Who We Are
Laura Watt spent three decades as a journalist and author before opening YarnWest in May 2010. Laura moved up the hill from Denver almost twenty years ago. Her grandmother taught her to knit, but never showed her how to bind off, so as a child Laura knitted and purled endless rows until finally she figured out a way to get the darn yarn off the needles! Thank goodness.
Favorite yarn at the moment: Liberty Wool in blue and gold, which she is knitting up into a Baby Surprise Jacket. Soft and washable, a perfect yarn for baby clothes.
Laura is married to Joe, who built the beautiful table at the front of the shop and many other nice things there, an all-around terrific guy. They have a tortoiseshell kitty cat named Heidi Girl who loves them dearly and disdains everyone else. Oh, well, our problem child.
Come in and meet Laura and the gals at YarnWest, pick up your needles, and enjoy.
Jill Fockler has a degree in retail and textiles and is well-known in the Bergen Park area as one of the key people at Bleachers Casual Clothing for over 10 years. Jill knows fibers, she knows retail, she knows people, she knows her market, and she’s our go-to gal for about a million things. She is married to Todd, and has a darling miniature dachshund named Blondie. Did we mention she is a superb seamstress, wonderful gourmet cook and top-notch high-altitiude gardener? Talk retail, talk yarn, talk garden, talk food, talk wiener dogs. Get to know her. She’s fabulous.
Cynthia Pasquale is a master knitter with a creative streak that fully extends into fiber arts and beadwork. Cynthia works up her own designs and can help you realize your knitting potential. She teaches a variety of classes, has an excellent eye for color and texture and can “see” how a yarn will work up. Listening to her is like opening a wonderful book on knitting techniques. Bring her your knitting dreams.
Karen Saunders is an incredible sock knitter and all four of her daughters are fantastic knitters. Here she is with her youngest, Caroline. Watching Karen work with four needles is seeing an ancient craft carried on through the ages. You can sit knitting with her for ten minutes and it’s like you’ve been friends for ages. Want to learn Continental knitting? See Karen.
Lucy Shepard is our fair Irish lass, from Dublin way,with a wonderful lilt in her voice and an equally wonderful way with yarn. She’s been in our mountain community for twelve years, is mother to Thomas, Susanna and Aoife, and people keep coming into the shop who cry, “Lucy!” because they already know her. She knits up a storm, loves showing others how to make beautiful creations, and has quite the sunny disposition -- all in all, the perfect knitting teacher. Just our opinion.
