On a busy Saturday morning here at the KnitCircus yarn shop, I look around and realize how lucky I am to work in a place like this. Every day I am surrounded by beautiful yarn, helping people pick out something special, and gathering skeins to be sent to their new homes. My name is Jennifer and I have recently joined the KnitCircus Yarns family. For the past nine years I have lived in Winona, MN going to school and then working at the local yarn shop there called Yarnology. It was a dream come true to combine my career with my passion for fiber arts, something I am thrilled to be continuing here at KnitCircus. A few months ago, my fiancé and I made the move to Madison and have started settling in to our new home.
I thought it’d be nice to take a little time to introduce myself since I am new and will hopefully be meeting many of you at our new shop location. I’ve been a knitter since I was eight years old, taught by my industriously crafty German grandmother. I picked it up and put it down throughout my childhood and became truly addicted seven years ago when I was a Junior in college. I never looked back. A few years after that I learned to spin yarn and recently I’ve started dabbling in knitwear design. A lot of my pattern ideas and names, and even my Instagram and Ravelry handle (@driftlessknitter) is influenced by the beautiful Driftless region of the Midwest that I’m lucky to call home. With the rolling hills, lakes, mighty rivers, and valleys there isn’t a shortage of inspiration around here!
Most of my free time goes to knitting, but my second hobby of choice is sitting down with a good book and reading. I’ve loved books and stories my whole life, so I decided to study literature in college. That degree taught me to write well, communicate, and think critically, all useful things to have in your toolbox when working at a small business.
The last few weeks here at KnitCircus have been busy in the best way. I’ve been learning a lot, not only here in the store, but also in the dye studio. And I’m looking forward to when we will host classes and knit nights so I can get to know the lovely knitters in the area. If you’re local make sure to come say hello and if you’re not, well you might have to plan a yarn-cation to Madison!
