Knitting: Good for Your Health

Spiders.  Flying.  Toilets.  You name it.  No matter how bizarre, I was probably afraid of it.  It was a terrible way of going through life, and it hit a boiling point right around my sophomore year of college - on September 11, 2001.  When so many people were experiencing loss and the trauma of the images they'd seen on tv, I feared random acts to the point, I was afraid to leave my home (a tiny little private dormitory).  And in fact, I didn't...for an entire month.  Somehow, I had been scared from generalized anxiety to PTSD.  After years of doctors and many therapy sessions, being told to relax did not help.  


And then one day, I stumbled across my mother's stash of yarn.  I picked out this fuzzy black yarn.  I hadn't done any knitting in a couple of years, so I fumbled over a cast on and knit myself a scarf in one sitting.  The world had melted away and nothing else mattered.


Fast forward another few years and countless projects later.  I finally figured out why knitting commands so much from me.  It changed my life.  When I couldn't meditate on my own, repeating k2 p2 in my head as I finished each row of a ribbing, I was, in a sense, meditating.  If I focused enough, I could lose myself in the fiber.  So, no matter how many battles I had to fight with horrible bosses, unruly patients, or my husband, I could calm myself with knitting.


I'm proud to say that eleven years after that turning point, my panic attacks are few and far between, PTSD is a thing of the past, and I'm starting to claw my way in to the fiber arts industry.  Standing in the shadows is not an option for me anymore.  


I have been groomed for greatness my whole life, it's about time I finally got there.  Even if it's only in my own eyes.  Starting this business will hopefully only be the beginning.  What has knitting done for you?

A Call to Arms: Setting Up the Shop

The shop on the same day we got the keys...

Since I didn't want to complain about EVERYTHING, I haven't posted.  I could have posted about the 10 hours a day I spend in the shop with my curious 2 year-old (who insisted on giving me hugs and kisses while I was lifting heavy items).  I could have even posted about how tight the money is since we are spending our own money left and right to get things moved in and fixed up.  But why stay positive?  Because that's what gets me through the day!  In spite of all the bumps in the road, I know that this yarn shop is something I want to do and it will work out the way it should.

How one area of the shop looked as of yesterday.

We funded this business out of our own pockets.  That's admittedly the scariest thing about starting the yarn shop.  There's so much on the line.  If it fails, it will take a long time to recover.  I'm starting to feel the same strain that I did when I worked at my last job, I made good money, had great health care benefits, but hated the job.  I was torn because working their benefited my family, but I was losing my sanity.  Now, I'm doing what I love, but this has the potential to not be a good thing for the family.  Then I just pick up and start knitting an item for my Etsy shop or stare at pictures of the LYS and feel a sense of calm.  See?  Yarn is good for your health.

When we got the keys almost two weeks ago and I began moving in, the space looked empty.  Then, a week later, the furniture was moved in and I could barely move around without hitting a box or getting a bruise from the corner of a fixture.  My husband, his brother, and a friend moved all the large items in and I ended up moving everything where it needed to go.  That meant I had to tramp up and down the basement stairs with heavy boxes and bins of things from our storage unit and the basement of our home.  

The other half of the front area.
Today, all of the yarn was finally put out...

So now I'm stressing about all the other little incidentals that need to fall into place before we open the doors.  You know, the final touches to make this business launch.  The sign is the most difficult item to do, because I cannot do it myself (grrrr...).  You'll find out quickly that, while I am a team player, I love my independence.  

Peanut finds all the running around amusing.  He's got a stash of toys and plenty of things to get into while I have my attention on something else.  He's even noticed that UPS delivers "mommy's yarn" so now whenever he sees a UPS truck, he proudly exclaims, "That's mommy's yarn!  Mommy, we get yarn!  Mommy, we go yarn shop, get yarn!"  I see another yarnie joining us in the future...

Why is this a call to arms?  Well, it being a bit of a slower time for yarn shops in general with warmer months coming, internet sales have slowed to somewhat of a stand still, so we need your help.  I implore my followers to continue to patronize the online shop, tell your friends and family about us, and if you're in the area, come in for our Grand Opening so that we can keep up with the demand.  :)

What you'll see shortly after Midwest Yarn opens are classes, craft demos, knit alongs, open knit sessions, and some great promotions that will keep you coming back for more.  If you're a crafter or an artist interested in selling your items at our shop, contact me at melina@midwestyarn.com for more information.