The NYC Yarn Crawl

Summary

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All Of It with Alison Stewart

Episode: The NYC Yarn Crawl
Date: September 25, 2025
Host: Alison Stewart (WNYC)
Guest: Kiana Malexada, owner of West Village Knit and Needle
Special Call-in Guests: Community callers, Stephanie Lucas (Madison Square Park Conservancy)

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Overview: Celebrating Community and Craft – The NYC Yarn Crawl

This lively episode dives into the annual New York City Yarn Crawl, a three-day event that transforms Manhattan and Brooklyn into a haven for fiber enthusiasts. Host Alison Stewart explores what makes the Yarn Crawl such a beloved cultural staple, with special guest Kiana Malexada, owner of West Village Knit and Needle, discussing community spirit, the art and business of yarn, inclusivity, environmental consciousness, and how both newbies and seasoned crafters can join the fun. The show also spotlights unique projects like the Tempestry climate art initiative and meaningful causes connected to fiber arts.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

What Is the NYC Yarn Crawl?

• Structure and Spirit:
  Like a bar crawl—participants move from shop to shop, browsing yarns, taking part in raffles and scavenger hunts, connecting with other knitters and crocheters.
  • Quote: “It’s kind of like a bar crawl, but for yarn. ...Crawls go from yarn to yarn shop, checking out wool, participating in raffles and scavenger hunts, and most of all, hanging out with other fiber lovers.” – Alison Stewart (01:18)
• Community Focus:
  Each participating store customizes their offerings.
  • “Every store kind of does a little something different. ...It’s a super event just to get the community together and fun to participate in hype for the new sweater season.” – Kiana Malexada (02:58)

Highlights from West Village Knit and Needle

• Store Activities:
  • Storewide yarn sale
  • Scavenger hunt with a hidden figurine: Travelers take photos to enter for prizes
  • Two independent raffle bags, separate from the official crawl
  • Complimentary prosecco Friday and Saturday evenings (03:24)
  • “We love a little show and tell. ...That's the best part is seeing what everyone has knit.” (04:59)

The Joy of Projects and Designers

• Community Show & Tell:
  Crafters bring in completed and ongoing projects, often featuring renowned designers.
  • Stephen West shawls are frequently mentioned and easily recognized for their bold colorwork (05:15)
• Accessibility for All Levels:
  Beginners receive guidance, patterns, and supplies for their first scarf; experienced knitters find sales on higher-end fibers.
  • “It’s good for all. There’s really no, you can’t go wrong.” – Kiana Malexada (08:41)

How to Yarn Crawl (Tips & Tactics)

• For Shoppers:
  • Plan your crawl around stores carrying favorite yarns or special events.
  • Second subway car tip: “The Discord... recommends crawlers take the second car of whatever subway they are on so they can identify each other more easily.” – Alison Stewart (06:53)
• For Shop Owners:
  • Prepare with extra staff, energy, and lots of coffee (07:40)

Yarn Knowledge: Affordability, Materials, Allergies

• Expensive Yarns:
  Silk, cashmere, and alpaca blends tend to be priciest (09:59)
• Best Yarn for Beginners:
  100% merino wool for its bounce and forgiving nature (10:19)
• Allergy Alternatives:
  Alpaca and new-generation soft cottons are great substitutes for those allergic to wool (10:40)

Knitting for Good: Animal Rescue Blankets

• Listeners call in to share inventive ways to use leftovers, notably making washable blankets for animal rescues; the pets keep these comfort items when adopted (18:27)
  • “They just, they love it. The animals love it...They're very grateful and so are the animals.” – Judy, caller (18:31)

The Loose Ends Project

• Finishing Unfinished Projects in Memory
  – Volunteers complete the unfinished work of people who have passed, connecting craftspeople across generations (20:45)

Yarn Events and Online Community

• Highlights other city events: Knitty City, Bryant Park knitting gatherings.
• Cautions about online instruction:
  • “You kind of don’t know what you’re getting at the end of the day...” (22:35)
  • Recommendation: Get basics in person at your local yarn shop and then supplement online (22:35)

Environmental Responsibility in the Fiber Arts

• West Village Knit and Needle carries only biodegradable, natural fibers; avoids acrylic, nylon, and other synthetics.
• Ensures non-mulesed wool and ethical sourcing.
  • “...Nothing that's non biodegradable in our store. ...We try to make sure with all our vendors that are the people, the animal, the earth and the water is treated correctly.” – Kiana Malexada (23:41)

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Special Event: Madison Square Park’s Tempestry Collection (Climate Data Art)

