Ana Campos (she/her/they) - Owner, Head Fiber Witch

A life-long love of handmade, in 2008 Ana established Toil & Trouble, a knitwear design company. In 2010, she created her own line of hand-dyed yarns. Ana's love of community and teaching lead her to open Circle of Stitches in 2015. Ana is passionate about supporting artists and artisans, and values the relationship she builds with every maker she is proud to represent in the shop. She is also an inaugural member of Vogue Knitting Live’s Diversity Advisory Council. Ana teaches across the United States at events such at Vogue Knitting LIVE! and Red Alder Fiber Arts Retreat.

When she is not at the shop, you can find her elbows-deep in her dye pots. Ana has a wealth of fiber knowledge to share, with over 25 years of knitting experience and extensive technical knowledge. She loves helping people find inspiration, and her favorite projects are sweaters, shawls, socks. Ana specializes in fixes and repairs, and can help you fix any sort of project, from scarf to charted lace.  She teaches at knitting guilds and events across the country.

Ana brings her practices of mindfulness to the fiber community. She is a Fiber Witch - W.I.T.C.H. is a “Woman in Total Control of Herself” (though the acronym isn’t perfect, as we believe all genders can be witches). So what is a Fiber Witch? To Ana, that means approaching fiber crafts with mindfulness and intention. Knitting (or crocheting, weaving, embroidering…) is an invitation to slow down in a world that romanticizes busy-ness. The repetitive nature of knitting helps us drift into a meditative state. Our brain waves literally slow down!

Ana also has over 20 years of tarot experience, which she brings to Circle of Stitches in workshops and tarot readings. Book a tarot reading, or check out Ana’s knitting and crochet patterns!

Annie Louton (she/her) - Shop Manager, Fiber Witch & Digital Content

Annie helps manage our little shop! She brings a life-long interest in the fiber arts to the shop with knowledge of knitting, weaving, crochet, and some machine sewing. She enjoys dyeing her own yarn for both needles and loom, and learning new knitting techniques. Find Annie at the shop during the week where she would love to chat about the fiber arts, film, food and literature! Annie can help you pick the perfect yarn for any project, and helps us maintain our website.

Cathy Fahey (she/her) - Fiber Witch & Instructor

Cathy's love of fiber arts began with her grandmother, who made afghans and placemats and let her play around with her sewing machine. Other early adventures in crafting include potholder looms and friendship bracelets at summer camp. She took up sewing in college, and learned to knit after learning how to spin yarn. She can also crochet and embroider. She doesn't have space for a loom, so she hasn't taken up weaving (yet!). When she's not crafting, she's working as a librarian. She's learned that there's not much difference between a reference question and a tarot question. No matter what you're looking for, Cathy can help you find the answer (or the yarn). Read her articles on tarot here.

Melissa LaCasse (she/her) - Fiber Witch & Instructor

Melissa learned to knit in middle school from her neighborhood “Gromma”, and only picked up more crafts from there, including embroidery, weaving, spinning, and giving worn-out clothes new life with visible mending. After taking a crochet class at the shop when she first moved to Salem, she joined the fiber witch team and started teaching crochet to others. She can be found at the shop on weekends and can always direct you to the nearest mushroom accessory.

Joyce Li (she/her) - Fiber Witch

Joyce taught herself how to crochet during her first semester of college and hasn’t stopped since. Her love of the fiber arts only grew from there expanding to knitting (again), embroidery and cross-stitch. She came to be vice president of her college’s knitting, crocheting, and needlework club. There she assisted in the creation of the first fiber arts festival for all students to participate in. Since joining the fiber witch team, Joyce continues to take in the wealth of knowledge on yarns and other fiber arts.

Jacob Anaya (he/him) - Podcast Co-Host

Jacob Anaya grew up in a small farm town in New Hampshire, which instilled in him an appreciation for the slower things in life. Living in a small town made him feel like he needed to fit into a mold, and he has found ways to explore and break out of this mold through fiber arts. He now lives in the Witch City in Massachusetts, where many oddballs come together and he feels free to explore the many facets of his identity.

