cottageknits.com Blog

Running any business requires a multitude of tasks to be done yesterday….and if you get behind, watch out!
So this is the time of year that requires the most attention to inventory, planning for a new season, keeping classes current and inviting…and hosting the many folks who come in the shop for some color therapy and escape from cabin fever.
It’s a tall bill to fill and some days i get it right and things move along like a well oiled machine…and then there are those other days!
With each new year comes reflection of what works, what needs improvement…what changes need be made.
So here it comes (deep sigh)~ i admit my limitations and politely request my customers to lower their expectations of me a bit and realize I am only one.
My first responsibilty to you is to keep the doors open. The second is to take care of me so i can keep the doors open. Frankly i can only do that with your help.
I have assigned certain hours for those who need quick fixes with projects and request that for more detailed help you would schedule an appointment.
Weekdays you can pop in from 2-4pm ~ Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 5-6pm. Saturday 10:30am-12:30pm.
I am happy to report that the state of the Cottage is strong. More folks pass through these doors than any other time in the five years since Cottage Knits was established. I realize that in this economy that is no small feat. I do not take the credit for that, rather i am grateful to my loyal instructors, gracious customers, and most importantly wonderful family and friends who continue to encourage and support me even on the days when i feel like i want to hide in the bathroom for an hour, day or month. (Just kidding…sorta)
With these changes i feel i will better be able to serve all my customers in a timely manner and that…my friends, is the goal!

2010 is history. 2011 brings a fresh start ~ no resolutions for me ~ just the resolve to make this year perhaps a little calmer than the last…and i am thankful to say that Cottage Knits weathered through some pretty tough times last year. However, as one customer remarked last summer when 17th Street re-opened “you’ve survived a flood, a near collapse in the financial market and a road closing for a quarter of a year, evidentally you are supposed to be here.” Need i say more?
Yes, i need to thank all of you who have continued to support Cottage Knits through thick and thin…who realize that supporting your LYS keeps the doors open. Who realize that even though this little yarn shop can’t have it all we can work together to find what you need for your next new project.
I need to thank you for your passion of your craft and your enthusiam in bringing others into the knitting/crocheting lifestyle.
I need to thank you for your compassion and encouragement in tough times.
I need to thank you for your patience.
I need to thank you for supporting the many classes, workshops and special events we have hosted at the cottage.
I thank you for feeding me (now i have to beg you not to feed me)~otherwise i shall have to buy a whole new wardrobe!
I thank you for your friendship~making me realize once again…
I am so blessed and feel like the richest girl in town~and that, my friends has nothing to do with money.
So to all of you, I sincerely wish you a wonderful New Year~

Every time the Fed Ex Guy delivers a most expected box full of treasures i greet him with the standard “how are ya?” and he ALWAYS answers back with enthusiam that he’s “livin’ the dream”. Even though i know he’ll say it, it always makes me pause and realize how fortunate we are in this country.
We are livin’ the dream. I know, troubles are inevitable and we have seen many in the past few years but comparatively with the rest of the world we are so very fortunate in the freedoms we have come to expect as the norm.
So the next time someone asks you how you are…will you be reminded that you are, indeed livin’ the dream? I sure hope so.

Shella Ebenkamp turned fourteen yesterday. She took a few minutes out of her big day to come to the cottage to visit with her knitting friends and family. While some might find that odd, i am not surprised.
Shella lived right around the corner of the former location of Cottage Knits and was frankly heartbroken (well, at least sad) when the shop moved to our current location. She would no longer be able to run down the street for her knitting fix and visit with the many women that came to know her and think of her as family.
It was three years ago on a Labor Day Weekend that we packed everything up and loaded it into trucks and cars to move nearly a mile down the road. All of the yarn, books and knitting notions would have a new home…and Shella would miss her daily visit with all the women who had come to think of her as their own. She was right there with us, packing boxes and bags vowing to keep knitting. After hugs and tears we all moved on and although i would hear from her from time to time we all get busy, and i talked with her less and less.
But with age comes more responsibility and the day arrived that she could ride her bike to the cottage to come and resume her rightful place in the “Peanut Gallery”…but i have noticed how much she has grown up. No longer do i have to keep an eye on her and remind her to mind her manners. In fact, she has even helped me teach a family to knit~she always did tell me she would own Cottage Knits someday…
It just makes me thankful to so many of you who have taken the time to invest in her life… Her parents Billie and Keith Ebenkamp allowed her to spend time with us, encourage her to keep up with her knitting and shell out cash for this hobby. Not to mention all the kids who would come by the house for Shella to host neighborhood knitting lessons!
It does take a village to raise a child and i’d say Shella is a good reflection of that. I am proud to be a tiny piece of her life and grateful to the many women who have taken the time to encourage and love her.
Happy Birthday Shella…we are expecting great things from you!

