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 Thomas Ascough is young, energetic and enthusiastic about the yarn industry, so it was a real delight to catch up with him at the TNNA Conference in Columbus, Ohio where he was working in one of the booths. Thomas is a representative for Euro Yarns, and travels the country presenting yarn shops with an extensive array of yarns from six different companies. KnitchMagazine was interested to learn about Thomas, how he ended up in this industry and what he enjoys about it.
Photo left: Thomas' fiance Stephanie is lucky to find a man who can knit for her.
Knitch: We couldn’t help noticing that you’re a dude. Do you tell your friends what you do for a living? And, if so, how many times have they beaten you up?
Thomas: They’re too busy beating themselves up for thinking that being a stock-broker or an investment guy was the right move. Knitting is a craft. Just like men will play golf, or fish, or play tennis, knitters will knit. If the world is great, knitters are knitting. If money is tight, knitters give up fancy date nights and $10 movie tickets. I’m knocking on wood, but as it stands, knitters are not giving up knitting. So, I like my job and people in my circle respect it. Besides, knitting makes their moms, sisters, wives and grandmas happy -- and happy women mean happy men.
Knitch: You’re right about that! Tell us about the companies you represent.
Thomas: I rep for six companies. Louisa Harding is one of my brands. It’s easy to appreciate her as a designer because she knows what her niche is and runs full speed in whatever direction she takes on each season. Her main story is designer knitting for women, although she does also continue to give her fans a wonderful representation of children and baby knitting. She’s very diverse and really enjoys what she does. The line is fitting to an industry that is becoming more and more design oriented every day and her yarns are easy to marvel at.
I also work with the Mirasol Project, which helps support communities in Peru. This is one of our newest lines. Jane Ellison pilots the brand with brilliance and expertise, but maintains a humble openness for really giving knitters what they're looking for. The brand supports a boarding school in the Munani region of Puno, Peru while offering some of the most luxurious and pattern driven fibers. This is an “everybody” kind of line, and its quick popularity shows that.
Elsebeth Lavold is in my portfolio of designers, too, and her rich history sort of speaks for itself. She has a Nordic appeal to knitters, and sends that out to her audience through some of the most brilliant classic designs. Her theme “Viking Knits” put her on the map with her cornerstone yarn Silky Wool, and since then, the line has blossomed into many fibers and 19 great books.
 Queensland Collection, our house brand, is one of my favorite brands. The ideas for the line tend to come from our customers. Feedback is always being presented as to where the industry is, what the industry is lacking in fibers, and where the industry would best be served as far as pattern support goes. We put that all together to give our stores a choice in unique items, supported by some of the best designer knitting teams: Jenny Watson, Jane Ellison, and Ella Rae’s design team. Kathmandu Aran is the cornerstone of this brand.
Online Yarns is a German company with the rich history of delivering a great sock yarn and some of the yarn business’ most unique project yarns. Online delivers beautiful mercerized cottons in every gauge, and they offer a unique fall line.
Esther Bitran Hand Dyes is something I really enjoy showing my customers. It’s easy to like. Esther works out of a town just outside of Santiago, Chile where she and her dye team put together some of the yarn world’s most affordable hand paints. The colors are magnificent. There are yarns for every gauge, and Jenny Watson does pattern leaflets.
I really like the yarns I carry.
Knitch: Your fondness for the yarns is undeniable. Was it an appreciation for the fibers that brought you to the industry?
Thomas: I fell down a well in New York and was told that I had to work hard in the yarn business for the rest of my life or they would leave me there. (He laughs.) Honestly, I was thinking about law school, politics, or a business of my own while I was finishing college and working at a beautiful New Jersey restaurant. One of our patrons was Jay Opperman, the national sales manager for Knitting Fever Inc. I got to know his family pretty well, and when I went out looking for my first career, Jay put the idea on the table. I’m glad he did because this industry is a good one.
 Knitch: So it wasn’t originally part of your career path. Have you spent time to learn the craft?
Thomas: I was taught to cast on, knit, purl, and cast off by another rep in the industry who used to work with me and who was training me at the time. I knit but I really cannot call myself a knitter. Knitters have multiple projects, they rejoice in the art of knitting from every angle. They’ll knit for rows even if something doesn't quite look right because they know when they find the problem, they can rip out and fix it. I would rip my hair out before I would rip out hours of hard work.
