Are We Knitting Yet?

Our Tuesday Morning Knitalong Group

Contrary to what you might by now be thinking, we actually do get a fair amount of knitting done around here. Take my Tuesday Morning Knitalong group....please! (Just kidding, ladies). Originally referred to as the February Ladies (named of course after their first project), they kick off our week with an enthusiatic bang. Bustling through the doorway with coats, bags, more bags and if we're lucky, baked goods, they surely keep me on my toes. And although it's often difficult (like impossible) to get a word in edge-wise, their unbridled enthusiasm for the latest yarn, pattern or project is truly contagious. And can they ever knit! Within a few short months, they've completed their February Lady cardigans in Dream In Color Classy, gorgeous lined bags from the winter issue of Interweave Knits in Brown Sheep Superwash and are ripping through the killer Ellemyra Shrug (have you seen it yet?) in hand-dyed Patagonia cotton, perfect for the upcoming warm weather. My favorite thing about these talented ladies though, besides their amazing knitting skills is their incredible generosity- not only towards each other but especially to any newcomers that happen through the door. (Inserting my own little piece of unsolicited advice here is that if by any chance this is not the feeling you get upon entering a yarn shop, turn around immediately and find the nearest exit). Not that any of this should be news to all of you, but knitting really is about community. I get to see this every single day but come around any Tuesday morning (or Thursday night for that matter...but that's another post) and you'll see this age-old occurence in action for yourself. What a continual joy it is to share in this.

Movin' On Up

Our shelf unit collapses in the
middle of Main Street

Although we tried to be as creative as possible, it did not take long to outgrow our measely 400 square feet. If you are familiar with where we are located in Babylon village, then you know that retail vacancies are rare and rents are generally astronomical. We patiently bid our time hoping for just the right new spot. An initial deal fell through but fortunately a better one replaced it. Two years after opening, we made the big move just around the corner to our present location at 57 West Main Street. Although still not big enough for all we'd like to do, our new space is warm and far more accomodating. The downside is it's not being entirely visible from the street. Located down a driveway and behind another store, new customers sometimes have difficulty finding us but seem to be quite happy once they do. Our large central knitting table, usually filled with our favorite cast of characters is always welcoming. Before long, total strangers become good friends, not only sharing their latest knitting accomplishments but often their deepest secrets. The near instant comraderie among knitters never ceases to amaze me. Most days, I really love this business.

18 Fire Island Avenue

After a particularly grueling summer of painting, building shelves, meeting with yarn reps, ordering inventory and knitting up samples at breakneck speed, we opened the Village Knitter in September 2006. Our tiny 400 square feet did not deter us. It's hard to believe now but initially we had all to do to fill the minute space. One day, like a miracle, a soft-spoken woman I had met through Knitters Review wandered in and offered her help. Little did I know at the time that Joy





was one of the most accomplished knitters on the planet! Her early encouragement and assistance was truly inestimable. In our first six months, we taught beginning knitting classes to nearly two hundred eager students! It seemed everyone and their sister wanted to learn to knit. Unfortunately, Joy's tenure here was short-lived as she awaited a teaching position that all-too-soon materialized. During the next six months, the shop grew in leaps and bounds, hosting charity events benefitting our local Care To Knit organization as well as a fantastic handbag workshop taught by none other than the brilliant Louisa Harding. Finally it seemed, my timing had been correct. I had all to do to keep up the excitement while learning the day-to-day intracies of running a busy yarn shop. The biggest problem (as any seasoned yarn shop owner will tell you) was never having any time to knit!

Fast Forward

When a favorite storefront of mine became vacant at about the same time I decided that perhaps I really wasn't a french teacher, I knew I had to act fast. Fortunately, I had spent nearly all of the previous year preparing myself. During that time, I embarked on a crash course in everything that had taken place in the knitting world since my first go-round. Yikes...it was almost like re-learning to walk. So many new yarns, companies, publications, techniques, and of course, there was the Internet!!! (Thank goodness, Ravelry hadn't been invented yet). Even today-nearly three years later, it's still a constant struggle to stay abreast of it all. But I really wouldn't have it any other way.

The Non-Knitting Years

As I wrote in my previous post, the opening day of my first yarn shop coincided nicely with my son's first day of kindergarten. Ironically, the opening day of my current shop coincided with his first week of college. (I'll let you do the math). The years between are mostly a nonstop blur of the usual family hyperactivity. Besides having a third child, my inability to say no to anyone for anything pretty much kept me out of the knitting loop. (To be honest, it was really too painful to think about knitting). One thing led to another, as they often do. A casual soapmaking hobby led to accounts with Bed Bath & Beyond and HomeGoods. My occasional freelance food writing led to a guest appearance on the Food Network; and finally, filling in at my kids' school led to a permanent position teaching French. However, although I barely had time to cast on a scarf project, the voices of the knitting demons inside my head kept getting louder and louder. "Go back," they screamed. Could I really do that? If so, I knew I had a lot of catching up to do.

Back in the day

My first yarn shop, Amityville, NY, circa 1993

For those of you who don't already know me or do not frequent our shop or website (http://www.villageknitter.com/), please allow me a formal introduction. After all, who am I and why should you even be reading this? Does the world really need yet another knitting blog? (Answer: YES YES!) Like many of you, I was not actually born with knitting needles in hand. Newly married, I was inspired to knit by my mother-in-law's Florida poolside knitting group. In 95 degree heat, in bathing suits and coverups, there they were actually knitting angora Anny Blatt sweaters! I had to have one and I had to make it myself. Back home in New York City, I enrolled in an adult ed class with 24 students and one frazzled instructor. Needless to say, I was immediately smitten and the rest is, you know, history. Within no time, I was teaching others, designing patterns and signing a lease on a simply charming space in the quaint suburban village where I had recently moved. Perfectly timed to my son's first full day of kindergarten and daughter's first day of nursery school, I breathlessly flew open the doors of my first yarn shop. Never mind that this was 1993 and knitting, not being what it is today, there were maybe all of six knitters within a 50 mile radius, including myself. I was determined to spread the WORD and ignite the world with the power of knitting. Never mind also, things like child care, endless class trips and paying the rent. In retrospect, I suppose I was really just a few years ahead of the soon-to-come knitting explosion. And although the needs of my growing family took priority and forced me to sell my beloved little shop, I certainly wasn't finished inspiring others to knit. In fact, I had only just begun.

Baby Steps

So...the first post of my first blog ever-hmmm, not just a little intimidating! But don't worry, I've never been at a loss when it comes to writing, whether about knitting or just about anything else. Quite the opposite actually, so you'll have to figure out a way to muzzle me if I get distracted. (Speak to my kids for some creative ideas about that). Why I've waited nearly three years after opening The Village Knitter to start a shop blog will remain one of the great mysteries. But let's not cry over dropped stitches now. I have lots to share with you all. I'll try, as much as possible, to stick to knitting but I'm not promising anything just yet. Stay tuned!!!!