NYC Yarn Crawl: Lion Brand Studio

The second stop on my NYC Yarn Crawl (don't worry, there were only three) was at the Lion Brand Yarn Studio.  Lion Brand has been important to me since the beginning, because they were the first yarn I knit with and continue to be a staple for when I just need something basic (or machine washable).  You can get their yarn in almost any craft store (though not in most local yarn shops) or online, but they also have a dedicated shop in NYC.

This shop is known for its amazing window displays reflecting the season or some cultural event.  I am not sure what it is now, but when I went it was famous pieces of art replicated in knitting.  For example:

Van Gogh's Vase with 12 Sunflowers.  There are actually a number of versions of this painting.

Knitted.  With a picture through the window...sorry....

Picasso's Woman Asleep in an Armchair

Knitted version...with knitting, obviously.  And without the nip slip Picasso so thoughtfully added.

The inside of the store is equally cool.

The shop has lots of airy, open space and tables for people to sit and work at.

There are rows and rows of yarn stacked against the walls.

And there is a sampling wall where you can reel off a little yarn and see how it works up before making a purchase.

I made a purchase.  I loved working with Fisherman Wool when I made my Speckled Shrug (the one that never ended).  And I have been hankering to design my own sweater ever since I took the design class at Stitches South.

So I got three GIANT balls of Fisherman's Wool in Oatmeal.  I will wait until I am back in Atlanta to get started on this one (it is way too hot to deal with a sweater's worth of wool fabric at the moment), but I think it is gonna be good.