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Knitting is making a big comeback lately, as a way to pass the time.
We’ve all got plenty of time to pass, for all of these super fun reasons, and there’s something calming about our hands being kept busy while our minds are free to roam.
Sure, you can get your yarn online or at a local store or one of those bigger stores like Hobby Lobby or Michael’s, but if you’re a knitting fanatic living in Philadelphia, you have a much hipper option – a vending machine.
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24-year-old Emani Outterbridge makes designer yarn and sells it to DIYers around Philadelphia, and while stuck at home with a broken foot, came up with the idea of a yarn vending machine.
Her social media followers thought it was brilliant and responded with a whirlwind fundraising effort that allowed Outterbridge to order three machines.
She told Mental_Floss,
“I was thinking…if I had something that’s accessible to me 24 hours, mid-project, if I need to stop and go get some yarn, a vending machine would be ideal.”
She stocked them with rows of her colorful offerings and put the first one at Elements of Grooming, a barber shop owned by one of her friends.
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It was a smash hit, so she started thinking about where to place the other two. She’s hoping to open her own shop that could remain open 24/7.
“With the salons and the shops–they close. But if I had my own store, I can have it open 24/7, so that’s what I’m pushing for.”
Emani also crochets custom items for her followers and fans – she’s been crocheting since she was 12 – and started her first business when she was just 15.
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For her, the best part of owning her own business is being “completely committed to my own success.”
Until Emani opens that dream store, you can buy her garments, pieces, and yarn through her website.
