Knitty City

I’m a beginning knitter and had a wonderful experience at Knitty City. Diane was incredibly helpful in answering all of my beginner questions about different yarns, different stitches, different patterns, etc. I walked out with some beautiful yarn and am really excited to start my next project! Thanks a ton!

I’m still a regular customer here, and I can report that it’s still just as great! It still has its great friendly, helpful, casual vibe and wonderful selection :)

Lovely knitting store with friendly and helpful staff, good selection of yarn in all wrights, books and free patterns and samples. There are also two tables where customers gather to work on projects.

Very unhelpful staff. I came here because I needed help and thought they could provide me more insight rather than just going to Michaels.
I walked in and wandered for about 10 minutes until I saw a staff member walk out and I had to approach her for help. After I explained to her I had no idea what I was doing, she told me to pick out my yarn and then we will continue from there. However, once I finished picking out my yarn, she was sitting at the knitting table sticking on labels and chatting with someone knitting. She forgot that she was helping me. I asked her if there was anyone else that was available to help since she was so busy talking to someone knitting. She didn’t even offer to continue to help like she said she would. By that point I just was fed up with the lack of help that they provide here and walked out. They are just as unhelpful as Michael’s.

New to knitting and since wanted to see the products by myself decided to pop my head but… what a mistake that was. The store was empty, there was no greeting, not a single soul asked if I needed help and after waiting and checking around for like 10 mins it got so bad that I had to ask another customer for help. Horrible service, sorry, NO service, terrible attitude and unwelcoming staff. Won’t be coming back.

Oh my God! Their staff is amazing!!! They are so patient and helpful. Mary helped me when I got stuck on a heel flap for a pair of socks. It is the first pair of socks I have ever knitted and it was so comforting to have the in person help. They are a great resource and have beautiful yarn. They are the best in the city!

I love to visit knitting/​yarn stores whenever I travel. This one seems like it would be OK, but it is VERY crowded with stuff and the store was quite busy. They got a large box of goods delivered; they had a difficult time maneuvering the dolly through the store around all their products and people. There are two tables… one at front of store near the books and patterns; another at back of store. The table at back of store was occupied with adults having a knitting «circle;» the table at the front was occupied by young children getting knitting lessons. Therefore, there was no way to get around them to look at the patterns. I can typically spend a couple of hours in a yarn store, but I didn’t feel comfortable here. WAY too crowded to casually peruse all the gorgeous yarns, notions, and patterns. I was disappointed.

I had enough time to find one yarn store in the city and went for this one. I was looking for a large selection of Tosh Merino Light, put all my stock in this shop, and luckily found a selection large enough to pick a good color to hopefully map out my 12-​color project and start working on it.
They have yarn that is pretty well organized – it’s in shelves on the wall and in baskets on the floor in front of the wall shelves and cubbies. I noticed Mad Tosh, Malabrigo, Neighborhood Fiber Co., and Sweet Georgia but there were a lot of other great yarns there.
The shop is small but not so small you can’t move around in it. I think they do a good job of stocking as much as they can without compromising shopping space. People were always nice when we had to stop and let each other pass around choke points in the shop (namely the cash register area). There was a small table in back with knitters, if I’d had time I would’ve been comfortable sitting down with them and chatting and knitting.

First time in store today. Store was busy and staff was both welcoming and helpful. I will definitely be back!

The cold season is back and I just left Knitty city with another awesome project, new color cowl will be Peacock Teal — can’t wait !!! Love this place and the ladies are super sweet and so amazing!

I just want to update my review to say that Knitty City now carries my hand dyed yarn brand. Everything I said below still stands — they are an awesome store and have always been, regardless of whether they stock my yarn. :)

To me, this shop is in my personal top three favorite shops in Manhattan for these reasons:
1. Crochet-​friendly (plenty of crochet books, hooks, and magazines in stock, plus they always have a few crochet samples worked up and on display so you can see how certain yarns work up);
2. A wonderful variety of yarns in stock and on display, making great use of all possible space – truly a LOT of yarn is jammed into this shop;
3. Their customer service is top notch, great attention to detail, willingness to help wind your yarn on a swift, and great at anticipating your needs or answering questions;
4. Location, location, location! Convenient to get to via the subway or bus, and no stairs to negotiate. The shop is ground floor and has a slight ramp descending into the shop, and while I doubt there is room to negotiate a wheel chair, it’s a bit more accessible than other shops nearby.
My only complaint? They’re closed on Tuesdays:) Truly a wonderful shop!