[15:33]
Guest: Stephanie Lucas, Madison Square Park Conservancy

• NYC’s first Tempestry collection visualizes climate data through collaborative knitting
• Each “Tempestry” panel represents a different decade in park history, showing temperature change
• Volunteer recruitment ongoing through October 15; public display planned for April 2026
  • “We’re hosting a volunteer recruitment event to get people excited and involved in this project today at 2pm...” – Stephanie Lucas (15:33)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Yarn Crawl’s Uniqueness:
  • “The reason that it’s special is ‘cause it’s New York City, right? ...There’s not very many cities you can do that much in that little.” – Kiana Malexada (04:23)
• On Community Spirit:
  • “The passion alone with knitters makes it special.” – Kiana Malexada (04:55)
• On Yarn Shopping Mayhem:
  • “Make sure you have lots of coffee and energy...full of laughter...it’s a thing that’s bringing passion together.” – Kiana Malexada (07:40)
• On Inclusivity:
  • “It’s good for all. There’s really no, you can’t go wrong.” – Kiana Malexada (08:41)
• On Yarn Crawl Etiquette:
  • “Please be kind and patient with the employees working the crawl...we want you to have the best experience, but that includes everyone at the store.” – Listener text (11:07)
• On Fiber Art’s Generosity:
  • “Anybody can go to the nearest animal rescue place and I’m sure they’ll be thrilled for [blankets]. ...They’re very grateful and so are the animals.” – Judy, caller (19:13)

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Additional Segments & Timestamps

• [02:58] – What happens at a yarn crawl
• [03:24] – Details about West Village Knit and Needle’s activities
• [05:15] – Memorable projects and renowned designers
• [06:44] – How many stores are involved and crawl strategies
• [09:18] – On preparing for Stephen West’s Mystery Knit Along (caller Molly)
• [12:39] – Inclusion of needlepoint in the crawl
• [13:19] – Discussion on tariffs and their impact on local businesses
• [14:00] – Kiana announces opening Notting Hill Knit and Needle in London
• [15:33] – Madison Square Park Tempestry Project (Stephanie Lucas)
• [17:07] – Recommendations for first-time knitters
• [18:27] – Knitting projects for charity (caller Judy)
• [20:05] – The Loose Ends Project
• [21:56] – Other yarn-friendly events in NYC
• [22:14] – Navigating YouTube and TikTok tutorials safely
• [23:41] – Environmental responsibility in yarn choices
• [24:11] – Final advice: “Just have fun...touch everything, feel everything, ask questions, try to go to all the stores.”

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Tone & Takeaways

The episode balances the warm, enthusiastic camaraderie of NYC’s crafting network with practical advice and cultural context. Listeners will come away with a sense of the Yarn Crawl as both a playful celebration and a support structure for local business, creativity, and meaningful giving.

Final Words:
“Just have fun. That’s the best part of it...Touch everything, feel everything, ask questions, try to go to all the stores. That’s it.” – Kiana Malexada (24:11)

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For information about the event:
Visit yarncrnyc.com or check out participating shops’ Instagram pages.
West Village Knit and Needle: Instagram (store details, classes, events)

Transcript

[Host 1]

This is all of it.

[Alison Stewart]

I'm Alison Stewart live from the WNYC studios in soho. Thanks for joining us. We really appreciate you being part of our show today. Thanks to everybody who came out last night for our get lit with all of it book club event. There were a lot of you. We had a great time with Michael Chabon, author of the Amazing Adventures of Cavalier and Clay. Plus we heard heard live performances from the new Met opera production of Cavalier and Clay. If you weren't able to be with us in person last night or follow along via the live stream, we will be airing some words and music from that event this coming Monday on the show. That's in the future. But coming up today, actor Timothy Olyphant is here to talk about his role as a synth in the disturbing and fascinating new series Alien Earth.

[Host 1]

I love it.

[Alison Stewart]

We're talking about Lydia Jean Cott. She'll join us to discuss her new podcast, the Chinatown Sting. And Christopher Satch, the plant doctor, will take your calls and questions about plant care. That is our plan. So let's get this started with this weekend's Yarn Crawl. This weekend, some local knitters and crocheters are gonna get cr. That's because tomorrow is the start of a three day New York City Yarn Crawl. It's kind of like a bar crawl, but for yarn. So instead of going from hoots joint to hooch joints, buying drinks, crawls, go from yarn to yarn shop, checking out wool, participating in raffles and scavenger hunts, and most of all, hanging out with other fiber lovers. Joining us to preview the weekend is Kiana Melexada. She's the owner of West Village Knit and Needle, which is one of the stores on the crawl. Kiana, welcome back to wn I see.

[Kiana Malexada]

Thank you so much. So glad to be back.

[Alison Stewart]

So glad to have you. Hey, before we get started, I want to make sure we get listeners in on this conversation. Have you ever been to the New York City Yarn Crawl? What was your experience like? Is the star a party? Is your store the part of the crawl? Bring us to give us a call or call or text us at 2124-3396-9221-2433. WNYC. Are you planning to do it this weekend? What are you looking for? Do you prefer wool to alpaca? Working with cotton? Let us know. 2124-3396-9221-2433. WNYC and if you're working on a project, tell us what you are knitting or crocheting right now, if you can post a picture of it on Instagram and tag us at allnyc, we promise to post it as well. What is the Yarn Crawl? What happens at a yarn Crawl?

