Keeping seniors in stitches
January 12th, 2012We’re 12 days into 2012, and I’ve been thinking about the aging customer. The needlework industry is full of intricate designs and challenges for the experienced stitcher, but what about when that stitcher can’t hold the needle or see the pattern as well as he or she used to?
With the Winter TNNA and CHA shows just around the corner, I asked a couple colleagues to help me put together a roundup of newer products that could be of help to your older customers. Are you stocking the following at your shop?
The RS Easy Count: Connie Barwick, who guides the cross-stitch discussion at About.com and also owns Connie Gee’s Designs, confirms that this product can help stitchers old and young alike keep an accurate stitch count as they work a pattern. ”It slides through the fabric very smoothly, so it is quick to insert and remove,” she says, stressing she’s not a compensated endorser — just a stitcher who believes in its usefulness. “It is easier to use for the purpose of gridding than regular fabric because the needle slides past it when you are stitching instead of sliding into it, making it nearly impossible to remove the gridding floss such as when you use silk. It doesn’t mark the fabric, either. I use it a lot on large projects.”
Craft Optics: These telescoping lenses are made to fit on glasses, and feature a clip-on light. Barwick notes they are particularly wonderful for over-on stitching: “If your eyes won’t cooperate, these are worth it!”
Barwick says that, like many stitchers, her eyesight is gradually getting worse. “I do have to change the way I stitch,” she says. “My patterns need more marking off, I need to make working copies more often, count more often, use stitch markers, take a little more time and just allow myself to adapt! Also, better lighting makes a big difference.”
Marketing idea: Try creating an “Easy on the Eyes” display that showcases your lights, magnifiers and stitching aids. Echo the product array on a table during your next class, so students can try before they buy. Your customers may discover that they can stitch longer and more enjoyably with a little help from their friends (at the shop).
Barb Grossman, who is preparing to host the 8th Annual Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet Festival over Valentine’s Day weekend, has a few additional ideas for older knitters and crocheters:
Laurel Hill Forest Palm Triangular Knitting Needles: With a long taper and sharp point, these handmade, sustainable-wood needles are “guaranteed not to roll away.” Recent reviews note that they seem easier for arthritic hands to hold for longer periods. Here’s hoping a crochet hook version isn’t far behind!
Block and Roll: “This one has so many uses,” Grossman says. “It’s easy to take along wherever you go. You could even use it for doing puzzles.” Available from The BagSmith, it can accommodate multiple project sizes for knitting, crocheting, quilting, sewing, needlepoint, cross stitch and scrapbooking. Its Teflon-coated surface resists heat and water, so users can steam and wet-block to their heart’s content.
Interchangeable needle sets: I know from family experience that when a senior needleworker downsizes from a home to an apartment or even assisted living facility, he or she also loses valuable stash space. Rather than trying to shove a lifetime of hooks and needles into a drawer or box, where they can be misplaced and forgotten, why not have all sizes at one’s fingertips, with products like Denise (Santa Hubby brought me the Breast Cancer Awareness set this year!), HiyaHiya or addi Click? Chances are good you already have these products in stock, but are you marketing them to your older customers, and to customers who have mothers, grandmothers, etc., who might appreciate the way they take the weight of their arms and wrists?
Marketing idea: Mother’s Day is not far away. In your shop, sponsor a “Who Taught You?” gallery of customers’ mother-daughter projects, photos of them stitching with their grandmas and/or grandkids, small postcards of memories of being taught how to knit by a favorite neighbor. Host a special evening event where everyone can look at the display — and participants can get a special one-time discount on supplies and accessories. Don’t forget to call your local paper and let them know you’re seeking such items, and invite the reporter to come cover the event when it occurs. Reading about it and bringing up fond memories could be the push someone needs to stop by your shop, after letting many years elapse since they picked up the needle.
So, now it’s your turn: Are there more products out there that you believe can help older stitchers enjoy their needlework pursuits? Have you been marketing to seniors specifically, and if so, how’s it going? Sound off below, or drop me a line at positiveyarn@goochandgooch.com.


Near-field communication, or NFC, is technology that lets two devices close to each other exchange simple transactions or data. While it has the potential to be used for a variety of things, one big focus currently is to make instant payments at retail outlets. Many smartphones these days feature a NFC chip, so that when you go near a register with a special card reader, you can just wave the phone, put in your PIN password and pay without cracking open your wallet. There’s two-way ability, so the shop could conceivably send coupons or special offers back to your phone.
