On September 10th, 2001, Janet Avila was laid off from her job.
On September 11th, she lost her brother in the World Trade Center.

In the weeks that followed, she picked up her knitting because it was the only thing that let her sit still. Simple patterns. Quiet repetition. Enough space between stitches for her mind to rest, and then, slowly, to think.

What she thought about was this:
What kind of world do we live in? How can we make it better?

She had always loved to knit as a creative outlet. What she discovered in her grief was that it was actually good for you. Studies have now shown that knitting and crochet can help alleviate depression, anxiety and grief. It also lowers blood pressure and improves brain health. In short, the world would be better off if more people knit.

So in 2004, she opened a yarn shop. But, not just any yarn shop — she needed to have both a local and a global impact. So, she filled our shelves with products from organizations trying to make the world better, and carried yarn from makers doing the same. She wanted the act of buying something beautiful to be an act of conscience.

That shop is String Theory. Going strong for over twenty years. Still doing exactly what Janet set out to do.

Have more questions? See our FAQ page.

String theory — the physics kind — is the idea that everything in the universe is made of the same vibrating threads of energy. Not separate things interacting with each other. The same thing, connected, all the way down.

Janet named this shop after that theory because she believes it’s true about people too. The thread in your hands connects to the land it came from, the people that spun it, the charity funded by your purchase, and the person who will eventually wear what you make. None of these things are separate. They are one continuous thread.

This is the operating principle of everything we do. We choose our yarn by following the thread — asking where it came from, who made it, what it supports, and where it goes next. We believe that a small act, done with intention, connects to something larger. Every time. That’s String Theory.

Studies show that knitting and crochet lower heart rate, reduce anxiety, and interrupt the loop of anxious thought. Janet didn’t need a study to tell her that — she lived it. We’ve watched it happen in our shop for more than two decades, in the hands of people carrying all kinds of things. We take this seriously. We are not just selling yarn. We are tending to something.

Every skein on our shelves was chosen because it is good for somebody, somewhere. We carry organic, fair trade, and regeneratively farmed fibers. We support women-owned and Black-owned businesses. Our yarns tell a story.

Through our newsletters, classes and knitalongs we are building a community in-store and across the country. You can find your people here. Through fundraisers like the annual Scarf Market, we have raised over $80,000 for members of our local community facing housing and food insecurity.

Janet opened String Theory in 2004 with a conviction that knitting could change the world — the inner world first, and then the outer one. More than twenty years later, she still believes it. She built this shop to carry yarn that matters, foster a community that shows up for each other, and prove that a small store in a Chicago suburb can have an outsized impact on the world. She is the reason String Theory exists. The team is the reason it thrives.

Emily makes the connections between String Theory and our community. She also creates window displays that tell our story to those just walking by.

Liz is responsible for finding the best instrucotrs and bringing them to String Theory to teach. In addition, she has taught hundreds of people to knit, and she brings to every class what her students remember longest: patience, humor, and the genuine belief that everyone in the room can do this.

Good yarn connects us all and Meg likes to help people see how. Whether she is teaching a class, hosting a knitalong or telling us about the latest book she read and how it relates to knitting, she helps us find connection with our craft and each other.

Beth keeps String Theory running. She is the person who makes sure the yarn gets where it needs to go, the systems work, and the shop is ready for whatever the day brings. She is also an avid maker whose eye for detail shows up equally in her knitting and in everything she manages behind the scenes.

Kristen has been teaching at String Theory for about 20 years. She can do anything: knit, crochet and tunisian crochet. We have yet to ask her a question that she can't answer.