Bainbridge Island is where Kit Hutchin and John Koval call home; and
it is also home to Churchmouse Yarns & Teas.
Bainbridge Island has quite a history since Captain George Vancouver
sailed his ship, the HMS Discovery into Puget Sound in 1792. He anchored
on the tip of Bainbridge Island at Restoration Point, which is now where
our Country Club Golf Course is, and which is a sleepy suburb of Seattle.
We
call it "island life", full of interests including berry farms,
a full artists' community, the Bloedel Reserve, Bainbridge Island Winery,
the summertime Farmers Market, the pumpkin patch in the fall, and the Chilly
Hilly bike ride in chilly February.
Kit and
John are not only husband and wife, but also are
a team in the business.
It's Kit's shop, but you'll find John there on Saturdays
and he is known as the "tea" aficionato.
John is also in charge of their marketing. The store
has been widely published in such magazines as Victoria,
Vogue Knitting International, House & Garden,
and Lexus.
Kit
has been knitting since the age of 6 in the company of
her Mum and Canadian Grannies. "Knitting has always
been a part of my life" says Kit. It is her passion.
Although she comes from a corporate background, the idea
of owning her own yarn shop has always been a dream.
With the passing of her Mum, she really decided to give
it serious consideration. Through exploring her own mortality,
asking "if not now, when", the
Churchmouse became a reality.
Kit worked in her church library. John used to tease
her about all the time she put in and that was how she
came up with the name Churchmouse Yarns & Teas.
Kit wanted something else besides the knitting to draw
people into the store. She wanted to make non-knitters
feel welcome and thought that selling tea was a natural.
Kit loves traditional knitting styles like the fair isles,
arans, and ganseys, so the tea fit with her English theme.
In the store, you'll see fabulous yarn, lovely samples
knit up as well as some unique antique furnishings. It
has a very friendly, comfortable, established "country" feel.
Kit's personal favorite is the Jamieson's DK Shetland
in the color Grouse, which she calls her desert island
yarn. Her friends tease that it's a dreary color, but
she likes to call it subtle. The shops' favorites are
traditional wools in rich colors. A winning sample of
late was their Martha sweater from the Rowan Design Studio
Book. The store was looking for something interesting,
different from your standard sweater and this was a huge
store hit. Kit says some 60 women are now knitting the
Martha Sweater.
It's not just about the yarn at Churchmouse Yarns & Teas,
it's also about the experience and the teaching. The
store mission statement is "To inspire people and
to encourage them".
They like to focus on helping people succeed in their
knitting projects and see them through to the end. Kit
says "a real success in
knitting is when a sweater actually wears out".
It's not only wearable, you love it and always reach
for it!
Churchmouse
Yarns & Teas
118 Madrone Lane
Bainbridge Island, Washington 98110
Kit
has been knitting since the age of 6 in the company of
her Mum and Canadian Grannies. "Knitting has always
been a part of my life" says Kit. It is her passion.
Although she comes from a corporate background, the idea
of owning her own yarn shop has always been a dream.
With the passing of her Mum, she really decided to give
it serious consideration. Through exploring her own mortality,
asking "if not now, when", the
Churchmouse became a reality. 
