Knitters are becoming more plentiful and omnipresent. And it is always great to see a new perspective on an old craft. It was great to finally get into the new local store, Loopy Mango: Made for Making, with its own very special twist on merino yarn. Designed and manufactured by the owners of the store, they have a unique angle on a market that is always welcoming to working with fibers that lend themselves to projects that are distinct, durable and eye-catching.
My visit was short but long enough to take in the various hues and weights of the yarn. I will be returning to get my hands on some of the yarn to make yet another baby blanket once I know the gender of the baby with a summer delivery date. And I will certainly keep a look out for the class schedule on their website. I would definitely predict the store will be a fixture on Main Street for years to come despite yarns stores in the Hudson Valley coming and going (e.g., Out of the Loop in Hopewell Junction is slated to close; one in Cold Spring planning to open when a building renovation takes place after years of a hiatus since the popular Knittingsmith closed about 8 years ago.) The yarns offered at Loopy Mango are not competitive with those offered at Beetle and Fred (e.g., Brooklyn Tweed) on the other side of Main Street. It's nice to know Beacon is big enough for two stores with great yarns for local knitters!
Food for thought: As a maker (long before we called ourselves that) and a community participant, it makes me happy to announce that the "Knit Us As One" group will meet again for the third year as a registered participant in the World Wide Knit in Public Day, to be held on Saturday, June 9th from 2pm-6pm at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church. This year's theme will be 'yarn bombing' and we may plan a visit to the group that gathers on the corner of Main Street and Route 9D every Saturday afternoon to have some fun as we knit an item or two to 'resist'. Plan on joining us. You will be able to find information on the WWKIP website.
