Saturday, March 17, 2007

Coventry, CT: The Knitting Nook

The Knitting Nook is a store that seems focused on community. This message comes through strongly on their website, which features the following statement on their home page:

Knitting is known to induce a calming effect – you are encouraged to bring your stash and/or project and join us! We make a pretty decent cup of coffee and have a comfy sitting area for you to fully enjoy the social aspect of knitting together. If we are open – you are invited!
The store is located in a small strip mall just off of Route 44 in Conventry, CT. It is very conveniently located between Hartford and the University of Connecticut, about 7 miles from UConn. The have very interesting business hours: they are closed Sunday through Tuesday, but are open from 9am to 9pm on Wednesday through Friday, and 9 to 6 on Saturdays. While I think the expanded evening hours are terrific, I am not sure that I would be too happy if I ran short on yarn on a Saturday evening -- I'd have to wait until Wednesday to get it. (OK, who am I fooling? I of course have enough stash that I could find something to knit for a few years before I'd really need to buy more yarn.)

Upon entering the store, I was immediately charmed by the lovely seating area to the left. It is arranged living-room style, with a couple of sofas and easy chairs arranged in a conversational setting. I could easily see myself sitting and knitting with a few friends , or striking up a conversation with a new knitting pal by just taking a seat. On this afternoon, there was nobody sitting and knitting there, and indeed, I didn't really see anyone in the store from my vantage point at the front door.

After my appreciation of the seating area, my next impression was one of extreme order and cleanliness. This store is spotless. Everything is in its place and there is no clutter to be found anywhere. However, that does not mean that it is sterile. The atmosphere is cozy and comfortable -- and really, really tidy. Yarn is arranged in free-standing fixtures that break up the store into comfortable browing areas, so that you don't really feel you are in a boxy strip mall store. Most yarn is shelved by brand, with baby yarns, luxury yarns, sock yarn and "staples" together by fixture.

As I browsed, a staff person walked out to greet me. She told me that there was a class going on at the back of the store but that if I needed any help, to feel free to come get her. I had not seen nor heard anyone in the back of the store, so I was surprised that a class was going on. I liked the fact that it was at the back of the store; often, the classes or groups are in the front or middle of the store, and I feel like I am intruding when I am shopping. The setup of the store is very conducive to shopping even while such a class is in progress.

The focus on community is carried through the store's yarn selection. The first fixture when you enter the store is stocked with local yarns. These are farmhouse yarns that, as a sign points out, "haven't left Connecticut." The producers are small local farms, and each was labeled with a bit of information about the farm, type of wool, etc. If I were vacationing in CT, I would certainly be justified in buying some of that yarn as a local souvenir. Yarns from Green Mountain Spinnery in Vermont are also featured.

Yarn brands carried by The Knitting Nook are Schaefer, Brown Sheep, Debbie Bliss, Filatura, Frog Tree, Cascade, Noro, Malabrigo, and Dealegarn. The sock yarn selection was fair, with many colorways of Trekking, Sockotta, Tofutsies, and Cherry Tree Hill.

The store features a very nice selection of books, and a few binders of patterns. These again are very organized, and it is easy to find what you are looking for. Most of the "hot" knitting books were represented in quantities of 3s and 4s, and most of the standard classic texts appeared to be in stock as well.

A small fixture houses needles from Clover and Addi Turbo, and another small spinner features notions such as tape measures, stitch holders, etc. The back wall behind the cash register highlights beaded row markers that are made at the store. These are the type of markers that can be worn as a bracelet or hooked onto a knitting bag; as you knit a row, you slide a bead from one end to the other to keep track of where you are in your knitting. At a price of $12, I thought these were a nice addition to the store, and I happily purchased one for myself.

The Knitting Nook has an extensive class schedule (this link opens an excel spreadsheet), for both kids and adults. They feature multi-week Learn to Knit and Intermediate knitting classes, multi-week project classes, and single-session project workshops. Current offerings include 3 different sock classes! There are also drop-ins, private lessons, and free charity-knitting sessions. Classes are conveniently scheduled for both daytime and evening hours.

I can easily see this becoming a favorite neighborhood knitting store for those that live in this area of Connecticut, and a destination for travelers in search of local Connecticut yarns. If I ever have some time in between meetings as I travel through Connecticut, I plan on stopping and spending some time knitting on one of their sofas. I suspect that I will be very welcome.