Lizzie Shriner, owner of The Mermaid’s Purl in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, wearing her “Girdwood” design by Caitlin Hunter.

As you probably know, last year after almost 20 years of owning a yarn shop, I shifted my focus from “selling yarns” to “telling yarns” full-time. I am so grateful to get to live my dream every day – sharing beautiful stories from around the yarn world and lifting others up.

One big, beautiful ripple effect of that decision is all of the new fun we are creating as we celebrate our landmark 10th Season of Knit Stars Masterclass.

Expanding from filming 10 Stars to 15 Stars, including 5 Crochet Stars.

Flying to each filming and leaning into more adventure and play with our Stars.

And our brand-new Guess the Stars game with the $1300 grand prize that’s going on now over at this magical page.

Another lovely ripple effect is that I have more space to highlight other yarn shops and the cool things that they’re doing.

So this week, I’d like to introduce you to Lizzie Shriner, the Mermaid’s Purl and their Knit Ahead Club.

I met Lizzie last year at Rhinebeck and was instantly struck by her big smile, quick wit and can-do spirit. Also she had on one of the coolest handknits I’d ever seen…the “Djo” sweater by Sophie Ochera.

After Rhinebeck, I went to the Mermaid’s Purl site and bought my own Djo kit, so I started getting Lizzie’s newsletters. And that’s how I learned about her “Knit Ahead” Club.

The idea for this Club is so brilliant! Each month, you get a wonderfully giftable project – think hats, headbands, mitts, cowls, home accessories and more. Patterns are easy to follow and quick to complete, with a wide variety of yarns and needle sizes so you never get bored.

Every project is brand new – “No DPNs or cable needles!” Lizzie promises.

You can choose from a variety of colors on some projects, while others come in just one exclusive colorway. You can also skip months if you need to.

The idea is, you “knit ahead” to create a stockpile of gifts so there’s no last-minute holiday stress.

And at just $35 per kit, Knit Ahead Club members save 15-30% off the retail price.

Lizzie kindly agreed to let me share about the Club in this newsletter, even though the Club has already closed to the public. You can join at this link – but it’s only good through Wednesday, March 12 at midnight. (Note this is not an affiliate link – I’m just sharing ‘cause I think it’s so dang cool!)

Lizzie in her “Pixelated Cardigan” by Laurel Gervitz.

Here are some other fun facts to know about Lizzie and the Mermaid’s Purl:

She doesn’t remember exactly how she first learned to knit (“probaby from my mom”) but in college, she and her friends “really got into knitting. I would make those ‘hobo gloves’ with the flaps, because we all smoked cigarettes in college. Then we started a knitting club at the school so we could get the school to pay for the yarn!”

She’s run the Knit Ahead Club for 16 years! The very first project was “a disaster,” she said. “I was 25 years old, had just taken over this yarn store and had never written a pattern before. I decided to design a felted oven mitt, not thinking that the thumb might be a little tricky for sure. But I just worked through it and kept going!”

The Club started as an in-store event, but rapidly outgrew the space – even after the store tripled in square footage!

Lizzie makes all the gifts for her own stockpile! “I save them up for teachers’ gifts and friends.” Although, she admits, “If we do gloves I don’t ALWAYS make the second.”

xoxo,

Another thing I love about Lizzie is she’s got some serious curation skills! Basically I want to make everything on her website. So apologies in advance if this fills up your queue…but here are just a few more projects that wanted to pop into my shopping cart when I visited TheMermaidsPurl.com …

Shown above: Cottage Throw by Dee Hardwick.

For the crocheters, this super-simple “Le Triangle: Granny” by Aimée Gille.

And somehow I must’ve missed “Stripeometry” when Stephen West debuted it last year…or maybe it was just Lizzie’s choice of colors that caught my eye. Either way…LOVE!

Photo credit: fitfabfodmap.com

Baba Soup
Courtesy of Lizzie Shriner

This recipe comes from Lizzie’s husband’s great grandmother. “She was six when she survived the Holocaust,” Lizzie said, “She always had a to-go bag of all her important belongings on her, and she was a little funny about how she stored things. Storing the leftovers this way takes over my fridge, but it also keeps it from getting mushy. The broth stays nice and clear. It’s so good!”

Ingredients:

• 2 whole fresh chickens
• 2 bunches of carrots
• 1 bunch celery
• 2 onions
• A large bundle of fresh dill and parsley, tied together with chicken string
• A package of your favorite noodles

Instructions:

1. Cook all of the above (except the noodles) together for several hours, until the broth is golden broth. Strain all of the ingredients out of the broth and place each item (the cooked chicken, shredded with your fingers or forks, the carrots, the celery and the onions) in a pot, separate from the broth. Cook a package of noodles separately, according to package instructions. When ready to serve, ladle some broth into each bowl and then each separated ingredient, according to each person’s preferences.