One Stick or Two!?

• Posted on 10 March 2026
• By Tia Rowsell
• 0

The Unexpected Cast On: a series of fortunate events - and the story of a shop that claimed its owner.

Every year in early March, these photos pop up in my Facebook memories. Three years ago, I reshared the memory with an unbelievable (to me, at least) update that my crochet journey had led to me “yarning” for living! Every fibre artist dreams of working in a yarn shop and I was doing it! Even more unbelievable (to a few skeptics, I’m sure) was that this particular yarn shop had recently come under new ownership and had relocated from downtown St. Johns, Newfoundland to my little hometown around the Bay - Triton, population 1000! (More on that later)
I was overjoyed to be chosen as COCO Triton’s first employee and my love for all things wooly and fibre arts continued to grow! As time went on, not knowing how to knit while working at a shop named “CAST ON! CAST OFF!” made me feel like I was missing out on something important in how I related to customers. And I REALLY wanted to knit myself a cute pair of socks! So after six months working at COCO, I reluctantly signed up for Lisa’s knitting classes and to my amazement - I learned to knit! I could now confidently “cast on” and “cast off” with the best of them, and knitting became my most favourite thing to do EVER! A whole new world of opportunity had opened up for me (subtle foreshadowing?) with this new skill. I was so excited to be able to connect with customers over knitting, source the perfect pattern and offer the best yarn selections for their projects! I was living my dream! A job that didn’t feel like work, being surrounded by the most beautiful wooly, squishy goodies, the best customers, endless conversations about wool, knitting, fibre arts- the shop was my happy place! And then it went up for sale. A few people said I should take it over. I felt unqualified. I had learned a TON in my three years at COCO but to own it? I’m the front end girl, I don’t know the first thing about owning a business! I wouldn’t even let my self dream about it. I had a lot going on in my life and this was just something I couldn’t commit to.
Time passed, and the shop was still up for sale. Lisa remained hopeful to find a new owner but announced that COCO would be closing its doors at the end of January 2026. My son, Jordan (also a COCO employee) saw the Facebook post and sent me a text - “ Mom, you should buy it!” And this time, I said YES! Because actually, I am qualified. I watched and learned everything I needed to know from Lisa. I have been a part of COCO Triton since day one and she has been my biggest champion and the most encouraging mentor and friend. What I didn’t know, I  could learn. I mean I didn’t even know the difference between a worsted weight yarn and a fingering weight yarn when I started (facts- not one bit of exaggeration!). And what in the world does ‘gauge’ mean!?  But I learned as I went and becoming COCO’s owner has been exactly the same!  
This wonky little dishcloth was the first thing I ever created with yarn. I was a very impatient learner and unimpressed with my first attempt. But I kept trying, and learning, and watching YouTube videos to learn new techniques, ripping back failed attempts and celebrating every time something turned out like it was supposed to! And I used that dishrag until it fell apart because while it didn’t look great, it still cleaned dishes and countertops like the pretty ones did!  I look back at that younger version of me who just couldn’t resist colourful yarn (nothing has changed there) and bought four balls of Bernat Handicrafter and tea for her 26th birthday (I’ve always been a Nan at heart), who wanted to make pretty dishcloths like all her grandmothers did and literally just picked crochet because one stick should be easier to manage than two, and  I am so grateful that she did. Because never in my wildest dreams could I even imagine this is where it would lead!
So when I tell you to just do it, just try it, to be brave enough to suck at something new- I’m not just saying it for something say. It comes from a place of experience to encourage you to listen to your heart and just go for it! Because imperfections and unexpected outcomes can lead to some truly wonderful and beautiful things. 

-Tia