Knitting yarns in Cedar

Codi Yeager
Sun contributor
One stereotype has long dominating the knitting world: an ancient, needle wielding grandmother with white hair and inch-thick glasses looking out at society in outright defiance of all the realities connected to true knitters and their yarn habit. Yet one step inside Inish Knits in Cedar reveals that the vibrant, knitting subculture of today is a far cry from the solitude of a drab rocking chair. And now that women don’t necessarily need to make socks and mittens for their families, knitting groups are much more than neighbors conversing while performing a necessary task. In fact, it is no longer a common task, but a common love that brings together the members of a knitting circle. For the women who meet at Inish Knits, knitting seems to have ceased being a ‘group’ activity and has instead become a sisterhood.

“We’re friends, not just knitters,” says Deb Herman, a regular member of the group that meets every Wednesday night. The others, spread about in clusters throughout the store and seated on various couches, stools and chairs, nod in agreement as they work on socks and hats. A few knitters compare sock patterns, and more call out their opinions. “Socks seem to be the new rage,” says Deb as she shows me the ones dangling from her needles. “You can take them with you, and they’re very easy to knit while you talk.”
Norvilla Bennett knitted her first pair of socks last summer, when she decided to take a break from mittens. “I had been knitting mittens for my five nieces and nephews for Christmas for about 20 years. Then I stopped. I joined the knitting group because I wanted to make mittens again,” she explains. Socks and hats were the next step, but she says she couldn’t have done it without the help of the group. “They really challenged me and were very supportive. I love watching and learning from them.”
Melissa Kelenske, the present owner of Inish Knits, has only been knitting since 2001, yet is one of the most advanced knitters in the group. “Without the group, without other people pushing me, I never would have become a better knitter,” she attests.
Daryl Webster, another group member, agrees that knitting with others makes her a better knitter simply because she sees different projects that she likes. “I would see a sweater that someone else was making, try it on, and say, well, I want to make that for myself.” Yet improved knitting skills aren’t the only benefit of the knitting group. “It gives you a real sense of community,” says Daryl. “There has been a kind of revolution. Before, knitting was solitary; it was something you did at home. Knitting together and sharing the experience is relatively new.”
Perhaps this is due to the fact that women in past decades have been slowly becoming more independent. “A lot of the time we don’t allow ourselves to get together as women and indulge ourselves. At first, I didn’t think it was okay to take the time for something like a knitting group, but now it’s my place to be on Wednesday night,” says Norvilla.
“It’s our night out,” agrees Deb. The ‘girls night out’ type of atmosphere is certainly present, evidenced by the constant chatter and almost constant laughter. Any subject under the sun is fair game, though mostly the talk pertains to knitting. That in itself opens the door to a plethora of topics. For example, is it safe to knit something for a baby that has yet to be born, or is that just plain bad luck? The consensus was that, if you want to be a grandmother, there’s no problem with knitting some baby booties or a hat, but if a want-to-be-mother is knitting clothes for a much desired baby, she’s playing with fate. Knitting and weaving seminars are another conversation, as well as felting stories that are strongly reminiscent of fish tales, (“The bags are this big before you wash them!” Norvilla says as she spread her arms in a giant arc.) Felting, by the way, is a process in which projects knitted with 100 percent wool are washed, shaped and dried until they become felt. The projects are intentionally knitted large so that when they shrink they reach the desired proportions. Melissa mentions that she is unable to do felting in her new washer, much to the dismay of the other knitters. After all, when knitting is your life, what use is an appliance that doesn’t cooperate with yarn?
And knitting is Melissa’s life. She learned the trade in the summer of 2001, before knitting became popular again, from a friend with whom she worked. “She was making a sweater, and I was just amazed,” remembers Melissa, “she gave me my first pair of needles and they’re still my favorites.” Melissa attended Hope College and majored in Creative Writing, and in the fall of 2006 she purchased Inish Knits from Fiona McPherson Grant. As the third owner, the store was already established as a yarn shop when Melissa bought it. “It was nice to purchase a business. All of the fixtures and furniture were already in place,” she attests. However, it still took a lot of work to achieve the Inish Knits that is present today. “I basically just had to put my touch on things. We painted every wall in the entire shop, got a new inventory and basically put a facelift on everything.” For her work, the rewards are satisfying. “I like helping someone who is learning to knit, or someone who has a problem that they’re having trouble tackling. I like seeing that light bulb moment for someone … when the world makes sense,” she says.
Selecting yarns for the upcoming seasons is another facet of her job that Melissa enjoys. “I choose primarily natural fibers, mostly wool, but I have cotton, Alpaca, silk a good mix of local products. I’m always searching for yarns that are spun and dyed in the United States,” she says. Melissa will try out organic wool this fall, but otherwise she has a “few secrets” in store for the future.
For now the Wednesday night knitting group will continue as it has since beginning with the first owner of Inish Knits, and will remain Melissa’s favorite part of her work. “It is such a bright spot in everyone’s week,” she says. “It’s so nice to get together and be together. I never would have met these women otherwise.”
Social workers, office managers, nurses … women from all walks of life are welcome in the community formed by the knitting group. Yet there is one thing they all have in common: they’re knitters. “Everyone here, we’re knitters. It has become so closely identified with myself, so closely related to my personality,” says Melissa, “I love interacting with people on a daily basis who love this fiber world as much as I do.”
Norvilla perhaps puts it best when she says, “I was asked what I did for fun and relaxation. Without even thinking I said, ‘I knit’. It’s just been fun.”