The Yarn Divas
The women of The Artful Yarn are crazy for all things fiber! (Actually, we’re just crazy, but we hide it pretty well!) We all knit. Some of us are even more gifted – and crochet and spin too. Then we have the truly talented who do all of that and also weave, hand-dye, and hand-paint.
Some of us work as staff and some of us serve as faculty. We are passionate about helping you find a great project and great yarn! We’re here to help you solve those nagging questions like what does “KTBL mean and why should I care?” And stuff like that! We also will totally agree with you when any pattern does not behave the way you think it should.
Most of all, we want you to love knitting and crocheting as much as we do so we can all be fiber BFFs forever! Depending on the day you shop, you might not have met everyone. Here’s your chance to meet The Yarn Divas:
Meet Cathy (ravatar name katycats) My Aunt Martha taught my sister and me to knit every year at Thanksgiving when we were kids. She would cast on for us and we would knit yards and yards of garter stitch. Smart woman! We sat for hours, quietly on the sofa! I learned to crochet from a really neat older woman while our family was on vacation at a B&B in Maine. I have recently picked it back up. I like to knit everything. I like to learn new things and it’s all about the color for me. Right now I am crocheting an awesome market bag by a British designer. I hate to admit that I have quite a few projects “on the needles” but not yet completed! The best thing about The Artful Yarn is the people! I love the artsy, kicky-fun vibe and the fact the we support women and family-owned businesses right here in the US. Working with fiber artisans is amazing and our customers love the whole “green” mojo!
What folks may not know is that the Yarn Divas share other great talents with the shop. If it’s marketing, it’s Cathy. She creates the emails, flyers and updates the website every month. As the owner of The Artful Yarn she also creates special promotions and events. And most every new knitter and crocheter comes through her Sunday, Learn To classes.
Do you souvenir yarn shop? Yes! We don’t visit anywhere without checking if there’s a yarn store there first!
Favorite notion? A sticky notepad!! I use those things everywhere! To mark my place on a pattern, to jot down how many rows I’ve done and to keep notes and questions. I also really like having a crochet hook in my bag, a small pair of scissors and a KnitChek.
Anything else? I see knitting as another art medium. I used to be an avid art student as a kid – watercolors, pastels and pencil sketching. Now, knitting is my art form. I love the colors and textures and the interplay between the two. It’s a really personal form of expression for me – both practical and transcendent. And I cherish the fellowship of fiber friends.
Meet Emily (ravatar name applelady) I have been knitting for 8 years and just learned to crochet. A family friend taught me to knit on pencils and I taught myself to crochet. I like to knit scarves, shawlettes, socks, cowls, mittens and I right now I like to crochet flowers, bags, and granny squares with round middles. Currently I am knitting Rae (a triangular scarf), fingerless mittens, a bag, a Baktus and crocheting a washcloth and random granny squares. I am really into the Madelinetosh yarn at The Artful Yarn as well as the Swans Island, Artful Alpaca, and O-Wool. The best part of my job is working with my friends, meeting awesome new people, and I am surrounded by fibery goodness all day!
What folks may not know is that the Yarn Divas share other great talents with the shop. Emily helps find new projects for us and researches way cool new yarns for us to feature. She can help you with just about any knitting question. She knits amazing samples for the shop and has recently designed a pattern for The Artful Yarn called By the Falls Market Bag. She’s also getting addicted to crochet with Cathy. Emily has a great gift for color too!
Do you souvenir yarn shop? I do stop at a couple of shops when I go to Columbus on my way to a fiber festival in Yellow Springs. I stop at Temptations in Dublin and Knitter’s Mercantile in Columbus. It’s always nice to pick up a couple of skeins that you can’t find at your LYS.
Favorite go-to gift knit? Washcloths!
Favorite notions? Tiny scissors, stitch markers, a tape measure and a Knit Chek!
Favorite designer? I will have to list two! Jane Richmond and Kristen Kapur.
Biggest yarn splurge? I’m not sure of my greatest yarn splurge! I really don’t pay too much attention. If I like it, I buy it!
