Susan

I have teamed up with Janie Lipnick to start Looped Yarn Works because of a lifelong passion for knitting, crocheting, sewing, quilting and design. I learned all of these wonderful skills at a very young age from my mother, Mercedes Galbraith. Working with my hands and making functional and beautiful projects was really just a way of life in my house. A quilting rack sometimes took the place of our dining room table and handmade braided rugs covered our floors. I have also been deeply inspired by my younger sister Liz Galbraith who is a gifted textile designer with a brilliant sense for color.

Looped Yarn Works is a natural next step for me. I have had a long and deeply satisfying career in social work. I founded Our Place, DC, a center for women who are or have been in prison. I left Our Place after 10 years with a desire to pursue a new career in the world of yarn!

I’m delighted to be in a partnership with Janie! We have known each other for years and have complementary talents and skills. Together we are creating a business that will provide the nation’s capitol with high quality and affordable yarns, classes and events.

Janie

I have always loved fibers, textiles, wools and color and have always had the urge to create. I attended the Maryland Institute, College of Art as a mixed media major, so that I could indulge my mixed passions for fine arts, print, textiles and fibers! Before starting Looped, I had the opportunity to create and sell felted knits, under the name of Knitwits.

I am grateful to have been taught to knit when I was a kid by my mom and grandmother. Through the years, as I began to knit more challenging patterns, learned new techniques, etc., I’ve looked to my knitting friends or a knit shop for help. This experience is part of the impetus for starting up Looped Yarn Works.

I love all the give and take between knitters, and most especially the feeling of community when I’m knitting together with a group of friends.

Susan and I wanted to create a place where we could bring together people who have a desire to learn to knit or crochet for the first time or want to take their knitting to the next level, or just love to create something with fiber. Most especially, we want to create a community of knitters and crocheters and build on that special something that occurs when fiber lovers share their passion.

Jessica

As Looped Yarnworks’ most recent transplant to DC, I’m thrilled to be getting to know the region through the eyes of the fiber fanatics here.  In the past few years, I’ve worked and taught at yarn shops in Michigan and Missouri in addition to putting in a lot of time behind espresso machines and sewing machines alike.  I learned to knit and crochet when I was 8 or 9, and spent most of my formative years with a crochet hook in my hand.  Now I split my time between the two crafts, and I’m always looking for new tricks and techniques to pass on to others.  When I’m not playing with yarn, I spend my time flipping through cookbooks and tracking down local produce to put into new recipes.

Rachel

Rachel Kimboko is a fiber artist from Washington, DC who specializes in knitting. She has been at it for more than 30 years (!) and so has tried her hand at most every kind of technique; some favorites are lace and socks. She enjoys introducing students of all ages to knitting and fiber arts and teaches knitting in a wide range of settings. Rachel is also an Elementary Montessori teacher in MD and mother of a middle-school age daughter.

Ann

Looped Yarn Works has provided me with a loving and rich environment to channel my creative energies.  Besides knitting, I like to make jewelry and paper crafts, like cards and invitations.  A friend taught me to knit one rainy, summer afternoon in 2004, and my life was seriously forever changed.  Many friendships have been forged through knitting from random conversations about yarn in a store to bonding with childhood friends over the craft or making internet friends from Ravelry into “real life, face-to-face” friends.  My favorite things to knit are socks (cuff/top down please), shawls, and raglan sweaters.

I spend my days working at the University of Maryland, as the Assistant Director for Finance & Personnel in the Division of Research.  So when I’m not there or in the shop, you’ll probably find me eating (I head up a Supper Club for me and my friends), baking, reading, running, giggling, checking out concerts, singing/dancing on metro platforms, or running around in high heels and dresses/skirts.  I’m excited to be part of the Looped team—the Looped family is amazing, and I’ve met so many wonderful and gifted people through the shop and continue to do so.

Kerry

Whenever I start a project I remember an old Irish proverb.?“If the knitter is weary the baby will have no new bonnet.” and the oldest will have no cashmere sweater, the middle two will have no felted bags or lace shawls, and there will be no ribbed hat for the lone son to wear when it snows. Will I ever be too weary to knit for a baby? Not unless designers stop making those patterns for adorable little hats! ? I knit for the love of it. My fiber adventures started when I learned to knit and sew as a child. I resumed  knitting about eight or nine years ago and now my trips to the fabric store are devoted to finding tools for finishing and lining knitted bags. I love to teach and share my passion for knitting and I especially enjoy seeing others delight in their own accomplishments. ?

Phyllis

Meet one of our Teachers…Phyllis!

Crochet is my first love.  My friend and I learned from a favorite sixth grade teacher, and I’m so excited to be able to teach others now.  I’ve been experimenting with Tunisian, Amigurumi, and other crochet techniques that I look forward to teaching in the wonderfully vibe and atmosphere at Looped.  In 2005, in my “spare” time, I started Many Creative Gifts, a company designed to help you be thoughtful and true to your giving nature through mind, body, spirit, and crochet!  I’m always dreaming up new designs and patterns (samples are in the store), and a few of them will soon be published in Inside Crochet, a new British crochet magazine

colleen eubanks

My mother and great grandmother taught me to knit when I was quite young but I didn’t really feel any urge to knit regularly until I started working as the executive director of a local organization serving at-risk children, that among many other services provided layettes with a hand knit or crocheted blanket or sweater.  That was back in 2001 and though I have moved on professionally to manage a national trade association for professionals serving children, I have not lost the passion for knitting that my previous position sparked.  It is rare to find me without a project in my hands or my bag and I am thrilled to be part of the Looped Yarn Works community where I can spread my passion for knitting and meet people from all over the world, and all walks of life.  I am a fearless knitter and I love introducing people to the craft of knitting and the many joys it can provide. I especially love cables and colorwork  -but have yet to face a technique I don’t love doing and teaching.

Gina

Originally a California native, Gina moved to DC 12 years ago and has been knitting herself through the winters ever since.  She is continually amazed by the shapes and designs that can be produced using only the knit and purl stitches, and has a special place in her heart for cables and fair isle patterns.  Her other hobbies include reading, traveling, and event planning for her two school-aged children.