Camas Creek Yarn is under new ownership. 

Mickie Gette, who previously operated Stitchery Cottage out of the Kalispell yarn supply store, will take over the business as previous owner Melanie Cross bows out to pursue other ventures. To merge the businesses, Gette has also melded the two names together to create Camas Creek Cottage, which she hopes will be a mecca for all things stitched, knitted or woven. 

“My goal is to get some of these lost arts to come back again, and make them more affordable,” said Gette. The new owner hopes to offer supplies for any kind of stitch-based project imaginable, from typical knitting and crochet, to tatting, or lace-making, and needlepoint. 

“It used to be that if you wanted to do something like tatting, you’d have to go all over town to get everything you needed, and then you’d still have to do the project,” she said. “There needed to be a place that had everything.” 

In an effort to create a hub for all things stitched, Gette is beginning to furnish Camas Creek with a variety of different tools, patterns, 

According to Gette, many of the different types of stitchery work have become too expensive and time consuming for the average person to pursue. 

She pointed to several needle-point rugs that hang on the walls of the stores. 

“My mother took years to do each of those, and my dad used to joke that he never saw her eyes for two years because she was looking down at the rugs,” she said. “And they probably cost a couple hundred dollars a piece.” 

Instead of giant, time consuming projects, Gette hopes to start crafters on smaller pieces, like ornaments, that are easier to accomplish on a budget. 

In addition, Gette and her husband, local artist Robert Mason, have worked to bring the prices of cross stitching down. In the past, elite cross stitchers would only use a pattern if the canvas was hand-painted by an artist, which drove the price up. 

Mason taught himself how to print his paintings on cross stitch canvases to lower the price. The canvases still produce beautiful cross-stitch work when finished, but the couple are able to mass-produce the canvases. 

Gette also encourages those learning new stitching techniques to start with small projects that would allow them to make beautiful pieces without breaking the bank.

Gette has not always been dedicated to the stitching arts. 

“Right now, my profession is just all of my hobbies,” she said with a laugh. 

She received her bachelors of science in music education from Gettesburg College, her masters in music theory, and a doctorate in higher education administration. For most of her life, she worked in the business industry in accountanting, bookkeepering or software support. 

However, she has always loved to knit and crochet.

Two years ago, Gette and her husband moved to Kalispell full-time, and she opened Stitchery Cottage, a small cross-stitch shop that she ran out of several locations before settling on Camas Creek Yarn five months ago. 

Gette officially took over the shop in late November, and has since hit the ground running. 

“I'm slowly learning the difference in all the yarns,” she said. “You just have to work with it and touch it to know it all. There's a lot to learn.” 

The shop will host a plethora of new classes, from beginning to advanced techniques in a variety of styles, as well as help sessions for those stuck on a project. 

For more information on Camas Creek Cottage, call 755-9276, or visit www.camascreekyarn.com