Jennifer Murphee, owner of Rose Yarn Co., stocks the shop with a colorful inventory of natural fiber and acrylic blend yarns. The shop is a destination for knitters and crocheters, offering classes, social stitching and supplies. Photos: Chris Emeott
Rose Yarn Co. attracts generations of knitting and crocheting enthusiasts.
When Rose Yarn Co. opened in Lakeville in 2022, owner Jennifer Murphee was confident there was a need for a store like hers in the South Metro. As an avid knitter and crocheter, she had to drive to Northfield or to the Twin Cities to stock up on quality yarn, and she wanted to create a local community for fiber artists. What was harder to anticipate was just how great that need would be for her store. Soon after opening, it became clear that it needed more space. “We were always limited,” Murphee says. “It was getting crowded for people [who] were shopping.”
After three years, Murphee moved Rose Yarn Co. to a two-and-half-times larger space that would accommodate more people. The demand for classes, social stitching and shopping has easily kept pace. “This has been ideal, because we can have 25 people in here for social stitching and still have room,” Murphee says.
Rose Yarn Co.’s story reflects a wider trend: a growing interest in “granny” hobbies, like crocheting, cross stitching, embroidery and knitting, especially among younger people who have grown up steeped in technology. “I think it is extremely therapeutic, especially for people’s mental health,” Murphee says. “It is so good for you to get off your device … Get off your devices, and stop doom scrolling. There’s always stuff going on in the world that’s negative. My goal is to have a peaceful place to get away from that.”
In fact, it’s not uncommon for customers of Rose Yarn Co. to stop by on a lunch break, squish some yarn, sit down and knit for a few minutes and then return to their busy day, Murphee says. With walls of colorful yarn, whimsical notions, crafting kits and cozy seating options, Rose Yarn Co. is inviting to fiber artists. Murphee seeks to stock the store with high-quality knitting needles and crochet hooks, as well as natural fibers. She’s also expanding the store’s selection of acrylic blends. “Part of my mission is to make it accessible to everyone, so I do carry a wide range of price points,” Murphee says.
Murphee is a serial crafter, who learned to crochet from one grandma and learned to cross stitch from the other. She’s also explored embroidery, scrapbooking and weaving. She found knitting later in life when she was working as a paramedic and looking for a healthy outlet to help relieve stress. She happened to read a book with knitting as a part of the story, and then coincidentally picked up another book with a main character who dyed yarn. It piqued her interest, and she checked out a bunch of how-to knit books from the library and taught herself how to knit. “It’s so cliché, but knitting literally changed my life,” she says.
When Murphee worked as a paramedic, she never knew what traumatic situation she’d be walking into, and after the emergency was over, she could still feel the stress and adrenaline coursing through her body. She learned that if she took a few minutes to sit down and knit, it allowed her to decompress, and small knitting projects were easy to transport and pick up or put down as needed.
Through classes, social stitching and special events, like bingo and holiday celebrations, Murphee seeks to foster community at her store. She’s watched friendships form over a shared interest in fiber arts, as people strike up conversations about what they’re working on. “I have a regular who’s a teenage boy,” Murphee says. “I have regulars who are women up well into their mid- to late-80s, and they will all sit around the table together and talk and laugh and have fun.”
Malabrigo Day
Fans of Malabrigo, a family-owned yarn company in Uruguay and Peru that specializes in incredibly soft hand-dyed yarn, can celebrate Rose Yarn Co.’s second annual Malabrigo Day on October 24. Try knitting or crocheting with different Malabrigo yarns, and browse through a beautiful selection of weights and colorways. Wearing your favorite Malabrigo garment is highly encouraged.
Rose Yarn Co.
Facebook: Rose Yarn Co.
