The story of the Devon yarn shop and community project
Wool on the Exe is more than just a yarn store – it’s a community hub bringing local knitters together to combat loneliness and raise money for charity
MOST YARN stores are established as a way to sell beautiful products to knitters. The thriving Exeter shop Wool on the Exe, however, has always had a different mission: to promote personal and community wellbeing, by providing a space to enable local people to knit and crochet together.
The shop was founded by Debbie Judd to support her social enterprise projects, The Knit-Stop and Neighbourworks. Today, the shop is a warm and inclusive place where knitters work together to socialise and make items for charity. It’s a place to buy gorgeous yarns, too, and specialises in beautiful British yarns, especially those produced locally in Devon and Cornwall. We talked to Debbie about the fascinating story behind Wool on the Exe.
How did you come to open a yarn store?
“The story began 12 years ago, when I said ‘yes’ to a proposal of marriage, and moved from the USA to Exeter. I couldn’t work due to my visa status, so I joined a local knitting group. This led to me starting a knitting group at my church based on a concept called ‘the blanket box’. Our group made a beautiful wool blanket, which was then donated to Camfed, a charity in Africa dedicated to the education of girls. Camfed promptly auctioned it on Ebay for £75.
“Some might think that was a good outcome, but I felt the quality of the knitting and the wool should have fetched a much higher price. During this time, I watched the women of my group knit
all types of things to raise money for our church redevelopment fund. They would knit beautifully, but they would use cheap or donated yarn and then attempt to sell their wares at church fairs – and the items often sold for less than the 99p the ball of acrylic yarn cost them.
“I also noticed that for a lot of our members, our weekly meeting was the only thing they did outside their home. Many were widowed and lonely. Our group gave them a reason to get out and to get involved in something. I wondered if there was a better way for these folks to raise funds for the organisations they loved. Could we combine local knitting talent and beautiful British yarn and create a marketplace to sell the finished garments? This is how Neighbourworks CIC was born.
“Consequently, I applied to the School for Social Entrepreneurs, and was offered a bursary and developed the business plan for Neighbourworks during the year-long programme. Since then, we’ve had seven groups knitting hundreds of items, and raised more than £2700 for local charities.
“Shortly after starting Neighbourworks, I was fortunate to meet up with Betsan Corkhill of Stitchlinks and Mirja Rutger, a researcher from the University of Exeter Medical School. Mirja was studying the therapeutic benefits of knitting together in groups, and Betsan had been using knitting to address a wide range of issues such as pain management and mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. Betsan made us aware of a funding opportunity with the People’s Health Trust and, much to our surprise, they awarded us a two-year grant to start The Knit-Stop, an Exeter based social knitting project.
“At the end of the grant period, I took stock of what we had learned, what had gone well, what didn’t, and what my own strengths were. We decided that we needed a community fibre arts space in Exeter where we could promote the British brands we used with Neighbourworks, as well as to provide a space to support people to learn new things, make new friends and give back to their community. And that’s how we ended up with Wool on the Exe.”
Can you tell us a little more about the team that works with you?
“I work with an amazing bunch! Ella Austin, knitwear designer and author, is our development director. She lives in Devon with her family, and is the force behind our Instagram page. Sam Linney is a crochet star; she teaches Tunisian crochet workshops, and supports our Tuesday night drop-in sessions. Gail Cheriton keeps me sane and supports inventory management, as well as providing beautiful sample knitting. Nicki Dumenil and Trudi Johnston look after our Knit-Stop programme.
“We’re just about to kick off a Knit-Stop for Kids initiative where we hope to establish a ‘theory of change’ for using knitting/crochet with secondary school students. This work is supported by the Big Lottery Funds Awards for All programme.
“I also want to mention the wonderful workshop leaders we have. All of our classes are taught by local people who are very good at what they do and want to share their passion with others. Some have mental health issues, some have complicated home lives, some have deeply personal reasons for connecting with the shop, but the common thread is that they all love the joy that comes with being creative and learning new skills.”
What can visitors expect when they pop in?
“A warm greeting and a big smile! An offer of help if they need it, and to be left alone if they don’t. We have tea, coffee, cookies and sometimes cake, and a table where folks can enjoy browsing through books and magazines. We have a computer-driven
pattern station with a large wall-mounted monitor where we can do pattern searches on Ravelry for our customers- we’re a Ravelry LYS. And of course, we’re well stocked with a wide selection of yarns, accessories and gifts.”
What brands of yarn do you stock?
“We have a diverse customer base, and while we don’t sell very cheap yarn, we do have a good selection of commercial yarns from King Cole which sell well. West Yorkshire Spinners yarns are second in popularity. We like to stock yarns from very small companies, too, and I try to support local indie dyers. Our range includes John Arbon Textiles, Eden Cottage Yarns, Exmoor Horn Wool, Cambrian Wool, Chilla Valley Alpaca, RiverKnits, The Dartmoor Yarn Company, CoopKnits, and many more. And I do a bit of hand-dyeing for the shop when time permits!
“We also sell handmade yarn bowls from a local wood turner, Ken Clark, and they are very popular, as are the shawl pins made by Michelle at Tattysquawk.”
Is your workshop programme proving popular with Exeter’s knitters?
“Yes, but not just with knitters. Our crochet workshops are booked up months in advance. And our 3D needle felting workshops are also very popular, often filling up within days of us putting the classes up online.”
Can you tell us a little bit about Wool on the Exe’s membership scheme?
“We have 137 members as of today. It costs £30 a year to join, and it comes with a host of benefits. Members get 10% off their purchases (except workshops), they can borrow books from our extensive library, have their skeins of yarn wound for them on our swift, get a free cup of tea or coffee when they stop in, and are invited to quarterly member events. These are generally in the evening, with a guest speaker and wine and nibbles, and are for socialising rather than shopping.”
What are the most enjoyable and challenging aspects of running a yarn shop?
“Where do I start! The most challenging things are all to do with the financial management, including the new Making Tax Digital initiative set up by HM Revenue and Customs. Also, keeping the workshops organised and on the calendar and bookable for customers. Time just goes by too fast. The most enjoyable parts are selecting new yarns for the shop, and helping customers find a pattern and yarn to make something they want. I love teaching people new skills and encouraging them to try something new - and have them come back and thank me. I love it when people come in just to show us what they made. It means so much to see them smiling and proud.”
Do you have any plans for 2019 and beyond that you can share with us?
“Personally, I want to grow the business so it’s solid enough for me to retire! Then I want to dye all the yarn…”
Do you have the chance to knit much for yourself?
“My advice is, don’t ever have a wool shop if you love to knit - there is just no time! However, I did finish a project last year - the pattern is called ‘St Andrews Shawl’, and it’s gorgeous. I love lace knitting and 4ply yarn - merino/silk blends. I love pure wool that hasn’t been superwashed. The more sheepy it smells, the more I love it!”
– Visit Wool on the Exe at 2 Okehampton Street, Exeter, Devon EX4 1DW, or find out more by calling 01392 669015 or visiting https://wool-on-the-exe.myshopify.com/