The Lion Brand Yarn Studio

Here I am knitting away as I enjoy the Shirley Paden event.

I have mixed feelings about Lion Brand yarn and The Lion Brand Yarn Studio.  Traditionally they seem to have been a largely acrylic yarn company, but lately they have changed their yarns and their image.  As part of this change they opened a retail store in NYC which is becoming one of my favorite local yarn stores.  They are trying to provide reasonably priced and easy to use yarn for more traditional knitters (acrylic, acrylic blends, wool, wool blends) as well as interesting colors and materials (cashmere, organic cotton, superwash wool, stainless steel) for more adventurous knitters.  They also have a large front window that change monthly.
Sometimes it is hard to find a place to knit and The Lion Brand Yarn Studio has smartly arranged free activities in the store that provide a place to knit and encourage you to buy things from their store.  From their movie night to their themed open knitting nights to designer book talks I find myself there rather a lot.

So far these are the events I've participated in:

• Lily Chin's book talk was a pleasant surprise.  I was put off by the retro style of the book, but I loved listening to Lily's tips and the trials of getting the book to print. 

• Nicky Epstein's talk and sample show was fun but not as engaging as Lily Chin's talk.  I think this was because Nicky Epstein talked less about her work and more just showed off the samples.  However it was very cool that she let people try on the samples and look at them really closely.  

• The talk that I was most excited about was Shirley Paden's.  I'd come across some of her amazing designs in a variety of knitting magazines and I want to knit each one more than the next.  From the structure to the texture her patterns are interesting and challenging and maybe a little intimidating.

• The Lion Brand Yarn Studio also participates in some other interesting things like handing out Subway Fiberphiles buttons. 

• Flicks with Sticks is a great way to spend a Thursday evening.  This is where they show a movie that has knitting in it.  So far I've been amused to watch Calendar Girls and The Seven Year Itch and to look for the knitting scenes in each.