We thought it would be so fun and inspiring to get to know some members who make up our Monarch team. Jenn has been with Monarch shortly after its reopening in 2013 where she gradually moved on to behind the scene tasks. She handles our social media, assists with our webshop and helps curate our monthly newsletters. Last Fall she and her husband moved to Seattle and we were so glad to keep her on remotely! We’re excited to have her back in the shop working while our dear Koryn takes care of new baby Reid.
Tell us a bit about how you got started with fiber arts?
I’ve always dabbled in some type of artistic medium throughout my life. Photography, ceramics, oil pastels, paper making – you name it, I was either taking a course in the subject or president of its club. It wasn’t until I was gifted a sewing machine that I fell in love with textile arts!
When I moved to Monterey back in 2008, I was really into sewing garments and accessories. After creating a local crafting group to find other sewists, I started to meet crafters, many of them being crocheters and knitters as well. Around the same time, I attended an event where they had free knitting lessons. After wrestling with what looked like a clown wig, I decided knitting wasn’t for me. A couple of the gals from my group handed me a hook, and off I went to crochet everything you could possibly imagine (crocheted cat toys, anyone?). Of course I naturally became obsessed with yarn and anything to do it. This led me to give knitting another try as I just loved the look of a knitted fabric better, and with more and more online tutorials popping up, I was able to teach myself the basics. It’s been about ten years and we won’t talk about my knitting pattern stash…
Besides all things knitting and yarn, what are some of your other hobbies or passions?
Does trying out every coffee spot count as a hobby? You’ll find me doing that while listening to podcasts or audio books. I also love going to baseball games, attending the theater, and I’m currently obsessed with gaining experiences – cooking classes, kayaking, hiking, wine tours, motorbikes…anything that will fill a scrapbook. Oh and I love planning trips, especially if they involve knitting! Rhinebeck 2019, anyone?
Current WIPs, FOs, and/or favorite patterns?
I was recently selected to sample Woolfolk’s newest yarn base, Flette which I have been swatching and I cannot put my needles down! It’s so incredibly soft and I am loving the texture. This has taken precedence over my current project, the Clio pullover by Elizabeth Doherty. But I do hope to get back to knitting it because I would love to have it finished for this Fall. I jokingly say that I’ll have it done by Rhinebeck 2019, ha!
Also, I loved knitting the Lucerne hat by Jared Flood. Such a fun little knit that is totally addicting! Especially with Brooklyn Tweed’s Peerie yarn! Definitely this year’s Christmas knitting…
When Jana sent me her staff favorite for August, I immediately sent her all of the heart emojis and added it to my queue. The Esko Kimono by Jane Veitenheimer is definitely something I would love to have in my wardrobe!
Favorite thing to listen to/do while yo knit or work from home…
I usually have either a podcast like Pomcast or Woolful playing or a variety of music streaming while I work. I go through phases and most recently I’ve been playing a lot of classical genre. As for while I’m knitting, I generally have a show on (current favorite is Succession on HBO and I’m also slowly going through Outlander), baseball (go Red Sox!!!) or YouTube.
What are some of your favorite memories of working at the shop? Are you excited to be back for a bit?
There are far too many favorite memories to count! Monarch’s first anniversary is definitely at the top of the list – the overwhelming support from the community was so heart warming! I’d like to add that I am so grateful to still be apart of the Monarch team. So of course I am so excited to be able to help Ann and Koryn at the shop. I’ve missed my buddy Linus, the lovely ladies at the Tuesday morning knitting circle, being able to help clients and most importantly, my talented and wonderful teammates!
We know you’re mainly behind the lens here at shop, but can our readers find you elsewhere?
I used to have an active blog and be quite social on Ravelry, but I have since moved on to occasionally posting on Instagram, @heartsy.
Knit, Blog & Be Happy 