I set off in search of yarn stores close to my hotel at 50th and Lexington. The closest stores on Google maps were on 39th and 37th Streets in the garment district. I’d seriously injured my toes in new shoes on my night at the theater, so I was a little nervous that I’d be stuck a dozen short blocks from my hotel. Lyft was my insurance policy.
My list of shops included The Yarn Maven, Color Corrections People, and the School Products Yarn Shop. I sought out and found the Yarn Maven only to learn that it is not a retail outlet. I was a little daunted and I looked up the Color Corrections People on my phone and it turns out it is also a specialty shop for the fashion industry. I didn’t hold out much hope that the School Products Yarn Shop would turn out to be what I was looking for because the name suggested it would have yarn and felt for classroom crafts.
I found 13 East 37th Street and was encouraged by the sign that states “Oldest Yarn Shop in New York City.” I went to the elevator to get to the 6th floor and couldn’t figure out how to operate it. Then I remembered the guy sitting just outside by the sidewalk. Sure enough he was a elevator operator. Soon I was walking into a lovely shop full of cashmere and specialty yarns.
The proprietor, Berta Karapetyan, is also a designer of sophisticated sweater patterns. Her book Runway Knits is beautiful. I first fell for the Yak Yarn, then the cashmere for a very cute baby sweater pattern. Oops! I didn’t intend to buy so much yarn.
americanjulie.com 