A Knitting Story

A new yarn shop is opening in Northfield soon and I had the fun of writing a story about the new shop - Yarn Store to Open in Downtown Northfield - for Northfield Patch. The shop, Northfield Yarn, is due to open in September and owner Cynthia Gilbertson is excited to not just open a store but to create a welcoming community for fiber lovers of all skill levels.

Talking to Cynthia got me thinking about when I used to knit, back to when there was a yarn shop called Cottage Industry in town. Cottage Industry has been closed for several years now but when it was open there was a wonderful feel of community in the place. The owner, Jessica, and one of her employees, Amy, welcomed me the first time I walked in the store. I wasn't a knitter at the time and had no desire to start but I loved the yarn and found myself feeling both content and inspired to be creative whenever I walked in there.

Eventually, inspired by the beauty of a certain turquoise yarn and with encouragement from Jessica and Amy, I decided to see if I could knit. And knit I did! I knit scarf after scarf after scarf and a sweater. I found the process of knitting fun and relaxing. When Cottage Industry closed, though, I pretty much put down my needles. So I'm excited that Northfield Yarn is going to open soon. Even if I don't start knitting again, I know I'll be able to walk in and look at the yarn and I'm betting I'll feel both content and inspired to be creative when I walk in there.

It's funny how creativity works - when I started knitting I started remembering how much my Grandma used to knit and crochet things for me and my brother when we were young. And, inspired by the memories, I wrote a story about knitting and how it connected me to my Grandma even though she's been gone for many years. The story, Sammy the Snake, was published in the June/July 2008 issue of Minnesota Moments and in the October 2010 issue of Womeninc. Magazine.

Sammy the Snake

If you feel like reading Sammy the Snake, you can find the story online at Womeninc. if you click HERE.

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