This past weekend was the annual NYC Yarn Crawl and Hell0Nurse and Mike came down to romp around the city with Gannon and I. We hit 4 of the 12 stores and also stopped for rainbow bagels at The Bagel Shop and lunch at The Meatball Shop in Hells Kitchen. It was a really fantastic day and I’m so thrilled that we had so much fun.
Lion Brand Yarn Studio
Our first stop, and my personal favorite, was the Lion Brand Studio near Union Square. It’s full of yarns you can definitely find without the specialty shop, but the staff is warm and there are all kinds of fun little accessories as well. I also appreciate the abundance of yarns that I can crochet with, something that’s a little rarer to find as most of the local stores cater more toward knitting.
School Products Yarn
This one was a new trip for me. It took us a minute to find it because it’s set back into a building and on the 6th floor, but I’d definitely recommend visiting for the history alone. Established in 1947, its the oldest yarn store in NYC, nestled into a pre-war building in midtown. The elevator is a little iffy (think old school crank style), but once you arrive on the threshold, you’ll see the charm. Most of the yarns are far out of the budget for my usual projects, being a beautiful mixture of cashmere, wool, and silk, much of which is imported from Italy. We received warm welcomes and Berta showed us some of her favorite yarns as well, expertly telling us how many skeins of each we’d need for which projects. Definitely visit, but maybe take the stairs 😛
Knitty City
True to form, Knitty City was busy, inviting, and packed with people and yarn. Nancy met us at the door with yarn crawl buttons and an email signup for the raffles and then let us on our way to wander through the massive selection. If I need a specialty brand, even in summer, Knitty City’s got it, and will probably have it wound for you by the time you get there. You’ll also always find a group around the table knitting and chatting away, surrounded by gorgeous fibers and happy smiles. Did I mention that the owners name is Pearl? It’s just too perfect.
Purl Soho
Last but not least, we stopped by Purl, a quiet and amazingly tidy shop in SoHo. I’m always amazed at the perfection at Purl, somehow pristine and silent in the middle of Manhattan. They offer a gorgeous array of yarns, but also notions and fabric as well. It’s the perfect place to end a busy day of running around and we left with some cute bags as well.
All in all, we had a super fun day and I’m really grateful for Sarah and Mike traveling down to hang out and run around for the day. We had so much fun!
I’m already excited for the Brooklyn Yarn Crawl – coming in April 2019.
Happy Stitching!