Andrea Bush (she/her) - Fiber Witch & Instructor

Drea began her love of fiber arts as a child. Both her grandmothers were accomplished fiber artists, and her mother was an award -winning abstract painter. She was especially inspired by her maternal grandmother who was a professional seamstress, so she bought her first sewing machine at the age of 18. In her thirties, Drea wanted to knit and crochet because her paternal grandmother gifted her all her tools. She takes pride in having a home full of  DIY decor and she wears a "me-made wardrobe." Drea also completed many courses at the University of Las Vegas in the Fashion Design Certificate Program before she had to relocate home to Salem for family reasons. She loves to encourage others to try their hand at one fiber art or another and that is why she teaches classes for beginners. She wants to share the magic of making something that can be passed down from one loved one to another!   

Vanessa McNally (she/her) - Fiber Witch

Vanessa discovered her love for crochet in 2020, though she’s no stranger to yarn crafts, having learned to knit way back in 3rd grade. Despite her early start with knitting, she’s honed her expertise in crochet and is now exploring new knitting techniques to round out her fiber skills. Vanessa is a proud mother to a vibrant six-year-old girl, who’s already showing interest in crochet—a passion Vanessa can’t wait to share with her.

A recent addition to the Circle of Stitches team, Vanessa is eager to build connections and expand her knowledge in both the craft and the community. Known for her warmth and enthusiasm, she’s always happy to share tips with friends and fellow makers, helping others find joy in their creative journey. You’ll find Vanessa at the shop, ready to help you tackle any crochet project and chat about fiber art, music, and creativity.

The Circle of Stitches Difference

Circle of Stitches was founded in February 2015 by Ana Campos. Her vision was to create a place to combine her love of independent artists and fiber crafts. At Circle of Stitches, she brings together a carefully curated selection of gifts, homewares, and supplies for yarn lovers.

Circle of Stitches is a lifestyle boutique, a place for knitters, crocheters, and spinners to come together and share their passion. Ana is deeply committed to the handmade movement, and erasing public perceptions of lack of quality in handmade. Rather, making a project from start to finish is your opportunity to create couture pieces - made by you, for you, exactly the way you want.

Ana is herself a Master Knitter, and our whole staff is highly experienced and qualified. Circle of Stitches is not just a yarn shop, it is a collective of extremely knowledgeable women with a passion for teaching. When you come to us, you get so much more than yarn. We will not only help you pick the perfect yarn for your project, we will help you along the way and arm you with the tools and knowledge to grow as a maker and knit or crochet the projects you want! At Circle of Stitches, you will always be in good hands. 

Community

Without you, Circle of Stitches would not be possible! Circle of Stitches welcomes everyone to come make new friends. It is important to us that everyone feel comfortable and welcome in our space, so please keep this in mind when you're hanging out with us. 

Circle of Stitches is a safe, inclusive space. Everyone is welcome at Circle of Stitches, regardless of race, cultural background, nationality, religion, disability, gender expression and/or identity, sexual orientation, etc. 

To our trans friends: you belong here!

Fiber Arts Expertise

We pride ourselves in offering you high quality help and instruction. Our staff and teachers are all very knowledgeable and highly experienced. 

By shopping with us, you get access to our knowledge and expertise. If you need help on a project, come see us. We are happy to help you with a quick question, or look over your shoulder while you work on a project at the shop. If you need more extensive help, please come to a scheduled drop-in session or book a private lesson. We love helping, but we need to make sure we can pay attention to everyone at the shop. Check our calendar for upcoming classes and drop-in sessions. 

Interested in joining the Circle of Stitches team? View current available positions here!

We Care About the Environment

We want to do our part in taking care of our planet. We do offer recycled paper shopping bags, but please consider bringing a reusable bag from home. We have several totes and reusable bags for sale. Updated: Starting 1/1/2018, the City of Salem has implemented the Bring Your Own Bag Ordinance!

We have a growing selection of second-hand and vintage books, come check them out!