Written by Aretha Prabawa

When you open the door to Ewe & You Fiber Arts, you’ll enter a world of beauty, warmth, comfort and color! Located in the Carriage House at 261 Broad Street (behind the Chamber of Commerce) and open since September 2018, Ewe & You occupies a small space but one that overflows with soft, bright supplies for knitting, crocheting and felting.

The heart of Ewe & You is a cozy seating area in the middle of the store. Here, owner Rachel Schuster and her customers sit together while knitting, crocheting, or doing other forms of fiber arts. Not merely a fiber arts supply shop, Ewe & You also offers instruction (for groups and one-on-one), activities and a place for knitters and crocheters to gather, learn from one another and form friendships.

Rachel took up fiber arts in college and has since become passionate about her craft. She learned to knit from a friend, and at first she never thought she would stick with it—but, as she says, knitting is a downhill spiral. “There are a lot of places to go and things to learn, and so many projects and patterns to try. There’s always new inspiration.”

Rachel says the friends she has made in the fiber arts community span the world. “The people that you meet are willing to support you and become a part of your life. They become friends.”

With a spouse in the military, Rachel came to Connecticut only recently after living in different parts of the world. She quickly fell in love with the town of Windsor and its people. Rachel especially loves Windsor’s downtown area, its many community events, such as Nightmare on Broad Street, and the way everything is so close to each other. “I love all the events that go on literally in my front yard on the Green,” she says. Rachel is also thankful for the support the Windsor community has given her and her business.

Rachel learned about the Chamber when she was looking for space for her business. She became a member even before opening her shop and says that through the Chamber’s networking events and social media, she has been able to promote her business more, as well as meet other business owners. “They’re very supportive,” she says. “I just think the Chamber is an important part of this town and I’m grateful for their support.”

Look for Ewe & You to team up with another new Windsor business, the House of Books & Games, when they compete in the Chamber’s Windsor Feud on Saturday, February 16. Streaming live on WIN-TV.org beginning at 5:00 p.m., this fun and fast-paced event raises funds to support the Chamber and local non-profits.

Rachel supports the community in other ways. Recently, she hosted a “Crochet- or Knit-Along” with discounted purple yarn, instructions and the company of other fiber artists to create purple shawls for victims of domestic violence. She will donate the completed projects, as well as monetary donations, to organizations that support victims of domestic violence in Connecticut.

Ewe & You’s next event is an all-day Needle Felting Workshop on Tuesday, February 19 beginning at 10:00 a.m. People of all ages and skill levels are invited to stop in and learn how to do needle felting, while making a small project of their own. The cost is $20, which includes tools, fiber and instruction.

Like a skein of yarn, Rachel’s path from skeptical beginning knitter to nurturer of fiber arts community has traveled a meandering path to the center of Windsor, where new and experienced knitters, crocheters and felters can find all they need to explore the world of fiber arts.