Life Imitates Art

Daniel and Hugh, as seen on a steadily raining day.When I ordered tickets to see Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman on Broadway in “A Steady Rain,” I had no idea that the play’s title would prove so apt a description for my day in NYC.

It rained. Steadily.

But the soggy weather was worth the trip (via the new Bolt Bus—leather seats and free wifi for $45 round-trip from D.C.). When I was younger, I daydreamed about living in New York City, which seemed so intimidatingly and thrillingly oversized, from the skyscrapers and the population to the sheer number of taxis and the wealth of museums, theaters, stores, and more.

After years living “out East,” though, I am no longer quite so intimidated by the Big Apple, but I still find myself thrilled by the city every time I visit. There’s just something about the energy of the place, where life happens 24/7 and the locations captured in novels and movies (“Eloise,” “The Age of Innocence,” “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” “Miracle on 34th Street,” “When Harry Met Sally,” “Sex and the City”) materialize before your own eyes.

Purl, in Soho. In addition to seeing 007 perform in person, I also took a pilgrimage to Purl, which was friendly, well-stocked—and approximately the size of a postage stamp. Purl Patchwork, its sister store down the block, is even smaller—it is perhaps two-thirds the size of a postage stamp.

Given New York rents, I know I shouldn’t have been surprised at the small square footage, but I think my surprise had more to do with the inverse relationship between the shop size and the influence Purl and its blog, the Purl Bee, seems to have in the knitting community.Purl Patchwork. If only I could make time to learn how to sew.... 

True, Purl’s founder previously worked for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, but I suspect that experience and connections only represent part of the shop’s success.  What I encountered was a tiny, colorful yarn shop filled with useful touches and helpful assistance.

A round table displayed yarn swatches the size of placemats. Staffers offered to wind skeins into balls for free. They answered phone calls from panicked knitters about yarnovers and patiently re-taught a novice how to cast on a scarf. Shop windows and walls displayed baby booties and other projects that I’d only seen before in the crisp photographs of Last-Minute Knitted Gifts or the Purl Bee blog.

Yes, even real-life knitting in New York City imitates art.

Comments

[Martha]

How fun that you got to go to Purl! Did you buy any yarn while you were there? The Purl Bee is one of my favorite sources for project ideas, both knitted and sewn (not that I have time to implement many of them). Interesting that their online presence is so much bigger than their physical footprint.