing maven

We have a new member of our KK team to welcome – Ellen DeLisio, our new product project manager. Replacing Andrea, who is settling down in LA as we speak getting ready for the next chapter in her life, Ellen will be taking over the product development arena. We are sad to see Andrea go, but we are lucky to have Ellen as part of the team now! Ellen grew up in a small town near Boston and actually went to school out there as well at a small arts college to study fashion design.

Curious to know how she got into the apparel industry and where her passion stems from, we asked when she got into the fashion world and how she knew it was what she wanted to do after school. Ellen told us that she started sewing in high school while participating in her town’s youth service club called Keep It Wild. This club had annual fashion shows that Ellen took part in for two years and during her senior year she created a collection based on Alice in Wonderland with her best friend. After being a part of those events, Ellen knew right away that fashion was her calling and she decided to go to school to study fashion design so she could confidently go into the industry afterwards.

Being from Boston and going to school there, we weren’t too surprised on her decision to come out to Colorado but still wanted to know why. “Colorado is what made me come here. Just the mountains being right where you are and going from a small city to a mountain town within steps is amazing to me”.  That being said, we wanted to know what she loves most about being in Colorado now that she has settled in, and she said that the mountains will never get old for her. Ellen climbs and had started climbing right before she came to Boulder.  Now that she is able to go and do the real thing, she is very grateful.

Though she loves being in Colorado and takes advantage of everything it has to offer, Ellen also loves to travel. Her favorite place to go is South America, specifically Guatemala. “The culture is so interesting and colorful there. They also have amazing mountains”, Ellen said explaining her love for the destination. She is inspired by places she goes and people she surrounds herself with but, specifically, she is inspired by her mom. Ellen’s mom is hard working and made Ellen into the focused and driven woman she is today. Her mom is also a traveling connoisseur, she is a flight attendant, so they share that special love together. “She is pretty classic. It’s funny because she claims that she isn’t trendy or on top of what is the new thing, but she is usually the first one to come out with the trends. She seems to be really hitting the trends before anyone else is, which always inspires and impresses me”, Ellen said about her mother.

On the other hand, when it comes to people that Ellen hopes to inspire herself, she doesn’t have anyone too specific. She hopes to be able to inspire and be a role model for younger women everywhere. She wants to be able to show that your path doesn’t always end up how you imagined it and wherever you are now, is where you’re supposed to be. Ellen really hopes to get that message across in things she does and is confident saying that whatever happens will happen for a reason and that you just need to go with the flow sometimes, as hard as that can be.

All of that aside, the most important thing we needed to know was what her superpower would be if she could choose any. “I would have to say flying; I have flown in my dreams before and it is so thrilling and I want to feel that in real life” Good choice Ellen; we approve. Besides someday being able to fly, Ellen has a passion for ultimate Frisbee and plays with a group on a weekly basis. Of course I had to ask her to explain the sport to me a bit, but it’s just like football and sounds like a heck of a good time (and workout). She also loves to cook and try new recipes whenever she can. She makes her own almond milk and has just recently started making her own kombucha as well; definitely the signs of a creative and motivated mind. Ellen hiking Maroon Bells

On that note, we wanted to dive into what she is most excited about when it comes to working for Krimson Klover and being a part of the team. “I’m super excited about knits. I see so many interesting pieces being designed for Spring ’19 and some interesting [knit] techniques as well. The possibilities with the colors, materials and unique designs are getting me very excited”.

I had to ask Ellen how she lives up to Krimson Klover’s motto, “Live Boldly”. Ellen lives boldly by having strong opinions about her ways of life, decisions that she makes and lifestyles she chooses to live. “I stay true to how I choose to think and go about my life and don’t see myself ever changing those opinions”. Strong women are who we at Krimson Klover aim to inspire and create with; Ellen is going to fit in great here and we can’t wait to start creating with the new addition to our KK family.

Submitted by: Emma Feeney, Intern

March 8 is International Women's Day.  If you've not heard of it, it's a "global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women".  For today's #WCW we are going to highlight the small but awesome Krimson Klover team of women.

The Krimson Klover team is only 8 strong, but full of creativity and passion.  Not only do we all love dogs, cute farm animals (alpaca!) and living our lives outdoors in any way we can -- but we usually have a good time coming together to create apparel for other women just like us.

