A terrific time was had by all at our first NEW YORK STASH EXCHANGE held in May.  It was fun and inspirational for Gotta Knit! customers and most surprisingly, extremely educational for us.  Being a project driven store (ie: we sell the right amount of yarn and suggest the perfect pattern for a specific project) we were amazed by the duffel bags full of stash that people arrived with.  We’ve been thinking about this alot since then, and have a few events in mind as a result.

We’d like to take this time to announce our first annual STASH BUSTER CLASS

what: a class in which those of  you who have so much yarn, but not enough for a complete project; or just a bit of this and a bit of that, will learn some interesting techniques to combine different colors, textures, and weights.

where: at Gotta Knit! of course! 14 east 34th street, 5th floor

when: Thursday, July 23rd 2009

how much: $15.00 bring your own stash and needles

So learn to make a beautiful garment using all the yarn in your stash, (and make room in your closet for that new pair of shoes) Call GottaKnit! 212 989 3030 to register.

Customers who have knit with us for years are familiar with our unique service of custom design and free pattern writing. They also know that this is the time of  year that we make our annual pilgrimage to Pitti Filati (Florence, Italy) to see the knitwear fashion trends for 2012.

This year’s theme at Pitti Filati was SENSO: A JOURNEY THROUGH THE SENSES.  In a time when there is so much uncertainty the one thing that humans can count on  is the 5 senses.  This is why knitters and those who love textiles feel such a sense of tranquility.  What is more serene than being around the colors, and  textures of beautiful yarns?

Here are some of the trends we saw for the coming years:

The COLORS of Precious metals and semiprecious jewels.  No matter how tough financial times are, we all need to wear clothes that make us feel a little rich.  Muted gold tones, silver, bronze and brass, together with  vibrant jewel tones will do just that.

METALLIC, METALLIC, METALLIC The metallic yarns are much softer and more subtle than in years past, making them more approachable for more people.  EVERYONE WILL BE WEARING METALLIC, and Gotta Knit has magnificent metallic runners in lots of beautiful colors to pair with all of our yarns.

VERY CROPPED (shrugs and boleros) OR VERY LONG SHAPES The garments we saw for 20012 were either very tiny, or easy luxurious tunics. There is less construction and more draping, allowing the human form to shape the garment.

Did anyone say EYELASH?  Yes, you heard it here first, folks.  For better or worse, eyelash is returning.

Most importantly, technology is running full speed ahead, creating yarns that are softer, lighter weight and more beautiful than ever before.  It is our goal to search out these high tech yarns that offer tremendous function but not falling short on luxury and comfort.

Come to Gotta Knit and take advantage of our unique design sense.  We can write a sophisticated looking pattern for even the most novice knitter. This is what we are known for.  This is how our experiences can benefit you!

Laura is knitting Madame DeFarge’s “register” of
names that  appears in the new Broadway Musical “A Tale of Two Cities”.

Some of you may have noticed that Gotta Knit was closed this past weekend. We went shopping!

We are so excited about what we saw (and bought) at yarn market, we just needed to share a little with you.

Many of you will be happy to hear that FAT IS BACK.  We found many more fabulous, fun, and fat yarns than we’ve seen in the past few years, and this will also be reflected on the runways and in fashion magazines.  So for those of you who need immediate gratification (and who doesn’t) there will be lots to choose from starting late August.

At the other end of the specrum is the ArtYarns mohair and silk glitter yarn; whisper thin, but easily knit on a large needle to create a gossamer like fabric that feels like heaven. You may have seen GottaKnit!s  SOME ENCHANTED EVENING JACKET published by artyarns and advertised in the spring issue of Vogue Knitting magazine.  We will have more colors to choose from in Splash and as always, when you purchase the yarn for the project at Gottaknit! we don’t charge you for the pattern.

As most of you know we have always had the best selection of cashmere anywhere. This year, there will be even more choice.  For those of you who love Classic Elite’s luxury collection, we just received the last bit of their gorgeous cashmere with shimmery metallic thread. So if you’re into a limited addition item to add to your collection, or have admired the sample tunic in the store, you need to purchase this yarn fast, as there’s very little left in the country.    Also, there will be more colors of GGH cashmere than ever before. For those of you that must have a little cashmere on your feet, we will be stocking a wide selection of Artyarns cashmere sock yarn.  This also makes a wonderfully luxurious baby garment as it’s machine dry-able as well as machine washable.  And don’t forget our annual Kashmir trunk show in late July.

Everyone adores Alpaca. And it really is the MOST affordable luxury yarn available. We’ve noticed over the years that alpaca just gets better and better. We’ve ordered it in many weights, styles and colors. You’ll find it at Gotta Knit! in solids, hand-dyed, and for those who are ecologically conscious, no dyes.

Choosing an eco friendly yarn does not mean relinquishing luxury. Gotta Knit will be stocking all the ECO-LUXE yarns we can find.

We have noticed that some of you simply must use acrylic. We have never stocked it because, frankly, we were never pleased with the quality. Now, however, we have found a yarn that we can actully describe using acrylic and luxury in the same sentence. For those in need of an acrylic yarn for babies that can withstand many machine washings, and still be extremely soft and not acrylicy, this is for you. For adults who can’t wear wool, we will have a beautiful chenille like yarn that is extremely sophisticated. Better yet, there is a new ultra fat chenille which will be great for hats, scarves, and even fingertip length coats.

We already have many more sock yarns  than ever before. By early August we will have a sock yarn with a small amount of silver glitter.  In these tough times we can all use a litter extra glitz.

The trend this fall is to work with the most beautiful, soft and luxurious yarns that money can buy, and which also show excellent value. Our customers have found that working with high quality yarns that last forever, and having custom patterns written to fit just right is the smartest way to shop.  All of the cashmere, alpacas, and merinos at Gotta Knit!will be perfect for these projects. To top it all off we will have the most amazing hand dyed merinos, and merino cashmere blends from Claudia Hand-painted, and Prism Yarns respectively. Look for an announcement of our Prism trunk show in early October.

We hope that you will be as excited by our purchases as we are; we chose with you in mind. The yarns will be starting to arrive in mid July. If you can’t wait that long come see our bulletin board with all the newest yarns.  Bring a copy of this article and we will give you a copy of our favorite stitch pattern. See You Soon!

Laura and Goldie

Entrepreneur magazine’s article “What’s Up With These Docs?”, profiles former doctors who found the best treatment was to take two aspirin and start a business in the morning.

Gotta Knit’s own Laura Eackloff, a former Podiatrist, is profiled.

Read about it here