This time, I would like to introduce an event held at a yarn shop in Taipei called Ting Knitting Studio. This shop has been selling amirisu Wanderlust Linen since this year.
We often receive inquiries about wholesale sales of amirisu yarn, but as you all know, it is very difficult to secure inventory, and we have no leeway for wholesale sales, so we have to turn down most requests. There are two reasons we decided to sell wholesale to Ting's shop, Ting Knitting Studio: first, this year's inventory was supposed to be more abundant than last year's (although it ended up running out quickly), and second, we had been following Ting Knitting Studio for a long time and have always thought it was wonderful. Ting's knitting is also beautiful, and we felt it went well with amirisu.
The event was probably her first time hosting a pop-up with guests, but since she organizes the Yarn Festival, she of course came up with two fun ideas.
Knit & Sip
Ting is apparently a big wine lover, so she organized a gathering at her favorite wine bar where people could knit while drinking wine. I was worried that no one would show up since it was at night, but that was unfounded. Around 20 people attended the Knit & Sip. The Taiwanese people there were all friendly and cheerful (and a bit shy), and we shared with each other the things we were knitting, enjoyed delicious drinks and food, and before we knew it, time had flown by. It was such a wonderful place, and I’d love to visit again when I’m in Taipei.
The shop is here: La Copa Oscura Da’an
Brunch & Knit
The next day started with a fun gathering where we ate brunch while knitting. The venue was a large café within walking distance of Ting’s shop. We had reserved the second floor for the event, but there were so many attendees, perhaps close to 30 people! At first, we thought we would gather chairs around a large table, but there wasn't enough space, so we ended up sitting in groups and moving around the tables.
We had the opportunity to meet a wide range of ages, from very young people (high school students!) to the oldest customer at the Ting Knitting Studio, who was in their 80s. We learned about Taiwan’s knitting scene and popular patterns, and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Unlike Korea, where designs are created in Korean and patterns are sold on social media, Taiwan is thriving with English-language patterns, and everyone seemed to be using Ravelry. Japanese designers were also popular.
What surprised us was that most of the customers had visited WALNUT before! We had always thought, “There are a lot of customers from Taiwan,” but that was at the very beginning when we first opened the store. We truly appreciate our customers from Taiwan.
The shop is here: Dreamers Coffee Roasters Neihu Store
Trunk Show
After enjoying brunch at the knit café, we walked over to Ting Knitting Studio. Most of our brunch attendees stayed with us, so the store was bustling with activity. We brought lots of samples to match the atmosphere, and everyone discussed what they wanted to knit while looking at them. We also helped them with their shopping.
As for us, we were fascinated by the samples knitted by Ting. We tried on various items, and ended up wanting to knit even more things.
Ting explained that she deliberately avoids preparing kits, as she wants each knitter to use their own favorite yarn and colors. The people we met were all knitting the same pattern with the yarn they chose themselves, resulting in uniquely individual pieces. The Taiwanese style of wanting to avoid being the same as others was particularly fascinating.
I plan to visit Taipei again in December to participate in the Taiwan Yarn Festival. I’m so looking forward to reuniting with everyone!