You've heard us speak about her before, Rhonda Swenson, our founder, and creative director is the woman behind the brand.  For more than 15 years she's been a designer and business owner with four successful outdoor knitwear brands: Chompas, Eir, Neve Designs, and launched Krimson Klover in 2010.

Before Rhonda started her knitwear businesses, she was a flight attendant which job fueled her passion for travel.  She is an avid outdoor athlete who claims to have inherited her wanderlust from her mother, and her ability to embrace life in the moment from her father.  She loves to give back by volunteering at the local Eagle County Habitat for Humanity in Vail, CO. She co-founded the Luna Women’s MTB Ambassadors team, being a retired competitive cyclist, and serves on the board of the Ski Industry Association (SIA).  Rhonda and her dog River can be found hiking or skiing the mountains of Vail, Colorado on the weekends or riding her road bike on the weekdays in Boulder.

Gail is our COO or Chief Operations Optimist.  Gail has been in the outdoor industry for years working for many of the large and small equipment and apparel brands we love.  Gail fits perfectly in her role not only for the voodoo she can do in Excel, but she has a graceful way of mediating meetings when we all get a little too passionate about our own point of view.

At the University of Wisconsin (Madison) Gail was on the crew team as the Coxswain.  She uses these skills to keep us all in line and on budget.

Gail can be found enjoying her lunch outside taking advantage of the Colorado sunny weather, always with her nose in a book.  She is always up for a new adventure, a glass of wine, a good musical, skiing, camping, a good discount or a sweet treat.  Gail and her partner Catie have two boys Cooper and Miles.  Their two corgi-mix dogs are too crazy for the KK office -- and have been known to open Christmas gifts left under the tree early (and leaving them scattered in the backyard, well at least the bits that aren't edible).

Our Director of Sales, Luisa, is our resident Briton along with her dog Oscar who is very much an English gentleman. Before joining the Krimson Klover team, Luisa spent time in the outdoor industry as a sales rep for several apparel brands. Her keen sense of style, business savvy, and cheerful demeanor has been an incredible addition to the crew. She’s involved every step of the way from the design of the collections to the production and final sale. She’s a busy gal who balances work and play beautifully.

Luisa and Oscar are known to start the day with an early morning hike before work. Oscar may be getting up there in years, but he’s a big ole puppy when it’s time to hit the trails. Luisa is a life-long music lover and not only is she taking drum lessons, she’s the first to know when a big act is coming to town and has the best luck scoring concert tickets.

Andrea started at Krimson Klover as an intern in her final year of design school at CSU. After completing her coursework and receiving a degree in Apparel Design and Merchandising she was hired on full time at Krimson Klover and now works as Rhonda’s right-hand woman managing the technical side of design, production and product development.  She a native Coloradan with an incredible eye for fashion paired with organizational skills that are invaluable in keeping us on track and in style. Recently Andrea decided to leave her home here in the Rocky Mountains for a new start in Los Angeles, California where she’ll trade in her sweaters for some Golden State Style. We’re going to miss her terribly when she leaves (Oscar especially), but we wish her all kinds of success in her next chapter.

Our Jane-of-all-Trades-Customer Service Maven-Sales Assistant-Showroom Manager-Web Digital Content Master-Email Maven-Whatever Else Needs to be Done-Angel is Alison.  That's Alison with one L from Bangor, Maine.

You can find her at Elks Lodge meetings and events, brushing up on her ballet, snuggling with the pups at the office, and dressing up in costume at every opportunity.  She is super creative and has her own radical sense of style.  If you call or email us, most likely you'll get to talk to her.

Alison and her husband Mark are about to launch the biggest project of their lives, they are currently expecting a tiny human to join their family sometime in July.  Updates on champ are sure to come.

Another vital part of this girl gang is Emelie, our Director of Marketing. Emelie and her little dog Koa have been with Krimson Klover almost a year and in that time they have heightened the brand and lifted our spirits. Emelie has reworked the look and feel of our catalogs, transformed our trade show booth and helped to spread the sweater love through our presence online. She’s basically our fairy godmother, always making sure we’re ready for our close up.

Emelie grew up in Oregon and has been an athlete and outdoor enthusiast her whole life. She’s a runner, a skier, a cyclist and has brought her passion for all things active to her work. She can speak to the athlete and the fashionista in all of us. I once heard her say that she owns a dress for every day of the year!

