Knitty Couture

I am sad that this wonderful yarn shop is now closed. :(
I went here back in November/​December of last year to get some yarn to make a scarf. The owner (with her baby!) was sooo kind and knowledgeable about knitting and yarn products. I was really sad when I realized the store closed. The prices were a little high on some things but I guess that was due to rent/​lease being costly because of the prime location of the Loop! I suppose other people figured maybe the prices were too high and decided not to shop here? D: Anyway… maybe she closed for other reasons, I can only speculate. But anyway the shop will be missed! I now buy my yarn at Paste Crafts in Soulard because it’s still closer to me than the nearest Jo Ann fabrics and the service is way better than a big chain. Don’t sweat the small stuff!

This place has nice yarn but they are closing at the beginning of the year. :(

I had such high hopes for this place — the name alone elicits thoughts of a fun, eclectic shop in one of the best neighborhoods in the Lou. Sadly, not enough people thought the same way as me (or maybe STL is just short on hard core knitters). — not only is this place going out of business, but it was really obvious they were going out of business. Their shelves were bare, and the choices were very, VERY limited (NONE of the fabulous, high quality yarns other reviewers speak of were anywhere to be found). I get that — but it’s still a major bummer.
I’m also a bit annoyed by the fact that the salesperson didn’t offer to wind my yarn (and I forgot to ask), so I’m stuck begging the local shop in Chicago to let me use their winding machine (at which point, they’ll give me «the look» and tell me I have to do it myself, since I didn’t buy the yarn from them). Booness.
The highlight of the experience is the fact that everything in the store was 20 percent off — if you can find something worth buying in what they have left, you’ll find a great deal.

The product is fantastic, the owner is Fantastic, the employees are very helpful and not pushy! The owner has gone out of her way to special order yarn for me. The book selection is exciting. The knit in night on Thursdays and knit in day on Sunday are so much fun. If you want to feel at home in a knit shop, Knitty Couture is your second home. I have withdrawals when I can’t make it to the shop at leasat once a week.

Knitting at Knitty Couture’s Sunday knitalongs was the first thing to help me feel at home in St. Louis. The staff and regulars are incredibly open, welcoming and helpful. The shop is beautifully designed with comfy couches and walls of beautiful, touchable, lustable yarn. It is almost impossible for me to cross the threshold without buying something, even though more yarn is the last thing I need.
It is a little home to me, and it would be to you too — so come in!

Last night, led to the loop once again by my oavaries calling for Fro-​Yo, I decdied to stop in.
The place has a comfotable home/​workshoppie feel. I was immediately approched by a woman, who I later learned is the owner of the shop. She asked if I needed help, and she gave me the space I needed to take in all the loveliness the shop had to offer.
Knitty sells a wide array of high-​quality yarns. And when I say high end, I mean organiclly grown cotton blends, the softest wools you’ll ever touch, things with sparkels, the most colorful yarns in every fiber artists dreams. There are even bags of raw wool for spinning, which is something I aspire to do one day. Not only does Knitty have the high end things, there is also a nice variety of modestly priced wool in a great variety of color that you will never find at your chain craft store.
I felt my way around the store, and settled on a few skiens that I plan to use on fingerless mittens for Christmas gifts. The owner has this great machine that rolls the skines of yarn for you into more managable balls.
A few more things Knitty offers–
Free workshops one weekend of the month. Group classes for every level of knitter starting at 20 dollars a session, private lessons for 5 dollars more, a nice selection of instructional knitting books. A lovely selection of hand-​carved knitting needles.
I’m not a knitter, but I *am* a crocheter. I’ve been wanting to expand my repetoir into knitting because it is a more versitile fabric. Knitty single-​handedly inspired me to get there.

I wish I could be an amazing knitter. Maybe some day. Actually, I’m not terrible, just really, really slow. I guess that’s a good thing, in a way, because I don’t spend the massive amounts of money on projects that I know people often do. Actually, writing this is reminding me that I need to start working on the light-​weight orange scarf I have been neglecting. I did purchase the wool and needles for it at Knitty Couture.
Knitty Couture is the hip knitting store in town. This doesn’t make it better or worse than a store like Knitorious (also a good shop), but it is different. Aside from being hip, it’s also cozy. The workers are younger than the often old-​lady crowd that works at other shops. Also, men work there! Or maybe it’s just one guy, I can’t remember. You can sit on the couch and get help learning a stitch or test drive (test knit) some yarn and/​or needles before making a purchase.
If you’re looking to up your skills a bit, you can take a class. Check out their website or ask in the store for details on that. They also have a supply of knitting books to look at and purchase.

I am not a knitter.
But I secretly want to be one.
While living in London, I stayed in a knitting house. It was a guesthouse in the second story of what was actually a knitting fashion label. They made gorgeous runway fashions and until that moment, I never knew you could do so many wonderful things with a pair of knitting needles and some yarn.
I took a few classes with the owner and found that I truly enjoyed the tranquility that comes from sitting alone and knitting something. True, the scarf I made for my mom is only the length of ¼ of her neck and I made some terrible mistakes on the plane ride home with no idea how to fix them.
I walked inside this gorgeous knitting boutique, with colored yarn stacked on the walls and all around the store, and felt like I was in a very cool living room. I asked about classes, saying first, «Do you have any classes that help fix your mistakes?»
I was only joking, but turned right to the class in the brochure that said «Fix Your Mistakes.»
Okay, then. There may be help for me yet.

Being a new transplant to STL, I was in search of a local yarn store, and was delighted to find Knitty Couture in the Loop. The shop is very cozy, warm & inviting — they have a nice selection of yarn, a little sitting area to hang out and knit in the middle of the store, a selection of books (although I didn’t get take a look at them this time around), and super-​friendly sales people who helped me pick out some skeins for my little knitting projects. Granted, I haven’t been to any other local shops yet, but I’d definitely return to Knitty Couture.