New specialty shop in Roscoe opens in time for Local Yarn Store Day
By Helen Karakoudas
Special to the Rock River Current
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ROSCOE — For people who knit or crochet, the last Saturday in April is Local Yarn Store Day, a time to celebrate being in quick reach of a brick-and-mortar supply shop. On this day, this year — for the first time in five years — yarnies in the Rockford region can again celebrate having a local shop.
A Skein Away is opening at 10 a.m. Saturday at 5003 Hononegah Road, Suite 2, in Roscoe. The transformed 1,200-square-foot space, formerly Helping Hands Rehab, is just west of the Illinois 251 intersection, across from Fiesta Cancun in a commercial park anchored by Miracle-Ear. It’s owned by Sara Wirth, a fourth-generation knitter and first-time entrepreneur.
Wirth, 40, of Shirland comes from the world of managing corporate software, first in the health care industry and then in finance. To unwind after a day at the office, while maintaining a home with her husband and their 8-year-old daughter, she’s been turning to making things with yarn.
“Fiber arts have always been my escape — a retreat from the daily life stress, a way to stay present, a source of calm in a very chaotic world. Every stitch, every loop, every woven thread brings me back to center,” Wirth told followers on Instagram in February as she introduced her business.
She explains the name this way: “I want my shop to be that getaway for you, too — a place where you can find your people, grow your craft, and breathe.”
The last local yarn store in the Rockford region was Knit One Purl Two, which was open from July 2014 to July 2020 on the 6400 block of East Riverside Boulevard in Rockford. As excitement and support for A Skein Away has spread on Facebook, Knit One Purl Two’s owners reached out to Wirth and gave her elegant accessories they had used to display finished pieces.
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Since the closing of this store during the COVID pandemic, finding the closest yarn shop has meant driving at least 40 minutes to Freeport, or an hour to South Elgin or Monroe or Stoughton, Wisconsin.
The Joann effect
Wirth’s plans to open A Skein Away took shape last year after a close friend, who survived cancer and has multiple sclerosis, found great joy climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. “Well,” she recalled saying, “what’s my excuse for not doing something that brings me that much joy and is that life-changing?”
At first, she wanted to fill the shop with specialty yarns like the hand-dyes and imports she seeks out at local shops and regional festivals. But a few weeks after getting keys to the shop, Joann, the 80-year-old crafts and fabric superstore, announced all its locations were closing.
“That made me rethink some of the inventory I was going to carry,” Wirth said, referring to much of her initial product mix as budget-heavy. “I now wanted to make sure people who are used to Joann’s prices have a place to find something of quality as well.”
The curated yarn mix at A Skein Away evolved to include acrylic blends in addition to luxury brands. Half the yarns are from the United States; imported yarns come from the Shetland Islands, England, France, Peru and Denmark. Many of the U.S.-made yarns are from independent dyers in the Midwest, including some in southern Wisconsin within an hour’s drive of the shop.
What you can make
The colorful yarns — whether you use them with needles to knit, or a hook to crochet — can be used to make everything from garments and clothing accessories to home décor items such as pillows, throws and blankets.
Having grown up with a mom who knit many clothes for her, including the sweater she’s wearing in the photo with this story, Wirth gravitates toward knitting projects you can wear: pullover sweaters, cardigans, ponchos, scarves, shawls, bandanas, beanies, socks.
On display throughout the shop, you’ll see garments she and her mother, Kay Johnson, have made. One of Wirth’s favorites is a petite shawl (an accessory known as an Italian bandana), that she recently knit with yarn custom-dyed by a small company in Minnesota to the spring colors of Rockford’s Anderson Japanese Gardens.
“I sent them some pictures and this is what they came up with,” Wirth said, proudly showing off the gentle variegation and speckling in the yarn. This kit is called Forest City; it sells for $32.
Taking local inspiration closer to home, Wirth asked this company to dye yarn to the colors of Hononegah Community High School in Rockton. The result is a sock set kit called Go Hononegah; it sells for $42.
