We recently connected with Cindy Michael and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Cindy thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

It’s hard to describe to someone who doesn’t work with fiber how one can become so completely obsessed with the experience of an exquisite yarn winding through your fingers on its way to becoming something wearable. Those of us who are afflicted with this obsession are usually first drawn in by the color, texture, or softness. Then, very quickly, all reasoning goes out the window because it just has to go home with you, regardless of whether or not you have a project in mind.

I remember saying to my fellow Stitch n Bitch members when I was a fairly new knitter that I thought I loved the yarn itself as much, or maybe even more, than the process of knitting it.

This obsession was my reason for opening a yarn shop when I lost my job in 2014 and again when I decided to start dyeing my own line of yarn in 2023 when 1918 Yarn Company came into being. At first, it was a practical solution, making it easier to restock when inventory ran low in the shop. But then I began to enjoy the artistry of it. The blending of colors, playing around with different techniques, and combining dyes to match a specific tone in a photo. Although I loved my shop and my ‘Knitizens’ as I had come to call my customers, I found myself transitioning my focus from selling yarn to creating yarn.

By 2025 the shop was becoming harder and harder to maintain. Inflation was up, sales were down and overhead was increasing monthly. Then I received news that most of my vendor pricing would soon be increasing due to the tariffs that were being imposed on nearly every country from which my supplies came. My lease was due to renew August 1st, and I made the heartbreaking decision to remove the weight of the brick & mortar from my shoulders. Time to make the transition to full-time dyer.

But closing the shop meant losing many of the connections I’d made over the years. The folks who stopped in to pick up yarn for their next sweater and catch me up on their lives, good and bad. The Yarn Therapy groups that would gather in my seating area to knit, crochet, spin and chat, making connections with one another that continued outside my walls. The students who counted on my teachers to help them with a problem or to improve their skills. This was an announcement that I was not excited to share, but I framed it as a retirement and was amazed by the well-wishes and support I received from all of these wonderful people.

Fast forward 8 months. 1918 Yarn Company colorways are now produced in the basement of my home, which makes for a very short commute! I’ve been blessed with the support of my yarn shop owner friends who have helped to promote my yarn through trunk shows, and I’m booked to vend at multiple marketplaces in the coming months. Rebranding is nearly complete, I’m learning to relax a little, and my husband & I are looking forward to traveling a bit to yarn markets near and far.

The best part? I still get to catch up with my Knitizens! Sometimes I see them at a trunk show or local yarn market, and many of them still attend our weekly Yarn Therapy groups, which have simply moved to other locations. I have somehow managed to find the best of both worlds in this industry that I love so much and I couldn’t be happier!

Cindy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

It’s hard to talk about 1918 Yarn Company without first mentioning Harps & Thistles Yarn Emporium where it all began.

In April 2014 my job as an IT Project Manager was eliminated and I felt it was time to do something different with my life, something I would enjoy. Because of my love for fiber, yarn, colors, knitting, etc., the logical solution was to open a yarn shop, which I managed to do by the end of August of that same year (remember I was a project manager)!

I was initially drawn to my shop’s location because of the historical nature of the downtown area, and we were located in the Snook building, built in 1918. So when I decided to create a yarn company, it just made sense to honor this history.

Over the years, the yarn shop built a community of knitters, crocheters, yarn lovers, students, teachers and friends. We coordinated huge public yarn installations, hosted incredible events, retreats and even a road trip or two. We provided a space where all were welcomed, valued, and appreciated and offered products and classes with which they could explore their creativity.

We also offered a great selection of hand-dyed yarn from various vendors, but sometimes found that the lead time for getting inventory restocked was several weeks or even months. What I needed was a way to fill in that gap, but what it actually turned into was a second business. With guidance from a relative who was already a successful dyer, I dove in headfirst and never looked back.

My yarn shop customers were very receptive to this new initiative and even began to seek out specific colorways I had created. This, of course, was extremely encouraging as I contemplated making the transition from yarn shop owner to full-time dyer. That transition took place in July of 2025.

Life is much different these days. My sales continue to grow with my online business and I still get to meet new friends and get hugs from former ‘Knitizens’ when I take my show on the road to wool festivals and marketplaces.

The moral of this story is to never stop. Face that challenge, take that risk and do what makes you happy. You’ll never succeed if you don’t try.

Have you ever had to pivot?

In March of 2020 the world shut down and figuring out how to pivot became a necessity for most businesses. I was fortunate that my inventory was already online but I still needed to figure out a way to entice folks to make a purchase.

I was part of a Facebook group that included yarn shop owners from around the country and one of them came up with the idea of creating and offering ‘Quaranskeins.’ The premise was that the customer would choose a dollar amount and provide the shop owner with on word on which to build a ‘mystery bundle.’

My first thought was, “who would give you money without knowing what they were getting?: But my next thought was “what have I got to lose?” The first day I promoted it I had 14 orders in 2 hours! Local folks were ordering online for curbside pick-up and I was shipping them out to knitters & crocheters from all over the country!

Over the next several months, Quaranskeins became my number one seller and helped keep my business afloat through this challenging event.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

When I opened my yarn shop in 2014 I wanted to create a newsletter to help folks stay abreast of our events, classes, inventory, etc. At first I thought I’d do something monthly but quickly discovered that there were things happening constantly that people needed to know about so within a couple months the weekly newsletter was born.

That was 11 1/2 years ago and to this day I’m still sending that newsletter out. I currently have over 3000 subscribers and when I transitioned from a yarn shop to a yarn company, I was able to easily rebrand the newsletter and maintain my following.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://1918YarnCo.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1918yarncompany/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1918YarnCo
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindymichael/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@1918YarnCompany

Image Credits

Photos by Cindy Michael