I\'ve started doing that myself. Isaw some sock yarn in a knitting shop

Tag : wool sock

Comment | Refresh By Christine Storch
From Lake Ariel, PA, 07/22/2008
I completely disagree with these statements and as a 33 year old, Ican tell you that knitting is alive and well. Someone needs to cluethese women in on www.ravelry.com to see how many users there areor www.etsy.com to see how many crafters there are and how not onlyis this beautiful craft alive and well, but people are making"cottage industry" profits with it! Knitting/crocheting is stillgoing strong. I find the statement, "Worried women knit" to beridiculous. Women knit to turn string into fabric-to make somethingwith their hands-to give something hand-made to someone they love.The knitting world may have seen a surge post 9/11, but it wasn'tb/c "worried women knit." It was b/c that horrible event brought usall back into our homes, thinking about our loved ones and whatreally matters. And we wanted to make something to show this.Whoever wrote this needs to go to a knitters meetup to experiencethe knitting community in full swing and how things really are, notsomeone's swan song about their failing business. By Cat Duggan
From Teaneck, NJ, 07/22/2008
Jocelyn Grayson, right on! The headline made me twitch, too. I amdisgusted that NPR's editors let such a glaring spelling error slipby. By Judy schmitz
From tivoli, NY, 07/22/2008
Umm, not sure what planet your on, but just like every area in theworld, the web is where people shop - it has nothing to do withYARN, or knitting, it has to do with THE WEB.

I grow, and I continue to grow - and don't see any end in sight.

Judy@fabulousyarn.com By Barbara Solbrig
From Rochester, MN, 07/22/2008
Umm, two stores in one town do not a trend make. Did you consideryou may have the answer right there in your story? "A lot ofneighborhood stores opened up." All kinds of stores come and go,especially if there is a saturation in a small area. Look atStarbucks; do we really need four of those in a four block area?No, and they are closing shops due to over-exposure, but people arestill drinking fancy coffee. I believe I have heard you mention onyour show that success in business has a lot to do with customerservice and that is a big thing in the Local Yarn Store world. I(and a lot of my friends) will still be buying yarn from our LYSand the internet for years to come, no matter what happens to theeconomy. We will just be more choosy about what we buy and whatkind of service we get where. By Beeuw van Kuijeren
From ME, 07/22/2008
I have been knitting for 60+ years and I will continue to do so tomy last breath.Knit for the family, nit for friends and sell myknits. I wonder how much research you did. Did not hear anythingabout www.ravelry.com; a community for which 150.000+ knitterssigned up for in one year. And though one yarnstore closed anotherone whith more business savvy has openend and is doing just fine.May be people are not buying the $50.00 skeins anymore but goodquality yarn can be bought for less. By Patricia Kirtland
From Dillwyn, VA, 07/22/2008
Sad your story was so limited in content. I have had a yarn storefor 37 years and can tell you that the industry runs in cycles of7-10 years of ups and downs. During the growth years many storesget on the band wagon, but they don't know about the normalyindustry cycle and when the downturn come they find the didn't havetheir bills paid, expanded too fast and are facing the crunch offewer customers and end up going out of business. If they had a bitof business sense and ran a tight ship, they could weather the downtimes and be ready for the next peak. Our industry is great in aweak economy as more people are staying home and want something todo. With the state of the economy and the cost of heating our homesthis winter, this is the perfect time to get those needles clickingso you can lower the thermostat and still be comfey this winter. Asfar as the internet goes, yes internet sale are great for my store.However in the past there were also businesses that took awaybusinesses from the local yarn shop, this is not a new thing. Aslys owners we need to grow with the times and use the best businesspractices. We are no different than any other mom and pop storesout there competing with all the big boys, so we need to learn toplay the game better. By Jennifer Keller
From DC, 07/22/2008
I think it's that once people understand the yarn, feel it in thestores, get to know the brands that they like, then they switch toon-line sources for that yarn. I've started doing that myself. Isaw some sock yarn in a knitting shop, bought it, knit it, likedit. Now I'd like more. I love the yarn store and will definitely goback. But if I can't get there soon, I'll go on-line and buy moreyarn there. To me, this is the natural evolution of shoppingnowadays -- start in person and move to on-line when you get thefeel for the products. By Kim Christiansen
From League City, TX, 07/21/2008
I find it amusing that you associate the fact that some knittingstores going out of business with knitting going out of style. Ourknitting group meets every Monday and has grown from 6 - 10 peopleto 12 - 20 people in the last 4 months. Knitters may be buying morefrom online stores that comes from several reasons. 1) they areless expensive, 2) they are closer (Can't get any closer than yourPC) and 3) They get reviews from the ever growing online community.

Speaking of growing online communities. If you think knitting andcrocheting are dead... perhaps you should check out the Onlinecommunity called Ravelry. Multi thousands (as of November Ravelryhad 35,500 members with an average of 700 invitiations going outeach day) of knitting/crocheting members belong to it. Sounds likea dying hobby eh? By Jayne Dickinson
From Carefree, AZ, 07/21/2008
I'm not surprised to hear that the "trendy" knitting stores aredisappearing. As an avid knitter of over 40 years, I shop where Ican find good yarns, and great knitters. I agree with Amy fromShinglehouse, PA. that knitting will remain a hobby. Knitting hasbeen around for centuries, it's the trendy stores that stockexpensive yarns , in expensive locations, that most knitters don'tuse except once in awhile..it's not good business sense. No profitmargins...It is a shame that these stores are disappearing since itmade it more convenient to touch and feel different yarns and tomeet other knitters. However, the internet has a huge selection ofknitting blogs that I keep up to date with patterns, knittingguilds and supplies.

It was an interesting report, it just left me thinking. Thanks forreporting! I look forward everyday on my drive home.

Regards,
Jayne By John Snyder
From Coudersport, PA, 07/21/2008
I wholeheartedly agree with Amy's comment. Plus Amy is fortunate tohave a well-stocked yarn shop just down the road from Shinglehousein Coudersport--Olga's living with Art www.eggdecorator.com. Forwhat it's worth Coudersport is a town of less than 3,000. Beingable to see and FEEL the fiber makes a big difference whenselecting some. Keep on knitting! By Amy Mallison-Austin
From Shinglehouse, PA, 07/21/2008
Knitting may have "fallen out of favor" with the trendy set, butthere is a strong cadre of us who will never give up our hobby. Wedo use it to get through stress, we do it to make gifts for ourfriends and families, we do it to make great socks for ourselves.In the book "No Idle Hands: A Social History of Knitting inAmerica," author Anne L. MacDonald illustrates that women have beenknitting for their families, and to make a little coin on the side,for centuries. It may come and go as a fad for some, but knittingwill always be here to stay for those of us who love it. By Jocelyn Grayson
From CA, 07/21/2008
Next time, hire a knitter to do your reporting! It's P-U-R-L.