Welcome to Namaste: Reincarnated. (now della Q!)

The beans have officially been spilled: We are now the proud owners of the Namaste Brand of Handbags and Accessories for the Mindful Knitter. WHAT? How in the heck did this happen?! Well…

Earlier this year I reached out to my friend Kelly, the founder of Namaste, and asked if she was still interested in selling the business to us. She said YES! (A few years ago, she and her husband closed the business down after a divorce.)

You see, Kelly started Namaste in the mid-2000s, back when Jimmy Beans was still a 500 sq ft shop in Truckee, when Doug still had full time job elsewhere, and when none of us were quite sure if this “internet thing” was going to catch on (Facebook had just started!). You could say that Kelly and I grew up in the yarn industry together - and became lifelong friends as a result. We’d see each other - and hang out - at TNNA (the yarn industry trade show) and at Stitches and VKLive Events. We created some fun, special products together (anyone remember Stitch Red Oh Snaps?) and were constantly comparing notes about how to make our industry, our businesses, and ourselves - better.

Anyway, when the sh** hit the fan and she had to shutter the business, she called me & asked if I could take over. At the time, I just couldn’t make it happen… (remember the launch of beanie bags? the flood? We were busy beans!), but now - with Kelly’s guidance - we’re officially re-launching (reincarnating?) Namaste!

We’re bringing back some old favorites like the Oh Snap Pouches and Buddy Cases (Kelly and i compared notes and made improvements based on years of feedback from you). We’ve created some new goodies like the Knitter’s Train Case & Knitter’s Dot Journal. Handbags? We’ve updated the vegan leather & added some pretty awesome features to make them ever MORE knitter specific than before (a key leash that doubles as a tape measure? A decorative emergency stitch marker? A patent-pending lotus yarn feeder?! Yep. Stay tuned for a big reveal on the handbag line really soon!!)   

Anyway, it’s been a super fun, super crazy 6 months: traveling to china (twice), designing new products, getting to know the people who make them (Linli, Mr Chen, and Mr Qiu!), learning about manufacturing, materials & sustainability, and even getting to know more about ourselves - and WHY we are doing this.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be filming videos, taking lots of photos, and receiving our first shipment of knitting handbags. And don’t worry - our plan is to share everything with you as it happens, including some of the stuff that we’ve learned (and some of the people that we’ve met) along the way.  To be quite honest, this has been a life changing experience for both of us - and we’re so grateful to have you as part of it.

For now, Namaste… and Welcome to Knitting Nirvana.

- Laura (aka Jimmy) & Kelly.