Anything else? I spin! I have an angora rabbit named Petunia. I like to knit socks but never finish the toes.
Meet Ginny (ravatar name Willowtree) My grandmother taught me to knit when I was about 7 or 8. I learned to crochet a few years later, made one granny square dress disaster and stopped crafting with yarn altogether. I took up knitting again in 1999 and haven’t stopped. My yarn bins and UFO pile overflow with stalled ideas, future dreams and current adventures. Currently I am working on the fountain pen shawl, the Medano Beach Bag, a baby sweater and booties for my soon-to-arrive grandchild and numerous great ideas stuck in the swatching stage. I love the BeSweet Cotton Candy and the Pagewood Farms yarns with that great wool hand and lanolin feel. I’m also addicted to the DakotaSkipper handspuns with their thick and thin spin and awesome colors. I love the customers at The Artful Yarn! I’ve made so many friends and learned so much. People are the best part of life and I get to work with the best of the best, knitters and crocheters. Awesome!
What folks may not know is that the Yarn Divas share other great talents with the shop. Ginny has great fashion flair and helps us find the coolest projects to feature. She teaches classes and knits amazing samples for the shop. There isn’t anything in knitting that she can’t do. She’s also helping us embrace social media!
Do you souvenir yarn shop? Of course I do! My favorite shop just closed [sob], Lalana Wools in Taos, New Mexico, so I guess I will have to find another. I’ll let you know when I do.
Your go-to gift project? Washcloths because they are quick and a great opportunity to try out new stitch patterns. As a perk, they actually get used!
Favorite notion(s)? Coil-less plastic safety pins. Handy for everything from saving a dropped stitch to holding a few stitches till needed for picking up later to marking a trouble spot in a project.
Favorite designer? Shirley Paden hands down. The intricacies of her designs leave me in awe.
Do you tend to go for certain projects over others? I choose projects that challenge me and teach me something new but are useful. I don’t like to waste my time knitting something no one wants. Lately I’ve been intrigued by artsy projects such as freeform knitting and crochet, Maggie Jackson’s unusual designs and using color and embroidery to jazz up a project.
Anything else you would like to share? Knitting is a community activity that binds us together even when we are knitting in solitude; I think that is what I like most about the craft. Also, we can all be making the same stitches on the same pattern, but each project reflects the personality of the knitter and, just like each of us, every project is unique and wonderful art. Working at The Artful Yarn has taught me just how true this really is.
Meet Shelly (ravatar name shellygooch) I learned to knit at mom’s knee around 8 years old. She also taught me to crochet in my teens. I like knitting everything from accessories to afghans, shawls to sweaters. Right now I have two shawls, four sweaters, fingerless mitts, and curtain tie-backs on my needles. Some of my favorite yarn includes Swans Island, Pagewood Farms (especially the lace weight, Willow Creek), Artful Alpaca, and Madelinetosh . . . love, love, love!
What folks may not know is that the Yarn Divas share other great talents with the shop. Shelly loves, loves, loves to do our accounting! How great is that!? I’m telling you right now – it’s REALLY great!
Best part about working at The Artful Yarn? I do like being one of the privileged few to see and pet the yarn first.
Do you souvenir yarn shop? I do souvenir shop! I like shops that are friendly, with shelves well stocked, organized and clean! Salespeople that greet you and are willing to help but don’t hover.
Favorite notion or knitting tool? I love my hanging needle organizer!
Favorite designer(s)? I have several: Gudrun Johnston (outstanding pattern instructions), Ysolda Teague, Carol Feller, Carol Sunday, Thea Coleman, Ilga Leja, Laura Chau, Susan B. Anderson. Lovely patterns by all!
Your biggest yarn splurge? My greatest yarn splurge (so far) has been on some handspun Merino spun by our very own Sierra!
Anything else? I recently learned to weave from Sierra! I’ve bought a “new-to-me” floor loom and once the “loom room” is finished (we’re currently painting and replacing carpeting), I’ll be warping for dishtowels really soon!”
Keep an eye on this page as we add more bio’s on the great folks working at The Artful Yarn! Looking forward to seeing you soon!