KnitNames x Extra Lucky Moms

Written by Zoe Anthony, Owner & Operator of KnitNames LLC.

Hi! I'm Zoe and I am the proud founder of KnitNames, a small business specializing in custom pieces and embroidery workshops. I am beyond excited to work on this collaborative collection with Extra Lucky Moms!

As a disability advocate myself, I feel very strongly about disability representation across all aspects of life. I was born with a genetic eye condition that includes complete color blindness, resulting in seeing only in black and white. For many years, I allowed my own perception of my visual impairment to dictate what I thought I could and couldn’t do. All of that changed when KnitNames was born.

When my best friend was pregnant with her daughter, I wanted to get her a custom name sweater. However, after seeing the price tag, I thought, “Maybe I can just do this myself?” Having never picked up an embroidery needle, I promptly tracked down a local knitting club and attended one of their meetings. After that first meeting, I whipped up my first sweater, and the rest was history! I began making custom sweaters for friends and family, and soon people started asking me if I could teach them. Within a few months, I took a risk and hosted my first KnitNames Sip & Embroider event. The event sold out in just 1 week!

There were certainly some bumps in the road leading up to the event. For instance, being completely colorblind, and not realizing that my vendor sent me an entire batch of the wrong color sweaters only a week before the event. It wasn’t until my husband pointed it out to me as I was prepping for the event, I never would have known! In moments like those, where I could have let the frustration of what I can’t do take over, I pushed through and could not be more happy that I did.

I am so proud of how far the business has come in such a short time, and I am so excited to see where it goes. The first Extra Lucky sweater I made was for my friend Jess. Having grown up with a mom who was fiercely devoted to advocating for me, I saw that same passion in Jess. Her devotion to Adeline inspired me to make her that sweater. I’m pretty sure she’s worn it everyday since I gave it to her, and I can’t wait to provide more for so many other Extra Lucky Moms out there! -Zoe

If you are interested in joining Zoe's next event, you can sign up at this link! Grab your besties for a Galentine‘s day party on February 9 in Hoboken, NJ and learn how to embroider these adorable custom heart initial cardigans while sipping on Prosecco!! Zoe is providing the Extra Lucky stencil on all sweaters for FREE to all Extra Lucky community members! Just mention you'd like to add that stencil in the comment section when you sign up! We can't wait to see you there! -Jess + Taryn