POCATELLO — Local crafters and creatives will have a new artistic outlet from which they can hem, hank and hook colorful collections of yarn for a variety of projects.

The new store, Knotty Twist, located at 141 N. Main St. inside Cottonwood Junction in Historic Downtown Pocatello, will provide its patrons with natural fiber yarns, tools and accessories for knitting and crochet projects.

The business's owner, Alana Leonhardy, has spent the last few years weaving together the fabric of the exciting new venture with a lot of hard work and dedication.

“I've been working on it for a few years,” Leonhardy said. “Most of that process was research, a lot of self-education about the behind-the-scenes processes for running and keeping a business afloat.”

Leonhardy continued, “When I moved here to Pocatello, I started working with the Small Business Development Center to do goal setting and to develop a business plan. I did a lot of organization as far as what I needed to do first and when I needed to do it. I got some help with that process. It's not intuitive to start a business. There's a lot of things that are complicated, so it took a bit of time, but I think it all worked out.”

Leonhardy moved to Pocatello in April 2023 and immediately began the process to start developing a small business in the area in May of that year. Knotty Twist officially opened in January.

Leonhardy, who is blind, uses assistive technology like a braille display and keyboard along with an iPad to run the business. Additionally, she uses artificial intelligence tools for visual descriptions to select the variety of colors for her collections.

“I like colorful things, and I do a lot of work with different colors, but when I'm picking out a yarn, a lot of times the names may not describe it well or they might describe it, but it doesn't give me an idea of whether or not the color is actually attractive or if it's not my style,” Leonhardy said. “I'll use AI tools that can give really good descriptions of images. I (also) enjoy talking with friends and family about picking out colors, which is a thing that we do together. Then I make the (final) decisions, but I do rely on visual descriptions to do that.”

For Leonhardy, blindness is not something that is a detriment but is a normal part of her life. Like any endeavor a person engages with following their passions or careers, there is a level of learning, honing skills and expertise that comes with focus and practice.

“There have been blindness related problems with getting stuff working,” Leonhardy said. “That's just a fact of life. But just like anything, learning how to interact with the world without vision is a skill. Sighted people don't grow up knowing how to drive, you have to learn it. Honestly, I think what I would like people to really truly believe is that vision is not an incapacity to learn. It's not an incapacity to be a giving and supporting member of society. A lot of people seem to perceive that all I can do is take and take and take, I need help. I need this. I need that. I'm just a person. We're all just people. We're all just doing the best we can.”

The inspiration for starting the stitching establishment came from a desire to share the happiness that knitting brings to Leonhardy and provide unique yarn offerings that aren’t normally available in town.

“I think that with yarn and knitting and fiber arts there's a lot of contentment, there's community, there's creativity and a sense of accomplishment and pride that people can feel when something gets created,” Leonhardy said. “I wanted to bring that happiness to other people and sell specifically natural fibers, interesting color combinations and fiber combinations that aren't available close to here.”

In the cold and blustery months of winter and early spring, Knotty Twist offers chunky wool yarns that are optimal for warm winter sweaters, alongside a usual gambit of thinner hand dyed offerings in a beautiful range of colors.

“(We have) a lot of natural fibers — things like wool, alpaca, cotton," she said. "I have some yarns with some silk that are a little more luxurious. That's the uniqueness of a local yarn store is people can get a lot more of that. I have a couple of yarns that are dyed locally or from the region that they can't get from big box stores, as well. I (also) sell the tools and accessories for knitting and crochet projects.”

Shifting into the warmer spring and summer months, Knotty Twist will move into plant fiber constructs like cotton, bamboo, linen yarns and lighter weights, so that customers can still knit tank tops and t-shirts over the simmering summer season.

Currently, Knotty Twist is gearing up for downtown Pocatello's First Friday Art Walk on March 1 and Leonhardy will provide tables and chairs so that visitors can come and sit and create if they are interested. The reactions of the local community thus far seem to point in a positive direction, with a lot of support given the entrepreneurial endeavor.

“I'm fairly new to Pocatello although I'm from Idaho originally,” Leonhardy said. “My experience with the community getting up and running here has been unbelievably warm and welcoming. As I continue in my business here, I hope to inspire others to create and grow community here around (artistic creating). I’m really glad to be a part of Pocatello now. I appreciate it.”

The sense of growing a creative coterie around the innovative stitchers and designers in Southeast Idaho is an important core aspect for Leonhardy, as she expressed a desire for a “vibrant fiber community.”

"There are meetings of creators that participate at the Bru House coffee shop every Saturday and Sunday for different knitting, spinning and crocheting get-togethers,” Leonhardy said. “There are events on Wednesdays at the Marshall Public Library and Thursday mornings at Bru House as well.”

The future is assuredly bright for Knotty Twist as it provides the perfect junction for all weavers, spinners, knitters and artists to have a space to let their creative energies flourish.