Walking
into Rosemary’s Gift & Yarn Shop, it’s easy to get lost in the textures,
colors and unlimited possibilities that await anyone willing to take time to
knit or crochet. The shop is owned by Rosemary Libby and her husband Huard.
Since
opening the shop in Windham, they have become the largest yarn only store in
Maine. The shop also has Maine made gifts mostly associated with knitting.
Moving to Windham was supposed to be the next phase of their lives, a chance to
slow down, but her customers, the 2,300 people on the mailing list and creating
knitting and crocheting patterns, keeps her busy six days a week.
In
the five years, the couple has been in Windham, they have drawn a much wider
customer base, the website is much larger and Rosemary has plans to expand her
online store. She isn’t interested in growing the physical store anymore and
there isn’t more space with every wall lined with skeins of yarn and shelving
crisscrossing the rooms. She carries wools, bamboo, cottons, acrylics, pima
cottons, mohairs, llama, cashmere, superwash wool, mink yarn, Noro Kibou and
the entire line of Encore products. The shop also has a full complement of
needles including Addi needles.
Knitting
hasn’t gone away and come back in recent years, she said. It was big when she
started selling yarn 12 years ago and it’s still big. Knitting was considered
Grammie’s hobby when she retired, but now university students come to knit,
Rosemary said.
“When
the economy is down, crafts are up. It’s a way of soothing yourself. That’s how
important it is. Knitting and crafts are a therapy. It’s not just a hobby,” she
added.
The
Libby’s lost their son Christopher at age 19 in an accident overseas. “If I
didn’t have the yarn in my needles, I don’t think I would have gotten through,”
she said.
Knitting
is something people can do today and have a feeling of satisfaction that every
stitch is made with love. It is more expensive to knit something than it would
be to go to a box store and buy something, but that’s not the point.
If
it’s a knitting project, there is no doubt that Rosemary has the materials and
the know how to get it done. From arm knitting to continental knitting to
crocheting to making socks, she has the supplies and handwritten patterns.
“I
love to write the patterns. I try to gear my patterns for the beginners,” she
said. Sometimes people are afraid to try a new pattern because they don’t
understand the language of the patterns, but Rosemary makes sure that her
directions are clear.
Rosemary
and Huard have five special programs they knit for, all of them with the title
“operation.” Huard was in the military and Rosemary admitted a fondness for
anything to do with helping soldiers and their families.
Rosemary
has free knitting times on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and
Thursday evenings provide a chance for Rosemary to answer specific knitting
questions. She does offer classes on Sunday afternoons from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on
varying subjects. The cost is usually $30 to $35 for a two week class. She has
a wish sheet for her customers to tell her which classes they would like to
see. 
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