Today we’d like to introduce you to Knit & Gather
Hi Knit & Gather, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My partner Kate has been designing knitting patterns for over five years and in 2023 we decided we wanted to start a knitting business together. We have both been knitting for over twenty years and have a passion for fiber arts. Kate and I met through our connection to our Norwegian heritage, a culture rich in knitting traditions. Creating patterns, tools, and tutorials for colorwork knitting helps us feel connected to that part of our histories. Our business, Knit & Gather combines teaching local knitting, crochet, and felting classes, creating knitting tools and accessories, and designing original knitting patterns. We currently work out of our home studio and teach at a handful of yarn stores and studios throughout Minneapolis. We identify as a proud queer female owned business.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Starting a business can be a challenge when you’re doing it on your own. There are resources available, but it can be a bureaucratic obstacle course to figure out. We have been lucky to meet a lot of great people who have helped us along the way. Aside from the logistics, we are currently running our business in addition to other work. This limits the time we are able to invest and the hours we are available to teach. We are so grateful to have built an amazing community of students, but this also took dedicated time and a regular class schedule.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Knitting is our specialty and part of our mission is to bring more people into the craft and help break some barriers and stereotypes that are typically associated with knitting. When most people think of knitting, they are probably thinking about older female communities; we want to be examples of the younger generation of knitters who are open to sharing their knowledge to help others learn to knit and create their own garments. Within knitting, we love colorwork, which is a method using two different colors of yarn, simultaneously, to creative a design. One of our most popular classes is our 2 hour Colorwork Workshop. Colorwork, or stranded knitting, is a European tradition that is popular in Scandinavia and large parts of Britain. This year Knit & Gather released our first colorwork sweater pattern, the Julbock Sweater, which is a motif of the Scandinavian Christmas Goat on a colorwork yoke.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
Our primary business is a combination of teaching, making tools and knitting accessories, and designing patterns. But we are open to collaboration and working with people privately to achieve their craft goals. We love seeing people in our classes and are planning to expand our online offerings in 2025. The easiest way to support Knit & Gather is to follow along on social media and our email list, send us an email and reach our with your ideas and needs, and check out our website, knitandgather.com.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://knitandgather.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/knitandgather
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553443114349
