How it all started . . 

I tried my hand at knitting when I was a child and viewd it as a tedious chore. But, during a visit to our local library in 1995 I was attracted by a book on knitting. The picture of colorful skeins of yarn on the cover of Principles of Knitting caught my attention. With the help of that book I taught myself how to knit. From that moment on I never stopped knitting, I just couldn't get enough knitting. I soon read more books, researched the subject on the internet and visited yarn shops in Minneapolis and Madison. I even pondered the idea of opening a yarn shop but did not act on that dream. I plugged away with my knitting and started a knitting group. The group began in 1998. It was a casual group of knitters, just knitting and sharing our passion. At the time I was working as an office administrator for a youth outreach ministry but the dream of a yarn shop kept gnawing. I celebrated my 40th birthday in 2003. A mid-life crisis of sorts prompted me to make the dream come true. After years of thinking I'd do it someday, I woke up one spring morning and decided to take the plunge. I figured that the elusive "some day" would never come, so right then I decided to pursue it. 

I always enjoyed my jobs, but I've envied people who jumped out of bed and were anxious to go to work. I wanted that and felt a yarn shop would be it. I started a business plan in April 2003 and visited yarn shops in other cities to observe their sales and traffic volume.  I did research on the internet and talked to shop owners for ideas and advice. I attend a needle arts trade show (TNNA), talked to vendors and decided that a yarn shop was financially feasible.

I got to the point of no return, I realized I was actually going to do this. It got a little scary. My husband and two sons were supportive. When thoughts of failing entered my mind I put a positive spin on them. I would just have a heck of a lot of yarn (wink). My son's were in charge of naming the shop. They were told to avoid the words sheep, yarn and wool because they are commonly used in the names of other shops. We own a yellow Labrador named Dodger. In honor of their pet the boys decided on Yellow Dog Knitting.

I encourage knitter's to come into the shop and sit at the table and work on your projects. I never want to see somebody get frustrated with knitting, drop it and never come back to it. That would be my biggest failure. I find knitting an emotionally calming activity. I find I have to knit every day to relax. Even for the busiest of people, this is one hobby that can be done in short or long spurts of time. You can curl up on the couch with your knitting. You can't curl up on the couch with a sewing machine.

If you have a dream, don't wait.