Another one of Emelie’s creative outlets is cooking. She regularly hosts dinner parties and the amazing leftovers she brings for lunch are drool inducing. You know it’s lunchtime when you hear the crunch of her daily kale salad. The woman eats a LOT of kale.

And wherever you find Emelie, Koa is in tow. He may be little, but his name means “brave warrior” and what he lacks in size he makes up for in charm. They’re a dynamic duo and we’re lucky to have them.

Emma is our Public Relations intern, she's a friend of the Krimson Klover family and has been around helping us out while she studies up at CU-Boulder.  Emma comes to CU from Chicago and has been excited to get some "real world" experience under her belt.

We know this is international women's day, but we can't tell you about the Krimson Klover team and leave out the only guy in the office.  Mark and his rescue dog Josie take care of our wholesale customers and he provides endless entertainment when he answers the many robo-calls we get every day.  Mark knows when to ignore our "passionate exchanges" and when to pipe in with his point of view.

Mark used to be an avid canoe-r (canoe-ist?), and now enjoys long walks with Josie and his wife Susan.  He's a skiier and an all around mountain man.

That's it!  Now you know the whole KK team...at least for now, stay tuned for updates!

Bonus: Alison as a mermaid with Koa the crustacean.

We already miss watching the Winter Olympic Games every night.  Today's #WCW are all of the women who lived their dreams in PyeongChang!  All of the women who competed (no matter what country they're competing) are inspiring us to #liveboldy!  We're over the top proud of the USA women in particular, who for the first time in 20 years out medaled their male counterparts!

Mirai Nagasu, the first American woman to land a triple axel at the Olympics.  She is as graceful as she's strong.

17-year old Chloe Kim made a gold medal performance in the women's snowboarding halfpipe competition.  She is the youngest gold medalist in that event and the first female to land consecutive 1080s in the halfpipe at the Olympics.

She even scored a whopping 98.25, which was 8.5 points more than the silver medalist.

Jessica Diggins and Kikkan Randall win the first American gold medal in the women's team spring freestyle cross-country skiing final.  Not only is this America's first gold medal in this race, but the first medal of any kind in women's cross -country.

Not only were they the most spirited with glittered up face paint, but their passion and spunk shine brighter than the glitter.

There was a lot of hype and talk of redemption for the US Women's Hockey team, and the final gold medal match against rivals Canada (four-time defending Olympic champions) did not disappoint.

With an exciting-nail-biter-over-time-shoot-out, they won gold 3-2.

We may actually love them more for fighting USA Hockey for better pay and work conditions...which they did receive pretty good pay raises.  These women are definitely changing the game for all of us.

Heather Bergsma, Brittany Bowe, Mia Mangenello, and Carlijn Schoutens were the only medalists for the US in speedskating.  They took home the bronze in the team pursuit event.  They won the first women's speed skating medal for the US in 16 years, beating the Canadians by only 0.45 seconds.  They skated their hearts out and made us proud.

Elana Meyers Taylor and Lauren Gibbs had a silver medal performance in the two-woman bobsled, marking the fifth time in as many winter gams the US has medaled in this event.  A second US  team piloted by Jamie Greubel Poser finished fifth.  The US Women's bobsled team is a celebration of women athletes of all shapes, sizes, and color.

Jamie Anderson became the first female snowboarder to take home two medals from one winter games.  She took home gold in the slopestyle finals.  Three days later in a new event, Jamie landed a front-side 1080, one of the sport's toughest maneuvers, giving her enough points for a silver medal behind Austria.  Jamie joins Shawn White and Kelly Clark as the only athletes to take home three Olympic medals in snowboarding.

Mikaela Shiffrin was the big medal winner from our home state of Colorado, She won gold in the giant slalom and won a silver medal in the alpine combined.  She's 22 now, and at 18 she became the youngest Olympic slalom gold meldalist.

Lindsey Vonn, came back from injury, won bronze in the women's downhill skiing competition.  Not only is she a four-time Olympian and World Champion, but at 33 she is the oldest female Alpine skiing medalist in Olympic history.

Needless to say, we are very inspired and in awe of all the talent, hard work and passion we witnessed at the winter games this year.

