Our plan was to visit Annie & Co. Needlepoint & Knitting, Knitty City, and The Yarn Co. in that order.
Like the name says, Annie & Co. is half needlepoint and half yarn. We were greeted by the needlepoint woman who was very nice and explained the way the shop was set up. Robbie and I made our separate reconnaissance' around the shop. The shop was well lit, lots of yarns to choose from, and tables to sit at.
I liked the Double Scoop Scarf/Shawl knit with Prism Saki (Fingering: 75% Merino, 25% Nylon, 440 yards) and Heritage Sock yarn (Fingering: 75% Merino, 25% Nylon, 437 yards). I know it may come as a shock to you, I believe I have a gorgeous skein of Saki that I've had for years that has be languishing without a project. There might even be some Heritage Silk Sock lying about too. What are the odds? Well, pretty good actually.
Robbie admired the Exploration Station that one of the shop girls was wearing. She picked up the yarn to knit it. There is a section with Brioche in it. I told Robbie, we will be together when she is knitting that section!
We enjoyed shopping at Annie & Co. the shop girls were helpful and fun. We enjoyed listening to their banter as we shopped and they invited us back to knit.
Before hitting Knitty City, we had an AMAZING breakfast at the Irving Farm Coffee Roasters. Delish!
Fully fed and caffeinated, we were ready to visit Knitty City. I really liked this shop. There was an eclectic assortment of knitting bags, notions, and fun stuff.
Knitty City had a really good energy, the shop was filled with people sitting and knitting, a class, and of course shoppers. I re-introduced myself to Pearl, the owner, who I have met on other occasions. There was a wide variety of yarns ranging from major companies like Cascade to smaller indie dyers.
Best of all, there was a huge book section which is so rare nowadays when everyone flocks to Amazon. I was able to look through a number of titles that interested me. Robbie and I were totally absorbed in the yarn and the books. I have a feeling that this was a random picture by accident. A photo equivalent to pocket dialing someone. I love it though, especially since Robbie wouldn't let me take any pictures of her in front of yarn stores. Gotcha! She was a happy camper.
There was a customer with a LeSportsac with knit stitches!!!! I tried to find it online but was unsuccessful. It's not that I necessarily want it either. It's that it exists that gets me.
Our last stop was Yarn Company. We learned that this is the oldest shop in NYC, 37 years. In that time it has seen several owners. The shop has carved out a very specific niche so as not to be (I guess) redundant amidst other NYC shops. They specialize in indie dyers, exclusive colorways, and exclusive patterns. There were two binders of samples from which you could buy the yarn and get the pattern. All the samples were on hand. It reminded me of an art gallery for some reason.
Having met our goals, we went back to Robbie's apartment to knit for a while and play with yarn. It was a terrific trip. We each had our favorites, some overlapping. When we go into a shop, I can go off and do my own "thing". Robbie wants to feel engaged with the staff and energy of the shop. I totally get that.
It was also inspiring to walk around NYC and see what people were wearing. It was cold enough that there were still an abundance of scarves and hats. I took many a clandestine picture of inspirational knits.
Having met our goals, we went back to Robbie's apartment to knit for a while and play with yarn. It was a terrific trip. We each had our favorites, some overlapping. When we go into a shop, I can go off and do my own "thing". Robbie wants to feel engaged with the staff and energy of the shop. I totally get that.
It was also inspiring to walk around NYC and see what people were wearing. It was cold enough that there were still an abundance of scarves and hats. I took many a clandestine picture of inspirational knits.
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