Cathy O’Connor and Katie Boone are as delightful as the Desert Thread yarn shop the two sisters opened in 2006. The shop’s door is often open to the sidewalk, beckoning locals and out-of-towners alike, including tourists visiting the Moab Information Center across the street.
“In some ways we’re the overflow from the visitor center. People will pop in,” O’Connor said. “We happen to have a living room in our store.”
Knitters and crocheters often want to have a project with them when they travel, which has helped the small business stay busy year-round, O’Connor said. She said she sees customers from out-of- town return year after year.
The shop’s “living room” offers couches to sit on where felting, knitting and crocheting classes take place, some of which are happening in May.
Boone will teach a two-hour class on how to crochet baby booties using three different colored yarns on Saturday, May 18, from 10:30 to 12:30 p.m.
A two-day workshop on felting fabric will be offered on May 26 and 27. During the all-day Art of Feltmaking Nuno class, people will learn the process of making fabric out of wool and silk. The class is open to two participants.
“Right now I want to felt as much as I can,” Boone said. “It’s a bit more mysterious, so the process is exciting for people and eye-opening. To take wispy little fibers and turn them into something — you get to watch the magic of that happening.”
Boone has designed five different felting classes — the basics, how to create cordage, how to make a purse or hat, and Nuno felting — all of which she said she will be offering throughout the year. Materials are provided.
No classes are on the schedule for June, although there’s always opportunity to learn at Desert Thread.
“We will teach whenever people walk in the door; we want to share that knowledge,” Boone said. “Cathy and I don’t keep secrets — sharing helps people be more creative.”
“We do a lot of instruction on-the-spot when customers need it,” O’Connor added.
Additionally, Desert Thread hosts Stitch Night on Wednesdays from 7 to 9 p.m. when both women and men gather at the shop to work on projects.
Those with experience gladly help beginners with their questions or problems. Books have been written about such Stitch Nights, O’Connor said.
You can also learn how to spin fiber at Desert Thread. A spinning group meets year-round at the shop, on Saturdays, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Longtime spinner Adrien Taylor’s own spinning wheel “lives at the shop,” she said.
“Anybody who wants to learn to spin can come at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. I’ll supply the spindles,” Taylor said.
Desert Thread provides the fiber to allow people to practice.
“It’s so fun to try it,” O’Connor said. “Kids love it.”
The shop carries a wide selection of yarns from Turkey, Peru, Italy and elsewhere, including fibers and yarns sourced locally from Cunnington Farms. Owner Sam Cunningham began raising Navajo-Churro sheep and other breeds years ago, O’Connor said.
Desert Thread also carries fibers from Woolly Lizard, a hand-dyed and painted yarn company founded in Moab that has since moved to Cortez, Colorado.
Desert Thread is open on Tuesdays through Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with extended hours on Wednesdays, 7-9 p.m., when the shop stays open during Stitch Night.
Other recent Desert Thread activities have included a baby surprise jacket class and a snit scrubby (dishcloth) class.
Shop offers classes, on-the-spot instruction
Where: Desert Thread, 29 E. Center St.
When: Wednesdays from 7 to 9 p.m.
Info: Call 435-259-8404 or email info@desertthread.com or visit desertthread.com
Where: Desert Thread, 29 E. Center St.
When: Saturdays from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Info: Call 435-259-8404 or email info@desertthread.com or visit desertthread.com
Where: Desert Thread, 29 E. Center St.
When: Saturday, May 18. from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Cost: $25 (pattern included)
Info: Call 435-259-8404 or email info@desertthread.com or visit desertthread.com
“We will teach whenever people walk in the door; we want to share that knowledge. Cathy and I don’t keep secrets — sharing helps people be more creative.”
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