About
Home Sweet Home—Life in Leelanau
There is no place in the world quite like Leelanau County. Nestled among trees, lush farmland and dotted with fresh water, lucky doesn’t begin to describe the way we feel about living life Up North.
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As Leelanau County natives, an appreciation for the Good Life came early. Curt grew up on a dairy farm just outside Cedar, where between bottle-feeding calves and making hay, he discovered his roots. Forever on the lookout for the perfect beach, Melissa feels most at home surrounded by water—it’s just that now there’s always a bit of knitting tucked into that beach bag. Graduates of Glen Lake High School, both moved to western Michigan to pursue higher education; Curt received a B.S. in Elementary Education from Grand Valley State University and Melissa graduated with a degree in English from Hope College. They had typical college experiences—roommates, classes, parties—and a few more. Curt rowed with the crew team for three years and spent a summer studying in London, Ireland and France, while Melissa worked for Hope’s renowned Visiting Writers Series and spent her last semester in a remote academic community along Oregon’s Cascade-Siskiyou range. |
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Although they love to travel, after graduation, moving home was the
only logical next step. A self-described romantic, Curt proposed in
2004 atop Sugarloaf Mountain, undeniably the best aerial view in
Leelanau County. They married a few months later and have spent the
past several years renovating the historic farm that has been in his
family for nearly a century. When Inish Knits was put on the market in
2006, they jumped at the opportunity to purchase the flourishing small
business—one that contributes so much to the county’s unique charm. |
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These days, you’ll find Curt in his classroom of fourth, fifth and
sixth graders and when he’s not shaping young minds, he’s either out in
the field cutting hay or tending to his little piggies. Melissa is at
the shop, fifteen projects deep, and at night, she drags her spinning
wheel out to the porch where together they sit and admire the beauty of
it all. |
What’s in a Name?
A name is something we carefully choose--for our children, our pets, our cottage Up North--to imbue them with thought, love and meaning, making them uniquely ours. The name 'Inish Knits' has served this shop well for 10 years here in Cedar (and at least four years before that on Peggy's farmstead), but we're ready for a change. 'Inish Knits' was a perfect fit for the original owner of the shop--she was of English and Irish descent, and during her time here, she focused much of the shop's inventory on designs, patterns and rare wool imports from the UK. As Inish Knits originated with a personal connection to Gaelic heritage, the path to choosing the name Wool & Honey has a story, too.
My name, Melissa, means 'honeybee' in Greek. I've always loved my name and have personally identified with all things related to bees and honey. As many of you know, I've kept a online knitting journal over the past three years called The Land of Wool and Honey. After using this moniker for some time, I thought to myself, You know, that actually kind of works.
To me, Wool & Honey symbolizes the Good Life. "The land of milk and honey" is a representation of the most divine place on earth, Paradise Found, the land of abundance, your Happy Place. In my mind, heaven on earth is a yarn shop--filled with beautiful things that add a bit of shine to my daily life.
Bees are amazing creatures. Every day, these little workers gather pollen--powdery bits of fluff--and with a little time and effort, transform it into a gorgeous, golden nectar. How similar we knitters are to the bee! Taking nothing more than two sticks and a string, we create warmth and comfort--fabric to clothe and decorate our bodies.
The hive is the epicentre of it all--it's home. The bee may travel to distant fields and orchards, but there's something hardwired inside her brain that always brings her back. Whether Leelanau County is your home or the home of your heart, there is a fiber community waiting here for you.
But why delights? Leelanau means 'delight of life' or 'land of delight' in Ojibwa....it's our nod to the people who discovered this particular heaven on earth.