Go out and live your BOLD.  #liveboldly

The Delicate Cycle Isn’t So Delicate – 10 Tips for Sweater Care

In today’s wash and wear world, we often forget that beautiful fibers like Merino wool need a little special care to ensure they last a lifetime.

1. Smelling pretty.

Merino wool is coated in natural lanolin, this lanolin acts as a barrier to odor and is a natural stain repellent.  Unless your garment is visibly stained, you really don’t need to wash it.  You can wear your wool items many times before they need a little sprucing up.  This isn’t just a great time saver – but it’s also super friendly to the environment.  Less washing means less water and electricity used for cleaning.

After wearing, just hang your items to let them air out and they are ready to be added back into your wardrobe rotation.  If you are around smoke or had a little spill, you might need to give your sweater a little extra attention.

2. Spot Check.

If you need a little more sprucing up, we recommend dry cleaning or using the at home dry cleaning sheets (like Dryel).  We don’t recommend putting any of your wool items in the washer or dryer!  You’ll end up with beautiful tiny versions of your favorite knitted items for sure.  Even the “delicate” cycle will render your favorite sweater unwearable.

3. Give Them a Hand.

First, make sure to read the care tag on your garment.  Some sweaters have special knit techniques and designs and may stretch/shrink differently after being submerged in water.  If you are unsure, using Dryel or dry cleaning is your safest bet.

Here’s how to hand wash like a pro:  Fill a sink or large plastic container with as much cool water as you can.  Add a few squirts of a gentle detergent like Woolite.  Submerge your sweater and swish it around.  Let it soak for 30 minutes, then rinse it well under cool water.

4. Get Horizontal.

Never wring or twist a sweater to get the water out after hand washing.  Gently squeeze as much water as you can out of your sweater then lay it flat on a towel and roll it up like a sushi roll to soak up any excess water.  Lay it flat on a clean dry towel or sweater dryer.

Please don’t hang your wet sweaters, the weight of the water will stretch out your sweater while it dries and all of your hard work will be for naught.

5. Sometimes shrinking isn’t the problem.

If you leave your knitted garments hanging all year long, the weight of the sweater or dress will stretch your garment after time.  This is especially true for those that have a looser weave.  It’s best to store your heavier and knitted items folded.  However, if you do want to hang them, the best way to hang your sweaters is by folding them over the hanger.  This will prevent stretching as well as the “bumps” you get in the shoulders of the sweater from the hanger.

6. Moth Holes are Really a Thing.

Moths are very sneaky little critters, they love natural fibers and the moth larvae will chew little holes in wool, silk and sometimes cotton.  You won’t typically see the moths hanging around, but you’ll know they were in your closet when you find a hole in your favorite sweater.  The best way to prevent your sweaters from becoming a midnight snack is to store them in mothproof containers (sweater bags, plastic bins) with a few cedar chips thrown in for good measure. 

7. Bumpy situation.

Pilling or the little bumps on your sweater is caused by friction, from things like seatbelts, purses, and arms.  Most sweaters, when subjected to friction, will pill, you can easily and gently remove them by holding the sweater flat and slicing the pills off one at a time with a razor.  There are sweater “shavers” that use abrasive stones and convenient battery operated versions as well.  This dress has pilling, most likely from crossed legs rubbing under a desk or table.

8. Snags Happen.

Inevitably you’ll have a purse or piece of furniture that pulls a snag in your sweater.  Lightly stretch the garment around the snag to decrease any puckering.  You can pull the extra yarn through to the inside of the garment.  Please don’t cut the yarn off, you will end up with a hole.

9. Wrinkle in Time.

If your sweater has been crammed in a storage container for a season or at the bottom of the pile on a shelf, don’t plug in your iron just yet.  Some fabrics, such as cashmere, are especially susceptible to heat and require special care.

Lay your sweater flat on your ironing board and lay a thin dish towel on top of your sweater, this will protect your sweater from the extra moisture.  Note:  Don’t use a colored towel, the dye may transfer to your sweater.

Using the steam setting on your iron, lay the iron on top of the towel without applying additional pressure and move it quickly over the sweater.  Do not stop the iron or leave it in one place for long.  Remove the towel and leave your sweater on the ironing board for a few minutes to let the fibers cool down.

10. End Game.

At the end of the season, clean or air out your sweaters and it’s best to fold up your sweaters and store them in breathable-bug-proof containers in the off-season.  You can easily find these at home stores or Amazon.