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Interview with Loop, London (and a Giveaway!)

May 17, 2013

Today, I am traveling halfway around the world for our first international shop interview! We are in London, but, more specifically, we are in Islington on Camden Passage. It is a narrow, historic street that is only accessible on foot and is famous for its old unique charm and twice-weekly antique market.

Camden Passage

Bustling Camden Passage! Photo © http://mycreativephotography.co.uk/

Now that we’ve oriented ourselves, let’s check in with today’s interviewee: Loop, London’s owner, Susan Cropper!

Susan Cropper

Susan Cropper. Photo © Loop, London

Jillian: Hi, Susan! Thank you so much for talking with me today and for being our first international shop interview! Your shop has been open for almost eight years, but let’s go back to the beginning. Can you tell me how you came up with the name for your shop?

Loop Logo

Loop’s logo. Photo © Loop, London

Susan: I came up with the name of my shop after weeks of brainstorming with family and friends. I wanted something short and “loop” was perfect in that it reflected what the yarn was doing in a sense—a series of loops.

Jillian: Indeed, loops are important in knitting, crochet, weaving… almost all fiber arts. And it’s hard to get much shorter than four letters! 😀

Front Window

Front window display. Photo © Loop, London

Susan: Haha, true! Funnily enough, Craig from Loop in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania must have had the same idea, as we opened around the same time and have the same name. I like his shop and he’s a lovely guy, but our shops are actually very different! Both great shops, but in their own ways!

Shop Front

Super-cute display of baby sweaters in the front window! Photo © Loop, London

Jillian:  Absolutely. Now, let’s go back even farther! How did your love for all things textile evolve?

Susan: When I was young, my mom went back to art school to study Interior Design and there were always mood boards strewn around our apartment and stacks of design magazines. I was dragged around the Museum of Modern Art and the Decorative & Design Building in NYC on weekends.

Shop Interior

Colors and textures everywhere! Photo © Loop, London

Susan: My mom saved up to get a pair of Mies van der Rohe Barcelona chairs and then started weaving. Suddenly, there was a huge wooden loom in our living room and hanks of yarn drying in the bathroom, which she had dyed with cochineal and plants that she sent off for. I think I must have become a designer and textile junkie by osmosis. I knit. I love to knit lacy shawls most of all.

Jillian: I am still practicing many techniques in knitting, and lacy shawls are still something I have to master! Clearly, this interest in textiles and design followed you into adult life.

Susan: Oh, yes. I studied both Textile Design and Graphic Design, and, before Loop, while raising my three children, I was a designer and director for lifestyle magazines in London. I love to go to design fairs, vintage fairs, and flea markets wherever I am.

Jillian: It is no surprise, then, that this love of texture, design, color, and textiles led you to opening a shop! How was the response?

Shop Interior

Such an inviting interior! Photo © Loop, London

Susan: Enormous, from both press and customers! It has been so much fun to teach so many hundreds of people to knit, watching their excitement grow as they see what they can do. And, it is gratifying to hear the exclamations of delight as people come into the shop—I want people to find joy in colour, texture, and design as much as I do. I feel proud of the contribution we make to the knitting community.

Jillian: It certainly sounds delightful. What types of activities do you have at your shop?

Susan: We have a huge range of classes from beginners to advanced and lots of technique workshops. We also have special visiting teachers who are masters at their craft, such as Stephen West, Franklin Habit, Cecile Balladino, Cecille Franconie, Julie Arkell, and Brandon Mably. We also have KnitNight every Thursday night and book launches at the shop.

Shop Interior

So pretty, all arranged in a rainbow! Photo © Loop, London

Jillian: There seems to be a real sense of community surrounding your shop and yarn crafts in general.

Susan: Absolutely. Sharing interests and learning new skills helps you feel connected with your wider community.

Jillian: Before we end for today, I just want to go back for a second. You mentioned earlier that you grew up in NYC. How did you end up in England? I thought you were from England!

Susan: *smiles* I wound up in London because I married an English guy who was living in NYC. He grew homesick, so we moved here in 1985.

Jillian: It has been such a lovely interview in your colorful and texture-y shop, but it is time for me to go now. Let’s have one more question, though! If you could be any character in fiction, who would you be?

Susan: That’s easy! Justine from The Alexandria Quartet, which was written by Lawrence Durrell. It is a group of friends retelling the same story of events set in Alexandria, Egypt, each from their different perspectives. Justine is sensuous and colourful, as well as intellectual. There’s a lot about love and relationships. The books read like a strange dream!

Jillian: This series sounds intriguing! I am going to add it to my “to read” list. 🙂 Susan, thank you so much for keeping us “in the loop” on Loop, London! I know for sure that your shop (and Camden Passage in general!) is on my list of places to visit if I ever get to England!

Until then, readers, I’ll keep up with Loop, London by going to their website, reading their beautiful blog, and following them on both Facebook and Twitter. Susan has also written several books: Pretty Knits, Vintage Crochet, and Juju’s Loops.

Juju's Loops

Susan’s third book! Photo © Loop, London

Speaking of Loop, London’s blog, be sure to stop by today and read the reciprocal interview they did with us here at Blue Sky Alpacas! Even better, in honor of Loop, London’s favorite Blue Sky Alpacas yarn and the release of The Great Gatsby, we are hosting a simultaneous giveaway, in which one winner chosen on each blog will receive one of our new 1920s-inspired Metalico wrap patterns of their choice (Daisy, Frances, or Zelda) and enough Metalico in their color choice to complete the project. To enter, leave a comment telling us why you love Metalico and we’ll announce the winner next week! And don’t forget to head over to Loop, London’s blog to check out their interview with us and enter their contest!

Remember, if you own or visit a shop that carries Blue Sky Alpacas yarn or is hosting a special class or activity with Blue Sky Alpacas patterns or yarns, drop us a line at info@blueskyalpacas.com! Also let us know if there are questions you’d like answered by our shop owners that we aren’t touching on, and we can look into adding them to our repertoire. 🙂

Loop Sign

It’s all in the details. Photo © Loop, London

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