Wool shop owner and speed knitter Jessica James talks to us
After finding fame on Channel 4 last Christmas, Jessica James talks to us about her life running an independent wool shop.
WHEN Jessica James from Ginger Twist Studios made her appearance on Kirstie Allsopp’s “Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas” late last year, she stunned audiences with her ability to speed-knit and her stylish Christmas jumper design.
It saw her dubbed the “Usain Bolt of knitting” for an ability to knit and purl with such pace that she looks like she’s on fastforward!
Jessica started an independent wool shop in Scotland’s capital after moving to the UK from her native Oregon. Karlie, our Digital Content Editor, went along to catch up with her and chat about life as a knitting celebrity.
Qwere you a natural knitter?
AI was taught to knit when I was twelve by my nana in Oregon, where I grew up. I saw a scarf in a catalogue (way over what I had in my piggy bank) that I just thought I could make myself, and I did! I have loved crafting in different forms from a very young age. Knitting has remained in my life since I learned, and now I’m completely obsessed!
Qdid
you find it easy to learn?
Abecause
I’m lefthanded, it was a bit tricky to learn from a right-handed person. But learning something new always takes time and patience, so I persevered.
QHow did you get so fast?
AI am quite a quick knitter. I learned British-style knitting at first, but then in college I learned how to knit Continental. This movement just feels so much more economical for me.
I knit every day (sometimes all day) and don’t need a repetitive strain injury in my life! I am very much a product knitter. So I knit furiously to get that cardigan done so I can wear it. I guess that has helped motivate me to knit faster over the years. Now I always use circular needles and knit things in one piece if possible.
Qwhat do you love so much about knitting, crochet and working with wool?
Awhen I moved to Edinburgh in 2010, I really started getting interested in all the different types of wool and breeds of sheep. So many sheep! I love sheep so much that we named the dinner tables at my wedding after sheep breeds (my husband’s idea). I love working with all the different kinds of wool and appreciate their different attributes.
QIs owning a wool shop everything you had hoped it would be?
Aeverything
and more! I had the idea of starting up my own shop in Edinburgh. I saw a need, and I wanted to get in. I wrote a business plan and started a knitting club to start building up the community. All I needed was a space. It was after I was on my way home from the first Edinburgh Yarn Festival that I saw a very wee shop space for rent. I called that evening to set up a viewing, and that was that! Now, four and a half years later, my shop is jam-packed full of delicious natural fibres.
I have an additional studio where I do my own range of hand-dyed yarns. I also run knitting workshops and I organise a yearly Indie Burgh Craft Crawl for Edinburgh’s crafty shops every summer. I run the Edinburgh Knitathon in the fall as a charity fund-raiser. I’m a very busy bee, and I like it that way.
Qarethe workshops doing well?
Aworkshops are great! There is always something new to learn, and there are always people who prefer to learn from a person rather than a book or the internet. It is just personal preference. But the workshops also include a lovely social aspect (along with tea and biscuits).
QDo you think the future is bright for knitting?
AThe future for knitting is bright! It is such a wonderful hobby and it is spreading.