THILDE OLSEN runs
The Orry Mill, a yarn
shop in Eaglesham near
Glasgow. We chatted with
Thilde before the Covid-19
outbreak, and although
her bricks-and-mortar
shop is currently closed, her online store
is still open for yarn orders!
How did you come to run a yarn store?
“My mum taught me to knit when I was
four. I also attended a Steiner School, near
where I grew up in Odense, Denmark, and
where we were encouraged to develop our
art and crafting skills. I came to Scotland
to study fine art at Glasgow School of Art,
where I developed both creatively and
technically. I was made redundant in 2017
after nine years in an office job, so when
a shop came up for let in my village, my
husband encouraged me to make use of
my 40 years of art and craft experience
and open a yarn shop.”
What brands do you stock?
“I currently stock Rowan, Regia, West
Yorkshire, Bobbiny, KnitPro, Pony, and a
small selection of Erika Knight, Patons and
James C Brett. West Yorkshire Spinners’
The Croft is probably the most popular for
aran knits, and its Bo Peep range is popular
for baby knits. Rowan’s Felted Tweed is
an all-year-round favourite for garments
as well as blankets, while our customers
like Regia’s Premium Silk Sock Yarn is for
baby and shawl knits.”
Tell us about the team working with you.
“Margaret Grubb is my creative sidekick;
she is always up for a challenge, and is
constantly exploring new materials to
work with, for example knitting with
chain and metal wires to make jewellery.
Margaret’s imaginative crochet animal
stools often take centre stage in our
window displays, and she has been
excellent in running our beginner and
intermediate classes.
“Liz Agnew is my expert knitter who
test knits for several designers and yarn
brands. She helps me run my advanced
and expert workshops. Rosy Little from
Knitting on Cloud Nine is running popular
children’s classes from the shop to get the
younger generation knitting.”What would you say are the highlights and
challenges of running a yarn shop?
“The highlights are definitely seeing
customers’ reactions when they have
achieved things they never thought
possible. The classes and community
aspect of the shop is something that has
developed, and we have big plans to make
The Orry Mill a great place to come and
learn and relax.
“The challenges are learning how to
build marketing campaigns and build our
identity - we didn’t start with the intention
of running so many classes, for example.
Now the classes are the thing that defines
us. Social media and our website is also
a challenge as you need to work with so
many specialist skills to do it really well.
It can look effortless, but it definitely isn’t.
Our next challenge is to create videos to
show a wider audience hints and tips.”What is the knitting community like
in your area?
“We are really lucky to have a very vibrant
knitting community with people of all ages
and abilities. Most of our students have
started as beginners, but have very quickly
improved and managing to tackle
advanced and expert patterns after just a
few months. I do tend to throw people in at
the deep end and let them know that I am
their safety net should they need it.”Are you a knitter yourself?
“I am a knitter and a crocheter, and I love
both. I generally prefer knitted garments
and crochet toys and household items,
but there are always exceptions, such as
Marie Wallin’s exquisite crocheted lace
garments, and Susan B Anderson’s adorable
knitted toys.”http://www.theorrymill.co.uk
01355 301 244Filled with beautiful, colourful yarns, this
shop is a hub for knitters south of Glasgow
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1 + 2 Thilde’s shop is a colourful, modern, calm
space, filled with gorgeous yarns 3 Customers
particularly love her selection of West Yorkshire
Spinners and Rowan yarns 4 Workshops have
been a big hit with local knitters 5 The Orry Mill
is in Eaglesham, to the south of GlasgowThe Orry Mill
LOCAL HEROES
ILLUSTRA
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ESInterview