Yarn Crawl: Rows of PurL is a Color Lover's Dream

Jenny Monteleone is a designer and yarn store owner with a passion for color. She recently filmed a new course with Farm & Fiber Knits, and designed a stunning colorwork cowl for our readers. We sat down with Jenny to learn more about her shop, Rows of PurL.

Farm & Fiber Knits: Tell us a little bit about your shop and what makes it special.

Jenny Monteleone: Rows of PurL is located in the heart of historic downtown Chester, New Jersey. It is a yarn boutique, gift gallery, place of exploration, education, and so much more. You’ll find beautiful, high-quality yarns in a variety of weights, all the notions you may need or want, and a unique mix of handmade items from local and regional artists. While Chester is full of regular customers supporting small businesses, it is also a tourist destination.

With many visitors popping in and out, we’ve overheard many colorful comments in the past nine years. These include but are not limited to: “It’s just a yarn store,” “Wow! A color explosion,” “How long do you think it will take me to learn?” and one of my favorites, “What is it is like to sit around and knit all day?” I imagine sitting, but that's not what my days are like! The closest thing to grass growing between my toes are the unexplained dust bunnies that appear even after we vacuum two to three times a week. They roll like tumble weeds. I imagine they are from a herd of fluffy animals that hide by day and party all night.

One of my favorite parts about my work and owning the store is seeing my customers grow both their skillsets and their personalities. Helping them bring their ideas to life and seeing their completed projects is very fulfilling! This often leads to a positive shift in their confidence, and more independent thinking. I see that not only in their future project selections, but in their personal lives as well based on the stories that they share.

From the street, you can see just some of what Rows of PurL has to offer.

FFK: What types of projects are your customers most excited to knit?

JM: We try to encourage customers to have at least two projects going at a time, one smaller one and one larger. Though—who’s counting! Having said that, our most popular “on-the-go” projects include socks, hats, and cowls. We have lots of shawl, blanket, and sweater knitters as well.

When I researched opening my store, I asked all of my new yarn reps about the most successful shops they worked with over the years, and what they chose as a beginner project. Many suggested starting with a sweater. A whole sweater seemed daunting to me, and I thought my students would feel the same. Instead, I designed a sweater without arms, the PurL Knitter Sampler Pillow, and the rest is history!

You can find plenty of inspiration for your next project all around the shop.

FFK: Rows of PurL has an extensive class schedule. What kinds of classes do you teach, and what can students expect to learn?

JM: I have fabulous teachers, my PurL family, and we all love to teach! We learn from our students on a constant basis. My personal skills have grown tremendously since I opened the store nine years ago. I am so grateful to have teachers who love to learn also. We are always searching to learn more in general or to respond back to a student who has an issue, to be up on techniques and current trends. Honestly, we all feel the secret to success is to never think you know it all!

We have learned over the years which classes needed to be extended or tweaked a bit based on how students process information. There is a balance between what they learn in class and take home for homework. We do offer many hands-on workshops, though we find that project-driven classes with homework lead to greater success. Classes are offered each session on different techniques such as Mosaic Madness, Tuck Stitches from A to Z, and Strand It. I ask customers not to be mad at themselves when they learn how easy these techniques can be. And it warms my heart when the next project they choose on their own includes some kind of colorwork.

Most new students who take classes or private lessons start with the beginner pillow class, and our goal is to have them knitting socks within a year. Each season, we release a class list that has multiple offerings per skill level. My goal for each student is to encourage and guide them to take on a new challenge. I want every student to add a new skill to their toolbox with each class they take. Many students take more than one class. We teach a variety of other fiber arts such as weaving, needle felting, and crochet.

As a side note, we promote positivity in our store. We all agree that learning a new skill can present challenges and with that, many swear words may be heard along the way. We prefer that over a negative attitude. If anyone gets on my bad side—or thinks they did—they are instructed to show up next time with a tasty treat to share. It makes for a fun time and an easy way to keep things light.

Rows of PurL promotes a positive culture of learning.

FFK: What types of yarn do your customers love?

JM: Watching random customers come into the store and pick yarn for projects is so much fun! Some want to select yarn all on their own, while others want you to do the picking. We have developed a wonderful local community of knitters and crocheters who support the store regularly. They all have one thing in common—they adore soft yarn. Malabrigo Rasta is a coveted yarn in my store, and customers eagerly anticipate the arrival of new colors each season.

Feederbrook Farm yarn is also a fan favorite! I design for Lisa Westra, and her yarn creates a color explosion in the store. It is the closest thing in the store to what I call “farm to table.” Everyone can relate to that description and quickly understands the effort that goes into making it. Customers have been known to dig through boxes and scoop up their favorite Feederbrook skeins to get first pick before it is put out on display.

Some of the yarn available at Rows of PurL. A shop favorite, Malabrigo Rasta, is piled high on the table.

FFK: You’re also a designer. What is your design process like?

JM: As a designer, I am always trying to create a well-written pattern first and of course an item that fits all categories: artistic, classic, creative, and timeless, to name a few. I think I am even shocked at the colorwork I am drawn to design. So much is swirling around in my head. I believe colorwork is much easier than many believe it to be. It is all in how you teach it and I love to teach colorwork of any kind! So, many of our clients are also drawn to colorwork classes and projects.

Color is a constant topic of conversation around my store. I LOVE color! I love to teach about it too, how colors play together and the importance of value depending on the project. And I like to kick customers out of their comfort zone. I find it crazy how we all tend to have a color story we lean toward. Personally, I like lots of colors, though I was recently looking at the Ravelry page of patterns I’ve created and it hit me: for the first time I realized everything was knit in orange, gold, and teal. I shared my new epiphany with my PurL family and made them promise not to let me choose those same colors for any future projects. We all had a good laugh!

Jenny Monteleone stands in her shop, Rows of PurL.

FFK: Are there any special events your shop participates in?

JM: One of my favorite events of the year is the New Jersey Woolwalk. It is a yarn crawl for knitters, crocheters, and fiber artists. Customers come from many nearby states to support New Jersey stores. I don’t usually consider myself a competitive person, but for this event, of course I want my store to be the best! We select a theme each year and host a contest for artistic entries to engage customers. We hold a fashion show to showcase the many trunk show items offered throughout the five-day event. Special giveaways donated by fiber companies and a uniquely curated basket packed with goodies are all a part of the event. Each year on the Monday before the event starts, my entire PurL team comes together to finish making kits, clean the store, tag models, and do any last-minute tasks that may have been forgotten along the way. I treat them to lunch and we gather around sharing many laughs and stories. I love when we are all together. It is one of the best days of my year!

If you ever find yourself in Chester, New Jersey, be sure to pay Rows of PurL a visit.

Want to Learn More from Jenny?

• Learn how to choose self-striping yarns from Jenny in the new course, A Twist on Color.
  
• Subscribers can find Jenny’s Clover Ridge Cowl in the Farm & Fiber Knits Library.