This wonderful little yarn shop in Toronto's Beaches district is closing this month, and I'm sad to see it go.
I am so very grateful to both Lorena, the original owner,
and Lisa,
the current owner, for the opportunity to teach there all these years.
The Naked Sheep gave me my big break - it was the first shop I taught at. The Naked Sheep introduced me to Noro. The Naked Sheep allowed me to mingle with so many wonderful people. I will miss my classes there, and my Sunday morning gang, and the excellent team who worked there.
It's thanks to the Sheep that I am the knitter and teacher and designer I am. Without the Sheep, I'd still be stuck in a cubicle somewhere in IT-land, wishing I could knit during conference calls.
The Sheep was one of the first of the current generation of knitting shops in Toronto - shops that appeal to newer knitters, to a younger crowd. In the 1990s in Toronto many of the knitting shops closed down, and only a few hardy stores remained. When she opened in 2004, Lorena had a store that appealed not only to established knitters, but also created an environment that lured in younger non-knitters. The Sheep's beginner classes and Wednesday knit nights remained amazingly popular all throughout the life of the store. When Lisa purchased the store, her enthusiasm and energy took the store to a new level and she did an amazing job of running it while holding down a full-time job and being a mother to two very active kids.
Many, many knitters in Toronto are knitters because of the Sheep.
All I can say is thank you.
1 comment:
I got back into knitting because of the sheep and it was the first place my eldest daughter learned to knit. Good memories there. Sad too to see it go.
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