A Love Yarn

An American expat from Los Angeles, Sophie Markham owns and operates Homespun, a yarn and knitting shop in the largely rural community of Kingsvale, New Zealand. Loving her work, knitting and the supportive community feeling of the artisans of the area, she took the shop over from her maternal grandmother on Sophie’s trip to New Zealand to connect with the Kiwi side of her roots three years ago, the knitting gene which skipped a generation as Sophie’s mother, Los Angeles real estate agent Liz Markham, doesn’t knit and doesn’t understand why Sophie would want to operate the shop when she has a degree in journalism. Sophie is at a crossroads in her life. On the personal side, she has been dating Chris for two years, but her best friend and employee Rose wants her to open her eyes that they are incompatible as neither has any interest in what the other does, Chris who pays more attention to his footie and rugby than to her. Professionally, she wants to expand the business but is thrown for a loop when her primary supplier, a local company called King Yarns, is closing up shop, it by far her best selling yarn and of exceptional quality. She learns directly from the manager Ida that her brother, the CEO of King Textiles – King Yarn the first of their businesses – is thinking about selling the business outright, her nephew, Samuel King, who has been sent from head office in New York to assess the business to determine what course of action to take. Regardless, Ida has decided to move on from the business. As such, Sophie believes she sees her next opportunity in learning about the milling of the yarn directly from Ida before she leaves, and to purchase the very expensive milling equipment from King Textile. She also agrees to be Sam’s guide regarding life in Kingsvale to give him a better perspective of the business, all in the hope that whatever he decides will be of benefit to the artisan community in which she is immersed. As Sophie tries to raise the money needed to purchase the equipment, Sophie and Sam start to fall for the other, Sam who seems to understand and appreciate Sophie much more than Chris. A potential obstacle to Sophie and Sam having a happily-ever-after is if Sam decides to do something with King Yarns that would negatively affect her life.—Huggo