It’s like we took the place and shook it upside down…literally. I think you will be surprised when you walk thru the doors at the cottage…it’s a fresh new look and just in time for our celebration activities ~ Cottage Knits turns five this month! Watch for specials, treats and great fun the week of the 19th…after all, who doesn’t love a party?
Cottage Knits has become a place of encouragement and community for so many folks. It is more than a yarn shop…it’s a place for retreat and refreshment. I often hear that sometimes just running in for a quick color fix is all it takes to give folks a lift in their spirit…and with that in mind the goal continues to be to create a “happy place” where one can leave the hustle and bustle of the world behind, if just for an hour or so.
An i just have to say, this just would not be possible without the support and encouragement of many of you…and my family.
My “business partner” and husband Mark labored for hours and hours another Labor Day Holiday. He keeps the place standing tall and gets little credit for mowing, watering, scrubbing and general maintanence labor. Thanks to him for all he does to make this all work.
Son-in-Law Matt did his share in the shuffle too…without him we would still be moving stuff around.
It really does “take a village” to run a village…

In some ways it seems only yesterday…we choose Labor Day Weekend 2007 to move Cottage Knits to Pennsylvania Street.
The little shop on 7th Street was bursting at the seams and it was time to find a larger space~but Cottage Knits couldn’t move just anywhere. When Mark and I first looked at the space located on the corner of 17th and Pennsylvania i knew it was the perfect place to set up shop….and that’s what we did with some help of family and friends (and lots of hard work). Without missing a beat we re-located and opened the doors on the Tuesday following the Holiday.
Three years later i have the itch for a new look….so i have been scheming and dreaming and i think i have a plan. Once again it involves a little help of a few friends and family, some hard work…After all, it’s Labor Day Weekend, right???
And in just a couple of days, i will open those doors and greet all who stop by, refreshed and excited to show you what we have been up to…and the party begins. After all, it’s birthday month for the Cottage Knits Adventure!

It’s here again. School is in session, the pool is closed, and before long we will begin to hear Christmas music in the mall. Ugh. Don’t get me wrong…i love Christmas. It IS the most wonderful time of the year, but the older i get, the quicker the months fly by. I wonder, is it my age? Probably so. No matter, i shall embrace the day and attempt to make the most of one of my most precious commodities…time.
Do you even want to know that there are only 122 days until Christmas? That’s how many waking hours? Yikes!
With that in mind, i ponder how i might simplify the coming season in order to actually enjoy the sights and sounds of the season. Experience has told me that it all begins much sooner than when the cold winds blow….i have observed many wise and wonderful folks working steadily on their knitted projects throughout the year. They make their list in January and they seem to actually stick to it!
You will recognize them. They are the ones that are smiling and relaxed from Thanksgiving thru New Years Eve….no all-night knitting for these folks. Oh no, they have their cards addressed and gifts wrapped before December 24th. And for once, i want to be like them….just once!
So i have begun to make my list…and for a change, i will not try to be SuperKnitter and i’ll knit only for those who will appreciate my efforts and will not spread myself so thin that my family will wish to send me away for the months of December and January. Hey! It’s a realistic goal….now where are those pattern books?

I will admit it, the focus on knitting helmet liners for soldiers came from guilt on my part, due to a promise broken.
Last fall i was contacted by my home church and asked that Cottage Knits “adopt” a soldier and his family. Chris Allen had just recently been deployed to Afghanistan. Chris left his family and home to serve his country and protect this nation. I readily agreed, with visions of all sorts of comforts we might knit for not only Chris, but also his wife and children.
Not long after that commitment we learned that one of our own, Barb Lee had been diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer and had only a couple of months to live. My best friend Teresa was the niece of “Aunt Jo” and our concern was for Teresa as well.
We had adopted Aunt Jo as our own. Cottage Knitters fell into action doing what we do…attempting to comfort her, Teresa and ourselves by knitting up prayer shawls and blankets, fixing meals, sending cards and flowers and anything else we could think to do to make her final days the best they might be.
Meanwhile Chris was doing his duty by serving his country. His family continued to keep on keeping on… My promise to care for this family went unfulfilled. Actually, i realized that i needed to contact the church and explain the situation at hand and then something would happen, and my attention would be elsewhere.
The days and weeks passed by, Aunt Jo lived for six more short months. In the meantime Cottage Knits lost another “lady of the knit” unexpectedly. We were barely able to take it all in and then i remembered the promise once again. By then i was past the point of embarrassment and resolved to contact the church and retrieve the contact information. I planned on calling Chris’s wife and explain to her what had happened.
And just when i thought i had it all figured out i heard that Chris was home. That was wonderful news for sure. I made a vow that somehow i would attempt to find a way to honor him.
Knitted helmet liners seemed to be the answer. My goal is to gather 100 which are to be taken to Camp Atterbury during Labor Day weekend. I posted the free pattern on the Cottage Knits website during the month of July and have hosted knit-ins each week.
Every afternoon during July and August a roomful of women have gathered at the yarn shop to knit together and watch “war movies” such as Kelly’s Heroes, The Wackiest Ship in the Army, eat popcorn and knit these gifts for our soldiers. They have been faithful and the stack of liners continues to grow.
By chance i have come to meet a Floyd Crouse, a veteran whose sister has knitted, upon his request, dozens of helmet liners as well. I have been inspired by his commitment to see these liners made and then delivered for use. He is determined to see that as many soldiers as possible receive a hand knitted liner. You could say we have united forces to see this through.
Another group of volunteers have come together to tag each liner with a “stay warm” tag. You see, it’s really not about me…or any one of us…it’s a community of people who care, a vow to honor, in some way, those who serve our country…. and a way for me to say “Chris, thanks for a job well done.”