The yarn in both of these locally inspired kits is a blend of super–wash merino wool and nylon. “This makes them soft, but durable—perfect for socks or any piece that will get heavy wear. I refer to it as a ‘workhorse blend,’” Wirth said.
A Skein Away will be offering beginner classes in both knitting and crochet, as well as advanced classes in each art for people looking to expand their skill set. For intermediate-level knitters who want to use up leftover yarns, or anyone who wants to learn how to play with color without committing to a huge project, Wirth is stocking themed collections of small repeating patterns in design sets called Doodle Decks. These mix-and-match idea starters range from $12 to $24.
Look for the cowl scarf on display. It’s a standout example of how creative you can get with the bands of tiny motifs that come in these chart decks.
The shop sheep and other fun
You’ll find printed patterns at A Skein Away but with the growing popularity of online pattern websites like Ravelry, Wirth expects many shoppers will arrive with a pattern already in hand, looking to see and feel the yarn called for.
For precious inventory, she appreciates having a shop guardian.
And that would be Hank, Ewegene, Ewelia, Woolamena or Purl — voting for favorite name will take place the first two days the shop is open.
The prized sheep statue was a gift from the owner of Nina’s Department and Variety Store, a century-old destination in Spring Green, Wisconsin, that recently closed. For the last 20 years, this sheep had guarded Nina’s yarn department. Soon as Wirth told its story on social media, name ideas started piling in.
Even after the winning name is announced, there will be plenty of fun to leave customers in stitches.
Wirth has events like Yarn Shop Bingo planned, where a $10 reservation gets you two game cards, a night of yarny puns and the chance to win notions, gift cards and other prizes.
Among the notions Wirth is stocking are stitch markers her husband, Derek, makes. His creativity with woodwork and a laser cutter includes markers with Illinois- and Wisconsin-shaped charms, plus some with sassy — and naughty — notes.
Roscoe: A crafter’s destination
A Skein Away is the second needlework-supply shop to open in the Winnebago County town of Roscoe in a year. In April 2024, Bee Youtiful Sip and Stitchery, a boutique for cross-stitch and hand-embroidery supplies, opened less than a mile away. Since its opening, Bee Youtiful has continued to draw shoppers locally and from across the Midwest.
“It is exciting to see Roscoe become a destination for crafters, especially when many major retailers have cut back on craft supplies. Not to mention the variety, quality, and personal service that can be found in local shops,” said Brett Casanova-Rini, owner of Bee Youtiful.
As videos on social media are renewing interest in a handwork technique called duplicate stitch — embroidery on top of knitting — Casanova-Rini and Wirth are paying attention. Both shop owners confirmed they’re working on a Bee Youtiful Sip and Stitchery and A Skein Away collaboration to bring the how-tos of this art locally too.
“What?! Saturday? You mean THIS Saturday?” Karen Liddell, a Rockford resident who has been crocheting and/or knitting every day for over half a decade, said Wednesday afternoon after hearing about A Skein Away. The news was so exciting for her, Liddell paused the interview to enter the grand opening time in her phone calendar.
“When I started crocheting Knit One Purl Two helped me. It was lovely; you could go and sit and just bring your stitching in the store and get great advice,” said Liddell, a retired elementary school teacher who will tell you that no matter how closely you pay attention on YouTube, you need in-person guidance. “To learn how to knit, I had to get on I-90 and drive an hour into South Elgin. I am so happy to have another store coming that’s so much closer.”
About | A Skein Away
Where: 5003 Hononegah Road, Suite 2, Roscoe. (Just west of the IL-251 intersection, across from Fiesta Cancun in a commercial park anchored by Miracle-Ear)
Hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday-Sunday; closed Monday, Tuesday
On the web: https://www.askeinaway.com/
On social media: Facebook: A Skein Away; Instagram: @askeinaway
Email: askeinaway@gmail.com
E-gift cards: Find options for both an individual and a group HERE.
This article is by freelance journalist Helen Karakoudas. For feedback or story suggestions, email news@rockrivercurrent.com.