Knitch: Yes…the feeling is universal. But it's great to know that no mistake is permanent. If only the rest of life were that way! You're exposed to a lot of information from a lot of sources. Who do you think is setting the trends right now?
Thomas: I know that knitters will knit what they like because they like what they see. They don’t pick their colors based upon what a color group in LA thinks and they will not change their style to go with what a designer from Europe thinks. They will let designers lead them, though, and I hope that they continue to be comfortable in letting the designers that I work with inspire them to try new things.
Knitch: Do you see any regional differences?
Thomas: No. That’s so funny because I’ve covered 24 different states in the country between my prior territories and where I am now and everyone always thinks their trends are a year behind someone else or vice-versa. It’s really not the case. Wisconsin or Ohio think they are a year behind Chicago or Philly, while the big cities think they are a year behind New York or LA. It boils down to the fact that every yarn company is showing the same yarns everywhere they go. One store in town might love something eclectic and in a wild color while their neighbor store thinks that kind of yarn or color won’t go within 500 miles of where they are. The one thing I’ve figured out is that yarn needs are not state to state, or city to city. They are store to store, and the store owner paves the way for her knitters with her interests.
Knitch: So the important thing for knitters is to have a yarn store that reflects their style. As a rep who is often on the road to visit yarn stores, how do you keep up with the trends?
Thomas: I listen. While I give the stores our designers’ ideas for products, I also pay attention to the creative ideas that store owners give me for my yarns. I have to admit that it’s easy for me to stay on top of the market because our designers give us everything we need to do just that. They go all over the world attending fashion shows so they can return with a well thought portfolio that I can believe in.
Knitch: Where do you look for inspiration?
Thomas: Inspiration takes on a different meaning for me. It comes from the success of the stores that I have my relationships with. I want to see them succeed, so for me, inspiration comes from relaying the yarn stores’ suggestions to our designers and coming back with one of their ideas the next season. I’m really inspired when one of my stores’ knitters uses a new yarn that we pushed to get for them.
Knitch: What changes have you noticed in the industry -- amongst shop owners and knitters – in the past few years?
Thomas: Shop owners have taken on a more active role in teaching knitters and making them better and happier people in their craft. Knitters are diligently looking for yarn stores that fit their needs and welcomes a community of knitters into a friendly environment. Everyone has choices, and businesses all around the world are appreciating their customers more than ever.
Knitch: Yes, we agree. Knitters have a right to demand excellent service. Do you see any exciting new trends for our knitters in the autumn 2009 season?
Thomas: I think it’s an attitude rather than one particular kind of yarn or style. Naturally, people are finding comfort in classic designs with natural fibers, but knitting’s hottest trend is a “moving forward” sort of attitude where shops are teaching their knitters how to go from scarves and socks to sweaters and lace. Each knitter is on a journey, and what’s “in” is moving to the next level.
 Knitch: Which of your yarns do you think will be the most sought after in autumn 2009?
Thomas: It’s hard to say because each brand I work with has its star yarn or yarns. I’m seeing a good deal of tweed in the industry, and I have all different kinds of tweeds. I know Silky Wool and Kathmandu will always be great. Kathmandu has a Chunky that I am really excited about. Louisa Harding has a terrific, very focused book called “Little Cake” that presents two yarns. Willow Tweed and Thistle are great. Everyone should check out Mirasol’s new yarns, too. You’ll be happy you did. Jane Ellison just created 48 new patterns for them.
Knitch: What would be the biggest misconception people have about your job?
Thomas: “I would love to have your job…. Play with yarn all day, travel to beautiful places, and relax in all these yarn shops.” That’s the biggest misconception. I’m never home, and when I’m on the road, which is a lot, the travel is far from a vacation. I was in Charleston, SC not too long ago. I was there for 3 hours. I visited a yarn shop to show our new product, and then I was back on 95N. It was a good time and I liked the ladies there, but it was not a “trip” to Charleston.
Knitch: What would be your closing advice for yarn enthusiasts?
Thomas: Keep doing what you love. Take interest in your inspiration and passions. And…please buy my yarns.
KnitchMagazine thanks Thomas for telling our readers about himself. We assured him you'd be buying his yarns.
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