Missouri Star Quilt Company to Acquire LoveCrafts

In news I first saw reported by the Craft Industry Alliance, Hamilton, Missouri, based Missouri Star Quilt Company is in the process of acquiring British yarn craft company LoveCrafts.

Update: On 10/8 WEBS sent out an email with news of the deal, saying that nothing will change in users’ experience of WEBS online or in person. “We want to assure you that our commitment to providing you with the best experience remains the same, whether shopping online or in our retail store in Northampton, MA,” the statement said. “You’ll still be able to get the WEBS Discount, we’ll still have closeouts, and we’ll be working on bringing your favorite yarns back in stock!”

That bit about getting yarns back in stock may be a reference to complaints from some visitors that quality and stock have gone down since the company was purchased by LoveCrafts.

SkyNews reported that the deal could be done early this week, and is valued at millions of pounds. LoveCrafts is backed by several UK technology funds and saw its sales skyrocket during the pandemic, but it has been looking for a buyer this year because of declining sales.

Missouri Star Quilt Company might not be a name a lot of knitters and crocheters know, but it’s a destination shop for quilters. Founded in 2008 as a small, local fabric store, it has grown into the home of the biggest quilting channel on YouTube, with free tutorials published weekly. Hamilton is now known as Quilt Town USA, and is home to nearly 20 themed craft shops under the Missouri Star Quilt Company banner, including shops dedicated to florals, batiks, men’s fabrics and accessories, to name just a few.

One of the shops is a knitting and crochet shop, so this acquisition is sure to enhance their selection and their e-commerce footprint in yarn (right now it doesn’t look to me like it’s possible to buy yarn on their website).

LoveCrafts, on the other hand, is probably a company you’ve heard of. It was founded in 2012 as LoveKnitting, which branched out into LoveCrochet in 2015, but the two were brought under the same roof in 2019 with the launch of LoveCrafts. In 2021 they bought WEBS, one of the largest brick and mortar yarn stores in the United States, which also has a substantial online presence. WEBS has its own yarn line, Valley Yarns, and had also previously acquired Tahki Stacy Charles.

The Craft Industry Alliance reported that Edward Griffith, one of the founders of LoveCrafts, said the companies share a common mission and vision around the importance of crafting and community. They further reported that Jeff Martin, CEO of Missouri Star’s parent company, said the acquisition not only helps them to expand their product offerings but also to bring together passionate communities of makers.

[Photo via Missouri Star Quilt Company]

Next Pattern:

Knitting squares, rectangles and triangles can get boring after a while, so why not throw in some different shapes, like hexagons?

I started thinking about hexagons because of Amy Gunderson’s Rainbow Remnants cowl (see it on Ravelry), which uses all your sock yarn leftovers to make hexagons worked from the center out and joined as you go so there’s no seaming. She also works over the yarn ends so you don’t have to weave in a million ends either.

This reminded me of the classic Beekeeper’s Quilt knitting pattern from Tiny Owl Knits, which has long been a bucket list project for me. It uses little “hexipuffs,” which are tiny hexagon shaped pillows that are stuffed to make your blanket extra cozy. This one also uses sock yarn but each motif is worked separately and then stitched together so there’s a ton of finishing work. But it would be amazing to have on the back of your couch!

Or you can make a blanket that’s one big hexagon, like this Hexagon Baby Blanket from Lion Brand Yarn. It’s worked in sections so you can change color with each piece or alternate self-striping colorways as shown if you like. Or make it a stash buster.

Hexagons of course remind me of quilts, because my parents have a couple of Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilts my great-grandmother made. If you like that classic look and want to make it in knitting, try the April Showers Bring May Flowers blanket from Needles and Balls. Each hexagon is worked separately so you can make your project as big as you like, using whatever yarn you have handy.

Or try the Knitted Hexagon Cushion, a free pattern from Greedy for Colour. These hexis are worked in strips so you could use the same pattern to make a bigger project if you wanted. As written it calls for DK weight yarn but you could experiment with other weights as well.

Fun shapes and stash busting knitting inspired by quilts? I think these projects might hit everything I love in a knitting project!

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