About Us
YarnSong is your destination for beautiful yarn, knitting and crochet supplies, and a community of like-minded fiber enthusiasts. We are here to inspire you, help you expand your capabilities, and provide you with a warm, welcoming and refreshing shopping experience.
Shop History
In the summer of 2015, Susan Hancox and Judy Baldwin heard their LYS was closing and began “dreaming” about opening a yarn shop that would feature fine yarns and provide a warm, welcoming gathering place for yarn enthusiasts. With lots of encouragement, their dreams became a reality when YarnSong opened its doors in September. A year later, Jessica Gingerich joined the team and brought her enthusiastic and highly skilled youthful perspective. Who knew she’d bloom into a fantastic designer? And during the summer of 2018, Andrea Lindenmayer joined the staff to help with the growing shop activity.
This group of shop staff keep the new yarns coming in, are here to help with pattern and yarn selection, and are always ready to talk all things yarn. But it is often our group of contracted instructors who turn an ordinary knitting or crochet experience into an exciting and rewarding opportunity to create very special projects. Read on to learn more about our staff and instructors. We are all here to make your knitting and crochet fun and to help you create personal masterpieces.
Employees
Susan Hancox, Owner
Susan developed her passion for fiber and fiber arts in the 1990’s when she was balancing a life as a healthcare executive with owning a small herd of llamas. Although spinning didn’t seem to engage her, once she picked up knitting needles she knew she was beginning a journey on an exciting new path. Knitting with groups at the libraries in Groveland and Atkinson, and then joining a charity knitting group at her LYS kept feeding the addiction. She began to find avid knitters at work, who had taken their knitting to much higher levels – and so the study began, through trade magazines, the Internet, class after class after class at major knitting venues around the country, and, of course, a lot of trial and error. Susan loves to share her passion for all things yarn and feels enormously fortunate to spend her days surrounded with the stunning colors and textures.
Judy Baldwin, Shop Assistant, Instructor
Judy says, “My mom taught my sister and me to knit when we were teenagers and the first thing she had us knit were crew neck sweaters.” Judy continued to knit throughout her high school and college years. Then when her children were young, she knit mostly mittens, hats and scarves for all the members of her family.
Judy took a break from knitting (doing a lot of sewing instead) until the early to mid 1990’s when, while working in a dental office, she saw a patient knitting a gorgeous sweater with a center panel with intertwining trees. She was so intrigued that she bought that pattern, knit that sweater and has not stopped knitting since.
Now that knitting has become almost an obsession, Judy works at honing her skills and learning new techniques by reading, taking on-line courses, and anything else she can find (there is always something new to learn!)
For the last six years, Judy has enjoyed sharing her knitting knowledge with others by teaching classes. Judy says, “I love being in the classroom, whether I am working with those brand-new to knitting or with more experienced knitters, spreading the love of working with fiber!”
Jessica Gingerich, Assistant Manager, Designer, Instructor, and Independent Dyer
Despite only knitting for four years, Jessica has quickly become an expert knitter and knitting teacher. She strongly believes in good customer service, and always helps others with a smile.
Jessica spends her free time knitting and designing. Her dream is to be able to travel the world in search of inspiration from other artists, while sharing her own knowledge with the fiber community.
Andrea Lindenmayer, Shop Assistant
Andrea’s knitting journey began at the ripe old age of 6 when she asked her mother to teach her to knit. Her poor mother faced a challenge as she was right handed and Andrea was a southpaw. After trying several methods, Andrea’s mother finally taught herself and then Andrea to knit left handed, and thus Andrea’s lifelong love of knitting was established.
Over the years Andrea has learned to reverse patterns, especially for cardigans, as the buttonholes would otherwise wind up on the wrong side; following a pattern for a right mitten for her yields a left one, but she finds it fun. She loves the multitude of yarns and colors available now and is awed by the creativity and variety of patterns. Andrea enjoys learning new techniques and is inspired by the work of her fellow knitters.
Instructors
Dee Triquet
Dee’s love of knitting began by watching her Mother. She picked up her first set of needles sixty-five years ago and hasn’t put them down since. Knitting has taken Dee on yarn and pattern quests throughout the northeast and recently as far as two trips to Iceland.
Dee began teaching formally by teaching beginners. She has found a second love in helping knitters achieve their visions in yarn.
Vicki White
Vicki has never met a craft she didn’t like. She has been knitting for as long as she can remember. She learned to knit when she was around 4 or 5.
Her favorites are Fair Isle and Cables, the more complex the better. She learned to spin around 2003 to help feed her knitting habit. Then she was offered a loom around 2008. She started a master’s program to learn weaving in 2010 and received her Masters in Handweaving in 2016. She has been teaching knitting for the last 20 years or so. She especially loves to teach beginners.
