Stitched Together: Wool on the Exe
What's your local yarn shop called? Is there a story behind the name?
Our shop, Wool on the Exe, takes its name from its location in Exeter, directly opposite the river Exe.
Where is your shop and what is the neighbourhood like?
Exeter is a vibrant and diverse city surrounded by beautiful Devon countryside and within easy reach of the sea. We benefit from having a broad range of shops and entertainment including many unique, independent businesses.
Who works at your shop?
Our shop manager, Debbie works at the shop most days. Sam, Gail and Ella work at the shop part time. Between us we have an extensive knowledge of knitting and crochet from many years of experience. We're all very friendly and love helping customers with any queries or advice.
We have a network of local artists and crafters running workshops in store, and sometimes taking commissions for our customers. We also employ our outreach coordinator Nikki to run our Knit-Stop community work. She establishes knitting groups around Exeter by running a low-cost knitting course, and she teaches knitting in local schools. Every sale from the shop supports this work.
What makes your shop special?
As well as being a local yarn shop, we are a social enterprise. The shop is designed to provide local people with a place to learn, be creative, make new friends and connect to their community. The thing that makes our shop most special is the people. As well the staff and tutors who work in the shop we have a board of directors, members of our WOTE membership scheme, and regular visitors and customers, all of whom share our passion for wool and enjoy the friendly feel of the shop. We aim to be an inspiring and inclusive place to visit, so we stock a range of goods including locally produced alpaca and wool, unique hand-dyed yarns, and artisan gifts, as well as popular yarn brands such as King Cole and West Yorkshire Spinners. We cater for all tastes, enabling every customer to find something to enjoy.
What are your most popular yarns?
Our various King Cole yarns are very popular, along with Coopknits Socks Yeah, Cambrian Wool, and Eden Cottage Yarns Milburn 4ply. Our customers also enjoy our range of hand dyed yarns, some of which are dyed in store by Debbie. RiverKnits yarns have been a very popular new addition.
Do you have a knitting group? When do they meet?
We run regular drop-in knitting groups in the shop on Tuesday evenings from 6.30-8pm and Friday afternoons from 2-3pm. Every 1st and 3rd Tuesday we have a philosophy discussion as part of our drop-in group.
What's your favourite piece of knitting advice?
Allow yourself to explore, to take risks and not be afraid to make mistakes.