Hey, I’m Kamaca and
I’m cheering for you and your stitching!
I believe Chicago’s South Side deserves a vibrant local yarn store destination.
Hey now, I’m Kamaca. I have called the Far South Side home for over 20 years. I’m originally from the South Lawndale, right on the border of Little Village. In these neighborhoods, I learned the comfort of knowing and being known right were I lived.
The moniker Miss Purl is a nod to growing up “on the block.” The good ole days of block clubs, porch sitting, and being neighborly. When momma sent you to knock on “Miss So-and-So’s” door to borrow a cup a sugar or for moments of respite. Miss Purl is also in memory of all the Madeas, Mothers, Mamas, Aunties, and ‘nem who loved on us with their work of their hands.
For many, Chicago is a retail and recreation destination.
I thought that too until, in the early 2000’s, I could only find a local knitting class 2,000 miles away in Santa Monica, California. Yup. Before that, for three years and four Christmases, “learn to knit” was at the top of my wish list. Momma Purl gifted me a book and DVD, but I’m a social learner who prefers the spark of relational interaction to engage a new skill. After all, I learned to crochet by sitting at Aunt Tee Purl’s feet as a precocious nine-year old.
The class in Cali was an enriching experience. There I was, gathered around a table of knitters and an experienced guide. Before I had even mastered the purl stitch, thoughts of duplicating the experience in Chicago was top of mind. “Why don’t we have something like this where I live?”
In 2007 I started teaching knitting to beginners on the Southwest side. In 2021, Miss Purl’s first community service project was Miss Purl Mittens, which included free learn to knit mittens classes at the Chicago Public Library, Beverly Branch. (at left)
To my surprise there were knitting resources in my city – just not in my neighborhood.
All of the yarns stores at the time were located on the north side or in the distant suburbs. Commuting to knit and shop was doable, but once I became a stay-at-home mom with small children, one-hour drives were no longer financially or logistically feasible. It was devastating to see accessibility and income become barriers to my creative expression.
What do you do when your creativity is hindered? Get creative! I enrolled in a business start-up class because I firmly believed that outlets for creative expression are necessary for every neighborhood. I knew that Chicago’s South Side deserved a local yarn store. What I didn’t know, was the resource demands for starting a retail business would eclipse this earnest desire. My family simply could not afford to take the entrepreneurial risk. So, for 15 years, the dreams of what would become Miss Purl sat on a bookshelf in my bedroom.
Click on the picture to watch my story on WCIU’s “On the Block”
Miss Purl is my contribution to the idea of a communal table for authentic connections.
Though my LYS dream was on the shelf, my energy and hope for a creativity as a communication and connection tool was not. I taught in my community and started a knitting ministry called Shepherd’s Pride. We used stitching to encourage and serve others.
Then 2020 happened. A time of reckoning throughout the world. The social, economic, mental, racial, and political upheavals brought back my dream’s raison d'être – all communities must have access to holistic amenities to thrive. With much of the world literally confined to their homes or short radiuses, we all missed social learning and engagement. That’s why I opened Miss Purl – to nurture a local space to practice creative expression, community-building, and self-care.
Every weekend, I’m so excited to welcome fiber friends into Miss Purl. I love the conversation and cheering on each and every cast on, WIP, and bind off. (lol and even WIPs in time out.)
I’m hopeful for the future and I thank you for cheering for Miss Purl.
Shortly after starting a stitching small group,, Shepherd’s Pride, we stitched blankets to encourage those in health crisis and sent blankets to Burkina Faso in West Africa. We also coordinated a fashion show and auctioned hand knits like this Saroyan shawl that I knit.
Now that Miss Purl is open, my commitment continues. I’m currently guest teaching knitting at Little Company of Mary hospital which is such a blessing.
