Libby Beckett has come home to Collinstown, Maryland, to fulfill a dream and start over. Last year's messy divorce from her devious pharmaceutical executive husband has given her enough money to finally open her own yarn shop along the Chester River. Opening Y.A.R.N. has taken creativity, funds, and nerve--and Libby finally has enough of all three. To Libby, Y.A.R.N. stands for You're Absolutely Ready Now, but the acronym changes whenever it needs to, and customers add to the list of suggestions that fill the blackboard wall in the shop.

Libby is thrilled when she lands famous Norwegian knitting celebrity Perle Langager to host a knitting tutorial at Y.A.R.N. Libby's English bulldog, Hank, has been modeling one of Perle's doggie sweaters, and customers just can't wait to see Perle in action. But once she arrives in Collinstown, Perle seems distracted and on edge. And when she's found dead in the back of Libby's shop, Libby knows she has to solve a knotty mystery and save Y.A.R.N before her new life unravels.