Yarnivore

Well, if a carnivore is a meat-eating animal, then a yarnivore is a yarn-eating animal, right? OK, we don't actually eat the yarn, but the term is meant to describe the enthusiasm that often develops once a person starts to work with the stuff. Before you know it, you are consuming yarn like a hungry animal, unable to satisfy your appetite.

Tammy, our new owner, doesn't actually remember learning to knit, crochet and sew - the skills were absorbed by osmosis from her mom and grandmas. She was mainly a quilter until the yarn bug dragged her back four years ago, and she hasn't put her knitting needles down since. Her first project was a cabled Aran Fisherman's turtleneck - proving both that ignorance is bliss and that if you don't know something's supposed to be difficult, you can do anything! She's learning to weave and spin, and can usually be found defiantly knitting two socks on two circular needles somewhere in the store.

What Wendy don't know about knitting ain't worth knowing! Well, almost. Her fiber life began at age 8, when she learned to crochet in 4H. Many afghans and doilies later, she found herself wanting to make a crocheted sweater, but the pattern called for KNITTED ribbing. "I can do anything for 2 inches!" declared fearless Wendy. After the sweater came knitted slippers, then more and more knitting. Eventually, crochet and knitting alone weren't enough for our intrepid yarn explorer. Soon she began spinning, and dyeing yarn and fiber, and even designing her own patterns!

Julia was taught to knit by her mother-in-law, Cecile, in 2004. Her goal was to be knitting socks within a year because all of her reading about knitting suggested they were much more comfortable (no seams!). She met this goal with some self-patterning Opal and quickly found sock yarns and sock-making irresistible. Her preferred method is the traditional cuff-down style on five double pointed needles. She also loves knitting and felting accessories such as purses, totes, cell phone and iPod cases.

Rebecca our beloved youthful minion, first learned to knit when she was 6. She really began to knit passionately at age 13, when Yarnivore hired her mother Wendy to work at Yarnivore. She's become a major yarnaholic since then, and spends as much time as she can at the store. She learned to spin and now uses her skills to express herself in a way that she never did before. She admits that she is an addict, but says that if anyone approaches her about rehab, they had better remember that she carries sharp needles.

Linda learned to crochet from her grandma when she was little, but can only remember making long strings of chain stitches. She re-taught herself to crochet about fifteen years later when she moved to colder climates and needed warm-weather acessories, fast. Frustrated by the lack of cute crochet patterns and unsure of how to read the darn things, she began creating her own designs and eventually writing her own patterns. She's a frequent contributor to many crochet and craft magazines, and she published her first book of patterns, Crochet Adorned, in 2009. She loves to combine crocheting with other crafts (such as sewing and knitting) and is always plotting new ways to play with string. You can read her personal blog at http://www.lindamade.com.

Melanie was the founder of Yarnivore. She sold the shop to the illustrious Tammy in Oct 2008, but she continues to do IT work for Yarnivore from her new home in Maryland. She did promise to write the patterns down for her designs, and has been trying, during her son Noah's naps. Slowly but surely she will write them down... assuming she can even remember what she designed!