MY NEW FAVORITE YARN STORE IN NEW YORK CITY! Simply THE BEST! Mary is a fabulous teacher (I took 3 classes from her and can’t wait to take more!) and their yarns are gorgeous and fun! It’s a wonderful atmosphere. Makes you want to come and stay and be a part of the energy and positive creativity! They also have lots of fun events happening! It’s just a great place! SO happy I found it!

A very welcoming crafts store. Beautiful yarn, good quality supplies and helpful employees. Lots of swatches to view how a yarn knits up in a pattern.
Also, if you are having a problem following a pattern, you can pop in here for help.

Great neighborhood yarn store (unfortunately, not in MY neighborhood). Very helpful ladies work here, always willing to look for a yarn you need, i.e. match a lot number or order a yarn color they don’t have in stock. I recommend.

I LOVE yarn. Love love love love yarn. I started knitting a bit over a year ago, and I fell in love and did I mention I love yarn?
Anyway, I’ve been to a bunch of knitting stores around the city and I have my few go-​to spots. This is one of them — they have an extensive collection of different yarns and brands. Yes, they can get pretty expensive when you move towards the high end yarns. As is almost every other yarn store in Manhattan. That being said, you can find more reasonably priced yarns here that are nice yarns. You might be able to find some yarns online for cheaper prices, but not by much (at least that’s what I’ve found.) They all pay high rents, we all pay high prices. Goodbye savings… oh well.
I have found the staff helpful, and they even helped me hand-​wind some of the yarns I purchased (they weren’t busy at the time). I’ve been to this store a few times, and have always been satisfied and left with yarn for fun projects.
The con: the store is tight and can get crowded. Sometimes it can feel like a trader joe’s during rush hour. In those times, don’t expect that the staff will spend the extra time to go the extra mile. It’s just not going to happen. I try not to go during super busy times. There’s always at least a few people in the store.
Note: They have classes, but I cannot attest to the quality of classes as I haven’t taken any. I also have not purchased knitting needles here — I mostly buy my needles at another store that has the specific kind I like. I’m stubborn. That’s not their fault. ;)
If you’re in the area — pop by. Take a look. Maybe get some yarn. Dogs seem to be welcome!

Absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! I wish I lived in NYC to take advantage of this wonderful community here at Knitty City!
They carry nice yarn to high end yarn. Location is convenient and the staff is helpful and friendly.
It’s interesting that people will complain that the yarns are expensive… but good yarn IS expensive! It takes a lot of work to raise the animals… then shear them… then process the fiber and spin and dye. If you want to work with crunchy acrylic, then stick with shopping at Michael’s… but frankly putting in all that work and effort to knit/​crochet something with acrylic is akin to making a fancy dish with subpar ingredients. It’s going to only be as good as the yarn it is.
Store is on the small side but it is lovingly cramped and warm.
Pearl, the owner along with her staff are extremely welcoming!
Convenient to the subway system!

As a newbie knitter, I found this store very enchanting. The yarn is gorgeous, more expensive than what you would pay at Michael’s but clearly a higher quality too. The staff is very warm and helpful. If it takes a while to catch an employee’s attention, it is probably because they are so intently focused on helping whichever customer they are with at the time. I was left to my own devices for a while, but when they did help me they were very interested and obliging.

Very small store but full of tons of yarn, books and super friendly and helpful staff. Conveniently located, half a block away from the 1 train at 79 st. Will return when I have a specific project in mind.

From the moment I walked in and was greeted with a big smile from Devon behind the counter till I left with my yarn and needles, the whole knitty city experience was a joy. The store was quite crowded both with paying customers and regulars sitting around and knitting. The staff was handling the hustle and bustle with calm and good humor, even though they were also setting up for an event later in the evening.
I brought in a lacy scarf that developed a gaping hole, discovered while blocking it. They took it and gave it to their knitting surgeon, Lisa. It was repaired by the next night for a very reasonable fee. I am pleased beyond saying.