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I am so delighted that you're doing this show. I started my knitting-related small business nearly four years ago, and it has been an amazing journey. Before I started, I had no idea there were huge needle-arts trade shows (people still look at me funny when I tell them I'm going to a yarn show). Ten years ago, I didn't even know that local yarn shops existed - all my yarn came from Joann's.

These days I'm intimately involved in many aspects of the business, and I'm delighted by the fact that so much of knitting is supported by small businesses, many of which have been in the family for generations. I'm hoping to get my kids involved in my business once they're old enough.

I will be teaching at sock summit, my company will have a booth there, and I'm so very excited to be spending five days immersed in everything sock-related. Portland's a relatively knitter-filled town, but next week, it's not going to know what hit it!

posted 3 years, 9 months ago
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I am about to publish my first book, and I've chosen a printer in Manitoba because they beat the US printers on price and they come highly recommended by friends who have used them.

I could've saved even more on price by printing in Asia, but I opted to keep my dollars in North America. Even though I'm not keeping them in the US, I know that the Canadian workers at the printer have fair pay and benefits, unlike in Asia. I consider Canada to be pretty much on par with the US (if not better) as far as knowing that the goods I buy are not going to be made more cheaply because of a high non-monetary human cost.

posted 4 years ago
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