About YarnSmarts
Greetings!!
​​My name is Beth, and I have a raging passion for yarn and learning new ways to make beautiful things with it!!
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I can’t really remember when or how I first fell in love with yarn, but I was little - I mean, like still figuring out walking, little. I must’ve devoted hours to making god’s eyes with popsicle sticks and miles of knitted tubes with a hand crank knitting machine and scraps of my Nana’s yarn (or whatever I could convince my Mum to buy for me when we went into Woolworth’s!).
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After years of pestering (and what seemed like an entire lifetime to me), my Nana finally deemed me old enough to learn to knit when I turned 8. I held my little arms out to help her wind yarn into
balls in return for which I got a knitting lesson. I don’t remember what I made - you’d think that someone as yarn-obsessed as I was would have saved all of her early masterpieces. Sadly, no - I just remember how much I loved sitting with her in her sunroom and having yarn and needles in my hands.
I didn’t knit for several years after she passed away, but made up for it in spades by spending WAY more time than was good for me knitting in college! I was blessed to find a like-minded bestie, and we built the foundation of our 30+ years friendship on afternoons of soap operas, knitting and roadtrips to WEBS - our local yarn shop. After college, I put my knitting down again for a few years, but when my father was diagnosed with cancer, it was there waiting when I reached for it to help pass the time in his hospital room. He used to tell me how mesmerizing it was to watch me make loop after loop on my needles, and it was comforting for me to have something in my hands. I haven’t stopped knitting since.
I ditched the corporate world in 2002 and got a part-time gig at an LYS in Milton, MA called Snow Goose Yarns. After a year or so the owner, Jan, was kind enough to begin teaching me how the business worked - I was hooked! For three years, I helped customers and taught drop in classes when an opportunity arose in 2005 to buy a shop of my own. My Mum and I joined forces - me running things day to day, and she being the not-so-silent silent partner. She was not a knitter, or even a yarn lover, and knew nothing about the yarn industry. I, being a creative type with a spectacular passion for yarn and knitting, didn’t know much more about owning a business. But, for nearly ten years we put our all into a lovely little LYS called Wool Basket Yarns in Duxbury, MA. There was almost always someone sitting at the table in our little shop passing the time with us, and through classes and events in the shop, our community grew.
In 2014, we made the heart-breaking decision to close. Saying goodbye to that community was one of the hardest decisions of my life. But, as is often the case, when one door closes, another opens. I was hired as an Assistant Store Manager at WEBS - my first LYS! For the next almost six years, I got to work in the retail store, teach classes, meet amazing customers from all over the world and continue to spend my days being surrounded by yarn!!
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Then, in the summer of 2020, I was offered the opportunity to take over the Education and Events Manager role, which opened doors I never could have imagined! I was introduced to a whole new group of truly inspirational people once I began planning WEBS’ classes and retreats - virtual at first thanks to COVID - and then in person as well. I stopped teaching because I found my niche in planning classes and events, working with teachers and designers to help bring their inspiration and creativity to students, and helping to build the WEBS community.
YarnSmarts is the beginning of a new adventure! I want to build a new community. Not just for students, but for instructors, designers, and local yarn stores too. A virtual space where we can all come to learn, engage, inspire and celebrate our passion for yarn and all of the wonderful things we can make with it!
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I truly believe that every job I’ve ever had has prepared me for the next. I started working as a bank teller at 15 years old and learned (sometimes the hard way) how vitally important excellent customer service is. Learning how to help my customers to feel heard and understood at such a young age has given me a solid foundation and perspective that informs everything I do. Whether it’s bringing teachers together to perpetuate the crafts we love, or listening to students telling me what they want to learn, this is what I get to do every day. I always say, I have the best job ever - I love what I do, and I can’t wait to do it with you!!
There are so many learning platforms and educational venues out there to choose from, I hope you’ll find a welcoming and comfortable place here at YarnSmarts - and that you’ll spend lots of time with our community in the Zoom where it happens!!
Let’s Stitch Together
Get in touch so we can create something beautiful.