Just when i begin to think “It doesn’t get any better than this” something new comes our way.
The Cottage Knits adventure took a new turn….On Sunday afternoon 12 women joined me at the Inn at Irwin Gardens for an overnight retreat.
We arrived with our bags packed with knitting projects, pj’s and plenty of midnight snacks to share.
The Inn at Irwin Gardens opened as a registered Bed and Breakfast in Febuary 2010. Located in the heart of downtown Columbus, IN across from my home church, i have long been intriqued by this wonderful corner of Columbus.
So imagine my excitement as i walked through the gate, knowing i was about to spend time with a group of my friends who were gathering for a knitting retreat!
Inside the garden walls…
Eve and Jim Jackson call themselves the Innkeepers, but they are so much more than that. They have done their homework in learning the history of this wonderful place. We gathered in the library and after brief introductions we were taken on an informal tour of the magnificent property. Built in 1864 and updated in 1910 it has been wonderfully maintained. The character of the home is unique and the modern architecture and wonderful gardens was inviting and a perfect retreat for those of us who came together for a night of knitting and fellowship.
We were given our room assignments, wandered around the vast hallways and nooks…and then came together in the garden. We brought our knitting to the veranda and spent much of the evening there. It was a perfect setting, overlooking the gardens while listening to the sounds of the fountains and laughter as friends began to unwind and settle in. Eve, also a knitter, was able to join us. We shared stories and got acquainted.
We stayed up too late, ate too much, told tales we have heard before and knitted through the night into the wee hours of the morning. Then, one by one we headed off to bed for a restful night of sleep.
We woke to the smell of coffee and breakfast and again gathered on the veranda for a bit more socializing before we headed to our homes and work, feeling refreshed and ready to take on the world.
The first “Knit-Inn” was a success! And just watch out for what comes next! Lucky me!

“We build things with string.” How’s that for a resume? I think however, we do so much more than that. We give of our time and talents to those who may never know how many hours it actually took to make that pair of socks or sweater. It doesn’t really matter, though. We are constantly paying it forward and ask for no applause.
Janet Bay, Jean Huff and Donna Higgins have knitted and crocheted more baby hats and adult slippers than i could keep track of. They continue to place them behind the glass doors of the case designated for charity knitting, entrusting me to see that they are gifted to those who are in need of a little comfort and cheer.
Often i am talking with a customer or doing other chores around the shop and may only give a nod or whisper “thanks”. They don’t care. They do these acts of kindness because it gives them pleasure to do for others.
Over the past few months we have lost three of our own. Just last week Shirley Hiner (Lori Vogt’s mother) passed. Shirley was often seen at the cottage with a group of ladies who met on Monday’s to knit together until she was diagnosed with cancer. Both Nancy Adams and Barb Lee (better known as “Aunt Jo”), avid knitters who shared their lives with us at the cottage have passed away in the past seven weeks. Honestly, it’s alot to take in. It’s tough to see these families suffer losses and it’s sad for us who have lost friends.
So we do what we do to help one another through life’s sad times and try to comfort one another with what we do best.
I have seen countless folks gather to knit prayer shawls and lap blankets for those who may just need a little “fiber hug” and a reminder that they are important to us, that they are not alone in the situation they are in. Life is kinda like the yarn we work with. Sometimes it gets tangled, sometimes we find a knot or even (gasp) it’s tied together! But really we know it’s OK…we do what we do because we care and we want to share a piece of ourselves with others.
That, my friends, warms my heart and blesses me daily.