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You have made some very disparaging comments about a business that you don’t seem to know much about.  Your assumption that Knit Picks does not care about the industry is not what I have found in my contact with the company and the folks who work there.

First of all Knit Picks co-owner and Bob’s wife Kelley is an avid and very enthusiastic knitter and spinner.  As far as I can tell Bob and the IT guys may be the only folks at Knit Picks that don’t knit.  For Bob Petkin his focus may indeed be the business and product development for Knit Picks.  He may have been on the show rather than Kelley because the show seemed to be largely about the “business of knitting”.  But, if you ever listened to one of the Knit Picks podcast and heard Kelley (owner) and Tina (V.P.) gush over new yarns or tools, you would have no doubt that knitting isn’t just a business for them.  You can’t fake that kind of enthusiasm; you can practically hear them “petting” the yarn.

Knit Picks produces quality products.  I really like their yarn, and their Harmony Options needles are the best needles hands down, in my opinion.  Their customer service is one of the best I’ve ever experienced.  They do seem to be focused on making knitting more enjoyable and accessible for all knitters.

That said, I would hate to lose either of my two local yarns stores. And I patronize both. Even though one of the stores has the worst customer service you’ll ever experience.  It is so bad and the folks who work there are so snotty and rude that it is frequently a topic among the knitters in town.  Even though it is unpleasant to shop there, I still appreciate having the store in town when I can’t find what I need at our other yarn store.  I’m sure if this unpleasant store ever goes out business, they will blame it on online shopping rather than their own horrible customer service.

posted 3 years, 10 months ago
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