Sheryl Means learned to knit and crochet as a way to earn a Girl Scouts badge when she was 8. It was not until she was expecting her first grandchild many years later that she decided to take up crochet again to make baby clothes and gifts.

“That’s the motivation for a lot of people—the first child or first grandchildren. About 13 years ago a lot of celebrities started [knitting] and suddenly everyone was knitting,” Means said.

Around the same time she was meeting with a social knitting group near her home in Richmond and met a fellow knitter from Katy. The two opened Yarntopia at 2944 S. Mason Road, Ste. G, in 2006.

Sheryl now runs the business herself, but she has remained focused on providing a welcoming homestyle yarn shop with comfortable chairs and social knitting hours. She even has plans to start her own line of hand-dyed, locally sourced yarns.

“So much has changed in the last ten years in this industry because of the Internet,” Means said. “There’s a proliferation of independent yarn dyers … and social media and knitting websites totally revolutionized the pattern industry. Designers can take their product directly to consumers and yarn shops have to focus on providing something different. I want to carry yarns people can’t find anywhere else.”

With a limited number of yarn shops in the Greater Houston area, Means said she sees a lot of knitters who drive in from an hour away or more to stock up on yarn.

“I came up with branding for [these customers]—‘Yarntopia, it’s worth the drive’,” she said. “I know [commuting customers] may come only once a month, but I want them to find something special when they’re here.”

Means is talking with fiber arts groups and Texas livestock farmers to produce 100 percent Texas yarn made from Texas sheep and goats. She said locally produced yarns have become a popular specialty item, not just for locals but for the worldwide community of knitters who want to support local artisan yarn producers.

This fall Yarntopia will be moving two doors down to a smaller location so Means can focus on stocking a smaller amount of specialty yarns and put more emphasis on social knitting events and community activities. She also provides private knitting lessons.

“I like to say we’re a lot like [the TV show] ‘Cheers.’ I’ve seen complete strangers become lifelong friends [through Yarntopia’s social knitting groups], and that’s a pretty cool thing to say about your business,” she said.

Yarntopia 2944 S. Mason Road, Ste. G 281-392-2386 www.yarndreams.com Hours: Mon.–Wed. 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Thu. 10 a.m.–8 p.m., Fri.–Sat. 10 a.m.–4 p.m.