STOCKIST FEATURE - MRS MOON

You may not know this, but MillaMia are now stocked in some 90 local yarn shops in the UK, Ireland and Europe,over 100 in Canada and the US and 17 in Australia and New Zealand (find a current list of all our stockists here). In this feature we're going to interview some of our stockists to help celebrate them for the wonderful local yarn shops they are, but also to tell you a little about the amazing men and women behind the yarn!

As Mrs Moon were our very first stockist back in 2009, we thought we'd make them the focus of our first stockist feature! Situated in Twickenham and owned by sisters, Karen Miller and Susan Ritchie, the shop is an enticing cornucopia of colour and texture. As you would expect in a decidedly cool yarn shop, there are desirable brands and heavenly yarns ranging from Blue Sky Alpacas, Rowan and Erika Knight to Fyberspates and Noro. There are also beautiful trimmings and handmade buttons, inspiring garments and samples and a comprehensive selection of magazines, books and patterns. They have a vibrant and very friendly knitting group who meet on Thursday mornings and also sell their fabulous yarns online.

We thought that it would be interesting to find out a bit about Karen and Susan, so I asked them a few questions about their knitting, crochet and every knitters dream job - life as a yarn shop owner.

Susan and Karen

Max: What have you got on the needles at the moment? And – is it Christmas gift knitting?
Karen: At the moment I have two things on the go, both my own designs. One is a chunky snood and the other is a fur hat.  As always they are for the shop, but I will have to do some Christmas knitting soon as I have promised one of my sons a hat..... eek....!  Susan crochets and is creating a bolero....

Max: What’s the best thing about owning a knitting shop?
Karen and Susan: The best thing about owning a knitting shop is being surrounded by wonderful colours and textures to inspire you all day long. We have fabulous customers which make the days fun but love teaching people the most....  it is great to teach someone how to knit or crochet and see them coming back again and again to do more and more projects.

Max: What trends in knitting and/or crochet are you currently seeing?
Susan: Trend wise... lots of bright colours (perfect for Millamia!) and chunky knits too. We are going through a bit of a sparkle craze.... not sure if it's a seasonal thing... but we are putting sparkle in everything!

Max: What is your favourite MillaMia pattern and yarn colour?
Karen: My favourite Millamia pattern also happens to be our bestseller. It's the Lilian jacket. We have a sample in the shop and everyone loves it. Susan's is the Elk cushion... such a beautiful design. My favourite colours change all the time, but I love putty as it works with everything and also fuchsia and midnight.....   they have real depth. Susans is Daisy.

Max: Finally, tell us something unusual about yourselves.
Karen: Fascinating fact.... we are both classically trained musicians ... Susan plays the cello and I play the violin and viola .... we have our own trio and rehearse fortnightly.


If you're in Twickenham and want to while away a satisfying hour or two browsing their beautiful yarns and haberdashery, pop along to Mrs Moon - 41, Crown Road, St Margarets, London TW1 3EJ or visit www.mrsmoon.co.uk to shop online.

(posted by Max)