Whether you ran a business, ran a family, or ran your own darn life, 2025 will be a year to remember.
You can see year-in-review events for the world in many places; you can click here for the Britannica Year in Review and you can see the best photos of 2025 here.
Our year in review for DKA is meant to be a light-hearted look at our silly year at the yarn store. We are thrilled you were a part of it.
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January
In January, we invested in something we should have done years before.
We hired MOVERS!!!
Yep, we hired movers to get all of our camp stuff to the Sweater Camp venue for us.
Talk about genius!
We started stocking a new yarn in January that was as big as Jeri’s head.
It was an interesting discovery, and we’ve been comparing things to the size of her head ever since:)
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February
In February, on Valentines Day, we were lucky enough to be serenaded by a Barbershop Quartet!
COME ON!! This singing telegram was a first for Team DKA:)
Thank you to our dear community of fiber friends, you know who you are, for this fun February highlight!
Every now and then, a team member stumbles upon the holy water under the counter. It happened in February.
Finding the holy water inevitably leads to me pulling out the full collection of random, special, slightly woo-woo items that have accumulated over the years…at which point I must remind everyone that these things can NEVER be thrown away.
Yes, it is a little weird to have holy water under the counter. But you just never know.
And yes, I fully understand that storing holy water next to Band-Aids and nail polish remover is probably not ideal from a spiritual or organizational standpoint.
But these little shop oddities have stories, and the stories matter. They’re part of what makes this place this place. So the holy water stays. The weird stuff stays too:)
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March
I’m sitting here paging through posts and emails from March thinking…what the heck did we even do in March???
Then I opened my notes app to see if there was anything interesting there from March.
Nope.
Ruben Sandwiches, same as stash?
WHAT THE
H E Double Hockeysticks???
Let’s move on past March…
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April
In April we welcomed over 800 people to the shop for the MN Yarn Shop Hop. It was one of our most fun EVER because we also raised money for the Knit for Food Knit-a-thon. Wow. What a weekend.
Together, you helped our shop alone raise over $14,000 for food insecurity organizations. We can’t wait to do it all again in 2026!
We are planning for 2026 as we speak. Save the date for the MN Yarn Shop Hop April 9th through 12th. With Knit for Food Saturday the 11th. It’s sure to be a great time!
We rearranged the shop in April, moving the fingering weight yarn downstairs and the bulky weight upstairs.
We LOVE.
In April, I discovered the viral high-protein meal all the cool kids (my niece Brooke) were making.
Sweet Potatoes, Taco Meat, Avocado, Cottage Cheese, and Hot Honey.
I ate it for 2 weeks straight, and now I get an upset stomach just looking at this picture….
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MAY
We installed swinging doors to the back rooms in May.
We’ve had endless fun with them.
Julianna likes to walk (kick) through them like someone from an old western.
She has fixed them twice.
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JUNE
In June we hosted 424 people on 2 Knit the River cruises.
Fun was had by all!
Tickets for our 2026 cruises go on sale in February! Click here to see the dates and plan your trip!
We hosted our first Stitch N Pitch at the Saints in June. We took a bus there and enjoyed a bougie, windy baseball game.
We all got pictures with Mudonna too!
And of course we took our projects with! We’ll do it again. Keep your eyes open for the listing in 2026!
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JULY
In July I finally found a portable washing machine that I use to spin dry my hand knit sweaters before I lay them to block.
Changed.my.life.
Ok, that’s an exaggeraton. But I love it. I soak the sweater in wool wash, move it to this contraption to spin the sweater dry. I then lay it flat on my washer/dryer with a fan on it, and by morning I’m wearing it!!
Search manual clothes washer/dryer in your favorite search engine.
Game changer.
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AUGUST
In August my planters die. That’s just what happens. I’m ok with it.
Full disclosure. This is the same August review as last year.
Full disclosure. It will probably be the same one next year too.
In August my planters die.
Not much goes on in the yarn store in August:)
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SEPTEMBER
In September I went shopping for new lighting for the shop.
Have you shopped for new lighting? Not fun.
I took this video by mistake, while shopping in Menards.
I am 53 now, I guess I do these kinds of things. I am at the stage of life where my kids take my phone out of my hand to do things with it.
After looking at my September photo roll, I’m not surprised.
The brighter lights upstairs look great though.
That’s another thing I need now that I am 53…brighter lighting:)
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OCTOBER
We hosted our 2nd Annual Sheep to Something competition in October and it didn’t disappoint! So silly and so fun!
Click here to read about it.
Every year we participate in a scarecrow contest for Harvest Festival here in Stillwater.
Was this one our best yet? Probably not:)
More arms mean more WIPS!!
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NOVEMBER
I know November was just a few weeks back, but I honestly can’t remember it. It passed like a fever dream!
I know we started hosting a Gen Z craft night! Tell all your Gen Z friends.
I know we celebrated a 5th (4th) Saturday, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday. We had a Makers Market, a crank-in, Sunday Social, over 70 class sessions, and book club.
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DECEMBER
We saved the best for last.
In December, the very best thing happened. Our DKA family grew by one more extra special Rockstar.
Baby Violet Ann was welcomed to the world.
We are so proud and happy for Emily and Alex and we can’t wait until she can hold a pair of needles:)
Thank you for reading my silly end of the year review. I am honored to be the leader of this pack of amazing, smart, caring, exceptional, hilarious, creative, and crafty crew of DKA Rockstars. It LITERALLY could not be done without each and ever one of them.
Happy New Year from all of us.
Aimee, Carly, Sue, Carroll, Emily, Marlo, Shana, Lynn, Jeri, Tom, Lori, Julianna, Beth, Lily, Julie, and Meredith.
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WRAP
As usual, your favorite social media posts this year are the ones with Sandwich Board signs!
“you’re calling me a crazy yarn lady like it’s supposed to hurt my feelings…WIERD.”
“People who craft are happier, better looking, and smarter than people who don’t. According to a study I just made up!”