New York's Yarn Shops
There are only three categories of purchasables that genuinely motivate me to shop: books, food, and yarn, in that order. Since independent bookstores have been done, and I don't want to bore you with my philosophical musings on Pathmark, deli counters, and self-checkouts, it looks like I'll be pointing you in the direction of fuzzy bunches of mohair and bamboo knitting needles. Hooray! In the past 10 years, yarn shops have gone the way of a lot of small New York businesses, transforming from mom-and-pop joints into upscale boutiquey venues with a painstakingly "curated" array of goods. The latter shops are fun for browsing, but when you calculate that your knitted sweater pattern will take upwards of $150 and 18 hours of labor to create, the whole do-it-yourself ethic loses it appeal. If balls of cashmere fibers don't get you going, perhaps the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef Project at the World Financial Center will. Pictured at left, the exhibit seeks to raise awareness about dwindling coral reefs, but at the very least, it should convince you to pick up that crochet hook and join the rest of us cool I-craft-on-the-subway folks. (photo)
Annie & Company
1325 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10128
Despite its location on posh Madison Avenue, this gigantic craft store has the down-home feel of your grandma's living room. Oh yeah, and they have security dogs to protect such brands as "Alchemy: Yarns of Transformation" and "Jagger Spun."
Brooklyn General Store
128 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Housed in an old general/department store of yesteryear, this yarn-fabric-notions combo is very quaint and warm: it hosts classes such as "Mama/Baby Knitting," and there are frequently little tots crawling about. Also, it's pretty much a mirror image of my idealized life: teaching people how to crochet toys at $65/hour with my babbling progeny at my toes (read: free daycare) and calling this all "work."
Daytona Trimmings
251 West 39th Street, New York, NY 10018
Garment District shop windows too often display hideous prom dresses and bolts of scary neon fabric, but luckily there are the old-school trimming shops. Daytona's small upstairs nook has a basic yarn assortment at reasonable prices, and I recommend bargaining over the price just because you can.
Knit-A-Way
398 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Hands down, this is my favorite New York yarn shop since Fulton Mall's humbling throwback Sav-A-Thon closed. Knit-A-Way stocks the full array of yarns, from the cheapo Red Heart acrylics to the pricey cashmeres and wools, providing endless inspiration for my crazy Etsy shop creations.
Knit New York
307 East 14th Street, New York, NY 10003
Part store and part cafe, Knit New York is one of the more airy, not-totally-pretentious Manhattan yarn shops -- you can actually sit down with a project and get to work, without being part of an intimidating class. A $25 purchase will even get you some beginning knitting or crochet lessons.
Michael's
5106 Northern Boulevard, Woodside, NY 11377
Sometimes all you want is the massive fluorescent Wal-Mart-esque craft store, complete with shopping carts and uninterested staff, and so, be thankful that there is Michael's. Way out in Woodside, Queens, the store is only one wide block away from and R train, if you aren't up for the full-on suburban excursion via zipcar. And yes, that is Vanna White there on her very own brand of yarn.
Purl
137 Sullivan Street, New York, NY 10012
You know the idiotic feeling of ordering the grilled cheese off of the kids' menu at a fancy restaurant, just because you don't know what any of the "real" entrees are and you can't afford them anyway? That's what shopping at Purl is like: there are streaks of superiority emitting from every staff member and every skein of yarn as I frantically search for the $5-and-under bin; eventually I realize I am out of my league and awkwardly exit.
The Point Knitting Cafe
37A Bedford Street, New York, NY 10014
Rather than scheduling many generic-sounding classes like "Beginners" and "Advanced", this knitting+cupcakes hub gets specific: sign up for "Felted Wine Bag," "Cotton Onesie," and "Spindle Spinning," so that you actually walk away with something functional. Ok, "functional" may be pushing it a bit.
