Introducing our new E-Commerce Manager: Marissa Irwin

Meet Marissa – our newest team member! Marissa grew up in Branford, a small shoreline town in Connecticut, US. After graduating from university, she moved to the UK for a job in financial services and has been here ever since (nearly 10 years!).We catch up with her to discover what makes her tick and why she’s a natural in her new role as A Yarn Story’s e-commerce manager. 

Hi Marissa, and welcome to AYS! Can you tell us a little about how you came to join the team, and what your job involves?

Before AYS, I worked in financial services across a number of roles at the same firm, doing sales, operations and marketing. I really enjoyed my time there and made many lifelong friends, but ultimately I always knew I wanted to do something less corporate and more creative.

 I love working with my hands and helping small businesses. I also design my own line of handcrafted jewellery, but when Carmen posted the e-commerce manager job on Instagram, I immediately emailed her! It feels so special to be a part of such a lovely community of like-minded yarn enthusiasts. As e-commerce manager I help keep the website up to date and assist the team with anything digital, including adding new products to the site, writing blog posts, implementing new SEO strategies, crafting newsletter templates and interpreting Google analytics. 

You mentioned that you are very creative and design your own jewellery – do you also knit?

Yes! I first became interested in knitting as a young girl when I was visiting my grandmother in Florida and saw her knitting. She taught me when I was about eight or nine years old. I would get excited about it when I was with her and then forget about it when I went home – only to repeat this pattern for a few more years. Truthfully, I never finished any of my first projects! But I officially caught the bug shortly before the pandemic and I've been knitting non-stop ever since.

What is it about the craft that inspires you?

I love the fact I can see a jumper in a shop and then go to Ravelry, find a pattern and create something similar with my own two hands. The idea that I can create my own bespoke wardrobe is just so exciting. I love how knitting fills up gaps of time that I would otherwise waste staring at my phone – I now knit waiting in line pretty much anywhere! Knitting helps me relax and occupy my mind, and helps me to be present, which I think has been really important, especially over the course of these past challenging years.

What do you like to knit the most, and what are your favourite yarns?

Jumpers for sure! I just love the final product and being able to wear them. Yarn-wise, I'm a huge fan of mYak – I think the quality is incredible and I really love their colour palette. I also love knitting with CaMaRose Snefnug. I knit my very first sweater using it – the Sunday Sweater by PetiteKnit – and it’s just so soft and warm.

See Marissa’s jewellery on Instagram @marissairwindesigns