What we have learned so far is that there are so many wonderful yarns that deserve to be knit and enjoyed. More than we will ever have room for no matter how big the shop. But we are learning to be very careful about price and value. How much per yard and how well does it knit up? Are the colors exciting? Are the patterns well written?

We swatch each yarn as it comes in to see what it looks like and how it knits up. Sometimes we take it home for tests: coffee, wine and olive oil. We admit that we don't loose sweaters because they wear out but because we're messy eaters.

Patterns are another story. So many to choose from and yet it's hard to tell: will this be easy for customers? Where's the mistake? Why does that shoulder seam look so funny? Now we ask yarns reps to give us a sample pattern before we buy so we can sit down and read through it in peace. This goes double for patterns from translation.

We admit that we are fussy and critical. We want good yarns, we want good patterns, we want our customers to be successful knitters. We will work hard to make it easier for you. But it's more than a craft, it's a life and a community. That's what we say about the shop, it's not much of a living but it's a life. So, now that we are on our way please stay with us and see how we grow and change.

My name is Sharon, and I am a knitter.
I like to think I am a reasonable person. But I do have a 3' x 3' x 4' box of yarn in my living room, yarn in the trunk of my car, and more yarn in storage, "just in case". I don't know what I'm preparing for, but I am prepared. I am not a perfectionist. But I have some firm habits. I measure myself before I embark on a sweater. My self image is fixed, but my waistline and bustline aren't. I knit large gauge swatches for my projects. A larger gauge swatch gives a better sampling of the gauge and I can see the drape and pull of the yarn. I always photocopy my patterns because I write notes on them. I have never used a "stitch counter" to count actual stitches, but I use one often to count rows and increases. I still knit my sleeves in unison, on one needle, because of a mistake I made on my very first sweater. I have at least one "no brainier" relaxation project and one "challenge" project going at all times. I have Unfinished Objects.

My knitting travels in a lovely train case. My needles fit very nicely and don't poke anything or anyone. The entire project fits inside. I can whip out the whole sweater when people ask what I'm making. (There is nothing like having a complete stranger say "You are so clever".) I have a box containing my tape measure, stitch counter, tapestry needles, kiddie scissors, pen, sticky notes, a couple yards of scrap yarn, stitch holders and the collection of labels from my current project. One label is saved with the pattern and gauge swatch for future reference, washing, repair or making another sweater from the same pattern.

Most of all, I think knitting is fun. I enjoy the results. I enjoy the challenges. I enjoy the simple act of winding a skein into a ball. I like the math. I like the feel of the yarn sliding through my fingers, the rhythm of the movement, the splash of color in my lap. When I knit, I am queen of the world; it's color, it's texture, it's size, it's shape. I start when I'm ready and stop when I'm disposed to do something else. The only laws are gauge and gravity. All else bends to my will. Knitting is mental, physical, rote, creative, ancient, smart and satisfying.

I have gone to great lengths to get yarn. Once when I was in Istanbul I begged the people I was working with to take me to the yarn shops. They were surprised, so young, professional, you knit? So, one day with a crude map, an incredulous taxi driver and my one word of Turkish "tiftik" (mohair), I set out for the old bazaars. Twisted streets, dead ends and looking for the magic door to the yarn bazaar. I found a ten by ten alcove, bags of mohair, and two men who did not speak English. After many cups of tea, I had to choose between twenty colors. Did my boss notice the extra duffel bag of luggage on the return trip?

Then the time I begged a colleague taking a trip to Utah to drive forty-five minutes to get me sock yarn from the Needlepoint Joint. He was reluctant until I told him it was two doors away from the best micro-brewery in Ogden. And he came back amazed: he said he just wanted to climb into a shelf and go to sleep. There is also the alpaca from Bogota, Colombia now a beautiful Guernsey pattern sweater. I have prejudices. I don't like feeling as if I am swimming in my sweater: I don't like dropped shoulders where the seam nearly hits my elbow and the sleeve ends four inches beyond my fingers. I regularly take an inch or two out of the body length. I'm a pattern critic. I'm interested in making us all better knitters by helping people to learn how to read what patterns say and don't say. Are they including a selvage stitch? What's the best cast on? The best decrease?

I have been knitting for over twenty years, I will be knitting for the rest of my life. I am thankful I have found a way to make an avocation a vocation.