Linda left her well-paid job and opened the yarn shop of her dreams: “No matter what happens, it’s wonderful that I dared to try”

Linda Permanto thinks knitting lowers your heart rate and soothes the mind. She especially enjoys knitting wool sweaters from natural fibers in the kitchen of her family’s home in Hanko, gazing out the window.

She felt lethargic and tired, even though she had just returned from a weeks-long summer vacation. Linda Permanto from Espoo, Finland, felt like she was half of her usual self.

It was August 2024, and Linda had worked as the marketing and design director for the Finnish yarn manufacturer Novita for nearly five years. Normally, she returned from summer vacation cheerful and full of energy, but this time, those feelings never came.

“The inner spark that usually defined me had fizzled out.”

Linda knew she desperately needed a change. But what kind? She had no answer, when she decided to resign from her job last September.

Gradually, the idea of a knitter’s paradise began to grow in Linda’s mind. It required listening to her inner voice, using her years of experience—and, above all, a bit of boldness and the courage to leave the familiar behind.

The inner spark was dimmed

Could I finally do something good for myself? Stop stretching myself thin for others and focus on my own well-being—even at work?

Linda had this realization right before she resigned. Her mother had died in winter 2022 after living with Alzheimer’s disease for seven years.

“After my mother died, I began to pay much more attention to my health and well-being. It made me wonder if I was taking good enough care of myself and if I could steer my future to reduce my risk of falling ill.”

The mother of three focused on high-quality, mostly plant-based meals, did weight training, and carved out personal time in her everyday life she quickly saw big of a difference simple daily choices made in her well-being. She found peace of mind in knitting and in moments where she could spend alone with her thoughts.

Even though these elements of self-care took hold in Linda’s free time, something still felt like it was missing.

“Maybe my slightly hedonistic wellness mindset sparked a strong need to improve my work well-being and to think more about what really brings me joy.”

Her first nudge toward a solution came a few months earlier, when Linda paused to really take in a stranger’s words.

Last fall, Linda sold her car and now travels the 15 kilometers to work by public transportation. “Now I have time to knit on my commute.”

A stranger’s question made her stop and think

“Are you that Linda from Novita?” This surprising question from a complete stranger in the showers at the public indoor swimming pool threw Linda off. It was spring 2024, and she was about to start her day by spending five minutes in the cold-water pool, as usual.

They both found the situation amusing. Even though she was well known in the craft industry for her designs, she didn't have her yarn and knitting needles in hand in the shower.

“But the encounter stuck with me. I want to represent myself and only myself—especially when I’m naked.”

Linda realized that her nearly five-year stint at the Nordics’ largest hand-knitting yarn manufacturer was nearing its end.

“I’m very creative, sensitive, and empathetic, and I need a strong spark to get excited. It started to feel like I needed a different work environment to be the best version of myself.”

Linda has always loved coming up with new ideas. She earned a master’s in business, then spent ten years as a fashion entrepreneur. After studying at the London College of Fashion, she organized photo shoots, events, and trade fairs, and later even worked as a fashion reporter.

Over the years, she visited countless yarn shops worldwide, making note of charming details as well as spotting things that could be improved. It wasn’t until late last year that she realized how she might put those observations to work.

Linda learned how to knit at 13, guided by her grandmother. At school, she made a gray colorwork sweater with proportions that ended up all wrong.

No encouraging examples

The employment office worker shook their head—there was no way they could recommend entrepreneurship to Linda.

“I was really confused. Isn’t it their job to encourage and motivate people to work, whether as an entrepreneur or for someone else?” Linda recalls a call with the office clerk late last year.

After resigning, she spent a couple of months figuring out what to do next. Gradually, the idea of her own yarn store began to form.

“I opened Pinterest and started sketching my thoughts. What would my brand be like, what would it look like? What did I want to offer my customers?”

Linda had gotten an inheritance from her mother and decided to take a risk, even though some of her friends couldn’t understand why she would leave a secure, well-paying job.

When Linda’s partner Lauri Permanto and her brother Jan Koskinen agreed to join in, the three of them started forming the company together. They soon found and leased a space for the shop and purchased a wide range of yarns, knitting needles and crochet hooks in different colors and materials.

“A business like this needs a lot of funds, because you have to buy all the materials at once and pay right away.”

Linda’s ex-husband helped renovate the space, and even her 81-year-old father, a retired dentist, pitched in to paint the walls. Many of her friends came by to bring in the supplies.

But the risks still weighed on her mind: in challenging economic times, plenty of small businesses like hers don’t make it.

“There weren’t many positive examples. I understand that for a lot of people, the risk might feel to big. But I felt I had to give it a shot—if you don’t try, anything can't happen.”

Linda knows she could have taken the easier path and simply changed jobs.

“I know we could fail. But no matter what happens, I think it's wonderful that I dared to try.”

In January, the Sunday Knitting Club yarn shop held its grand opening in Helsinki’s Kruununhaka neighborhood.

Mom offered endless support

Although the inheritance from her mother gave Linda the financial means to start the business, she believes her mother’s emotional legacy is worth far more.

“Mom encouraged me endlessly, even when I doubted myself and my abilities.”

Linda calls her mother the queen of the family and her best friend. Whenever Linda came up with “crazy ideas,” her mother backed her. For instance, 12 years ago, Linda and her ex-husband bought a vacation home in Hanko, Finland that needed major renovation.

“I’ve always wanted to test my limits. Mom’s unwavering faith that I could do anything really fueled that. Even though she’s gone, she’s still cheering me on and is part of my daily life.”

What did I just do?

She could have used her inheritance to pay down the mortgage, live comfortably, travel, or just enjoy her freedom. Instead, Linda made a different choice. She wants to set an example to her five-year-old Lily-Maj, 15-year-old Luna and her 18-year-old Magnus.

“I want my kids to be brave, the way my mother taught me. Maybe I’m at a point in my life when I want to leave a mark and a story for my own children.”

Although Linda’s new way of life is still fresh, she has already noticed changes in her day-to-day life.

“For the first time in a long while, I sleep through the night without waking up. Even though I work a lot, even on the weekends, I don’t feel stressed.”

Now that she’s an entrepreneur, Linda’s monthly paycheck is much smaller than when she held a permanent leadership role.

“For a while, I felt guilty about quitting. I asked my husband, ‘What on earth did I do?’”

But those feelings passed once Linda started thinking about what money really means.

“Having a big paycheck doesn’t guarantee happiness. I feel so much better now than when my finances were more secure.”

Linda remembers hearing that many people in hospice care regret the things they never did and the words they never said. She sees her yarn shop partly as a tribute to her mother, who loved all things beautiful and would have been thrilled to help set up the store.

“I often pause here to imagine how my mom would have done it. When I do well, I know she’d be happy.”

Linda’s mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in August 2015. For a few years, she lived at home with her husband as her caregiver before moving to a care facility in 2020. “Losing her was incredibly hard on all of us.”