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Building Community One Stitch at a Time
by Janice Lovelace

In our grandmothers’ time, women gathered to socialize and do needlework on a regular basis. A great way to see friends and make needed items, this custom also served to strengthen the community bonds. As women became busier outside the home, less time was spent on the needle arts. By the 1970s and ‘80s, knitting and crocheting fell out of favor as “old fashioned,” and were practiced mainly by older women. The 1990s saw a resurgence, as new high-style patterns and richly textured natural fibers made an appearance. Now knitting is hot — with both genders and among all ages. A 2005 survey by the Craft Yarn Council found that one in three women knit and/or crochet, and the numbers are growing.

Karen Aho, owner of Acorn Street Shop in the University District, learned to knit as a child and has been in love with it ever since, finding it “relaxing and therapeutic.” Lauren Lindeman, from Belltown’s So Much Yarn, was drawn to knitting as a child because of the feel of the fiber. She notes that “today’s yarns are so incredibly beautiful. The colors and textures are amazing. The feeling of the fiber in your fingers is somewhat meditative.” Marie Connelly, owner of Main Street Yarn in Mill Creek, loves the hand-painted yarns and the kettle dyed yarns. “The breadth of fiber and new design work has raised the level of sophistication and added to the creativity for knitters.” Virginia Bowen of Seattle Yarn Gallery is drawn to the sensuality of the colors and textures. She adds that “knitting helps through transitions or tough times” because of its calming qualities and because it gives you the ability to create your own item, which can be very gratifying.

The resurgence of knitting in the past decade has inspired several yarn shops in the Puget Sound region to promote the concept of community building in their businesses. From sponsoring projects for charity to offering classes and informal knitting groups, shops are bringing together knitters from all walks of life. The settings offer a joyous place to converse, connect with like-minded folks and finish a project.

Jennifer Hill of HilltopYarn looked for a way to bring together other moms to keep their creative energy going. “There are so many adorable items to make for young children that bring people in,” acknowledges Hill. But once they start, customers find other new and interesting patterns that bring them back. She has introduced two unique design lines at the store.

Village Yarn and Tea Shop in Shoreline offers another place to sit and sip a hot cup of tea while knitting or just chatting. The shop opened two years ago with the express idea of building a business that would be a community place, according to co-owner Deb Barnes. “We wanted a place that was comfortable to hang out in and a business that would support local vendors.” In addition, the tea shop area of the store offers a spot for non-knitting partners or friends to occupy themselves while the knitter wanders around selecting yarns. Kit Hutchin’s Churchmouse Yarns and Teas on Bainbridge Island also sells tea but doesn’t serve it. Add the scent of teas to the feel and sight of yarns, and a trip to these yarn shops make for a full sensory experience. Hutchin adds that the tea “makes the store less intimidating to new or non-knitters.”

Acorn Street Shop takes community building to the next level by sponsoring an annual retreat for knitters. This year’s event, June 22-25 in Leavenworth, offers an enjoyable place to knit, take mini-classes, socialize and focus on fun while getting away from the pressures of everyday life.

Beyond their classes and informal knitting groups, nearly all the yarn shops offer an opportunity to be involved with charity work. Village Yarn and Tea Shop customers made hundreds of knitted wristbands for both the breast cancer and ovarian cancer walks last year; this year’s goal is three thousand. As an outreach effort in 2006, the shop hosted the Swedish traveling mammogram bus one Saturday. Twenty-two women had mammograms that day.

Community Yarn Creations, a nonprofit knitting group, meets monthly to make and distribute items as diverse as kennel blankets for PAWS, blankets for Hospice, and chemo caps for cancer patients. Hilltop Yarn has expanded its community projects to online customers. Projects are announced online, and the knitters bring or send their finished creations to the store. A recent project provided 170 knitted hats for the Baby Boutique in King County.
Another annual project is Acorn Street Shop’s “Yarns Aweigh” where customers collect ‘unwanted or unloved’ yarn to donate to schools, senior centers and church groups. Participating customers receive $1 per pound in store credit, so everyone wins.

Churchmouse Yarn and Tea supports local agencies with a monthly charity knitting group. Currently, its members are working on hats, scarves and mittens for Camp Siberia, a nonprofit camp for Russian orphans founded by a Bainbridge Island resident. Every summer, local high school students travel to Siberia to work as counselors at the camp.

So Much Yarn’s community project is right next door — the Dorothy Day house — a transitional living facility for formerly homeless women. Classes are offered to the residents and donations of yarn and accessories are provided. Seattle Yarn Gallery is involved in “Hats for the Homeless,” as well as the annual “Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood Sweater Drive,” which collects sweaters for the homeless.

A modern version of the knitting circles of our grandmothers’ era, today’s yarn shops provide a nurturing social center where community members can connect, find camaraderie and creatively give to others.

Janice Lovelace is a frequent contributor to Seattle Woman.

©2007 Caliope Publishing Company