Monarch Knitting is 6 years old on the 20th of April! I cannot believe that it has been 6 years since our little store opened its doors. I still remember the feelings I had as I unlocked the door for our opening…hopeful, excited and, to be honest, terrified. 6 years later, as I look forward, I still feel the same way, but not quite as terrified!
The 6th year was filled with fun and tons of projects! Monarch packed up our goods and created a pop-up shop at Stitches West and Vogue Knitting Live in San Francisco. Learning new skills is at the top of the list for all of us and we were happy to welcome Brooke from Sincere Sheep, Carson Demers author of Knitting Comfortably, Marie Greene of Olive Knits, Vilasinee Bunnag, creator of The Loome Tool, and Elizabeth Doherty of Blue Bee Studio. We also have enjoyed full classes throughout the year… Tunisian Crochet seems to be a new favorite! (I must admit I am a bit obsessed and you might be seeing a Tunisian Crochet project of the month this fall.)
Being a source of inspiration is key to Monarch Knitting. All of us here at the store have been keeping our needles busy with some amazing projects of the month. This photo highlights just a few of our favorites and it makes me realize that I need to put a list up on the Monarch Knitting website.
Isn’t Koryn’s sweet little boy, Reid, the best knit wear model?
The next year at Monarch will bring a lot of new and interesting things to the store. We are kicking it off with a little birthday party for Monarch on Saturday the 20th of April. We will have delicious birthday treats and a drawing for some awesome prizes. Anyone who makes a purchase in the store or online will be entered to win. All purchases in our online store will ship free on that day and if you spend over $25.00 in the store, you will receive a Monarch Knitting pin to rep our little store on your knitting bag!
The next weekend we will still be celebrating with LYS Day on Saturday the 27th of April. Again, we will have some treats at the store, fabulous drawing for any purchases made online or in-store AND Julie Weisenberger will be at the store teaching her ingenious Cocoknits method. All in all it is going to be a pretty amazing month ahead.
Turning my attention, now, to the year ahead. You all will see some little improvements made in the store to help make it more attractive and better organized. We are going to continue to expand our roster of classes, so please email us if you have any suggestions of new skills or techniques you would like to learn. We are also going to expand and improve the web store for our customers who live outside of our little peninsula. As some of you may know, my husband and I downsized since our daughters left for college and I built my perfect little office. It is tiny, everything is within reach and I have a huge bookshelf. It is still a work in progress but here is a little look into my workspace at home!
The socks hanging on the bulletin board are the first project my mom ever knit Argyle socks… can you imagine?
I am going to take advantage of some opportunities I have for travel over the next year. I am going to take some classes at the spring Squam Workshop and then travel to Rhinebeck for New York Sheep and Wool Festival. In March of 2020 I plan to go to Edinburgh Yarn Festival with friends. Every time I head out-of-town, I have the opportunity to meet the many wonderful people who play a role in the industry. Travel is the ultimate in wooly inspiration.
Drinks with friends after a busy but fun day at the NY Sheep and Wool Festival.
Thank you, all of you, for supporting us. My heart is so filled with gratitude and love for little Monarch Knitting. 🧶
Knit, Blog & Be Happy 