[Kiana Malexada]

It's super fun. Every store kind of does a little different a sal. It's like they'll do pop ups with different yarns and have different vendors in. So every store does a little something different. But it's a super vend event just to get the community together and fun to participate in hype for the new sweater season.

[Alison Stewart]

And yeah, tell us what your store's doing. Let's start with you.

[Kiana Malexada]

Yeah. So we have a sale on all yarn. We participate in the scavenger hunt. So there will be a little figurine in the store for the scavenger hunt and you have to take a picture of it. And we also have two raffle bags that are separate from the yarn crawl raffle bag. You know, once you sign in and come in and shop Friday night and Saturday night at 5 o' clock, we serve a little prosecco. You can come in and hang out and talk knitting and it's just a super fun event.

[Alison Stewart]

What happens with the little guy you.

[Host 1]

Find on the scavenger hunt?

[Kiana Malexada]

You take a picture of it.

[Alison Stewart]

Okay.

[Kiana Malexada]

And then to show that I guess you've been to that store, found it, and you then send it into the Yarn crawl and it enters you in for another prize. The scavenger hunt. It's a separate prize than the two raffle bags.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

So what makes it special and how does it build a community?

[Kiana Malexada]

So I think the reason that it's special is cause it's New York City. Right. So you can go from one store in Brooklyn to the other store in the East Village to the other store. In that breeze, you could bang out, you know, five in a day, ten in a day. So I think that kind of makes it special. There's not very many cities, I guess, that you can do that much in that little. And you know, the fiber arts community is just, you know, everybody gets so into it and excited and it's passionate and it's color and it's fiber. And I think the passion alone with knitters makes it special.

[Host 1]

Do people bring in projects that they're working on?

[Kiana Malexada]

Absolutely.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Kiana Malexada]

We love a little show and tell. We certainly offer free help. So people get, you know, super excited to come in and show us what they knit. And I mean, that's part of the. That's the best part is seeing what everyone is. Has knit.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

What projects have you seen come through your door in the past?

[Kiana Malexada]

Oh, I mean, there's been so many. There's Steve, the Stephen west shawls that people come in with the color. So Stephen west, he's a brilliant designer, absolutely revolutionary designer for knitting. And he does these amazing color blocks with color and patterns that are just gorgeous. So when somebody comes in with a Stephen west shawl, you could spot those a mile away. They're. They're amazing when people come in with them.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

Are they hard to do?

[Kiana Malexada]

A lot of them, yeah. He definitely has the range.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

I am talking to Kiana Melexada, owner of West Village Knit and Needle. The New York City Yarn Crawl is taking place tomorrow through Sunday in yarn stores across Manhattan and Brooklyn. We want to get you in on this conversation. Have you been to a New York City yarn crawl or what was it like? Give us a call. 2124-3396-9221-2433. WNYC. What are you looking for? Do you prefer wool, alpaca? Do you like working with cotton? Our phone line numbers are 2124-3396-9221-2433. WNYC. Or you just want to tell us about a project that you're working on? We would love to hear it. We'd love to see a picture of it as too. You can take a picture, post it on Instagram, and tag all of it. And again, our phone number is 2WNYC. So how many stores are involved in the yarn crawl?

[Kiana Malexada]

So it is, I believe, four Manhattan and I think four or five Brooklyn, I'm pretty sure.

[Alison Stewart]

So when we went on the website, the New York, actually, the Discord, I should say, for New York Yarn Crawl, they recommend that crawlers take the second car of whatever subway they are on so they can identify each other more easily.

[Kiana Malexada]

That's so cute. I love that.

[Alison Stewart]

Do you have any strategies for dealing with a yarn crawl as far as.

[Kiana Malexada]

A shopper goes or as a store owner goes?

[Alison Stewart]

Let's start as a shopper. Let's start as a shopper.

[Kiana Malexada]

As a shopper? No, I mean, I used to participate. I used to hit the stores that I knew had the yarns that I wanted. That would have been my strategy when I was not a shop owner. You know, the yarns is where I went to seek the yarns that I wanted.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

Okay. You as a store owner, what are your strategies?

[Kiana Malexada]

The strategies are sleep well the night before, make sure you have lots of coffee and energy, make sure you have a full staff. You know, that day because it does get a little crazy with checking out and lines. Just full of energy, full of fun, full of laughter and, you know, just, it's a, it's a thing that's bringing passion together. You know, it has to be fun. You have to be smiling and.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

So if you're a first time person in the fiber arts and you want to get involved, is this a good experience for someone who's a first timer?

[Kiana Malexada]

I absolutely think it is. 100, especially for us. Like, we have a really good beginner's handout. We guide you how to, you know, make your first scarf. You, you go to any yarn shop and you see people are excited and, and it's crowded and so I think it's the perfect time for people to get started on knitting.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

What about if you're an experienced knitter?

[Kiana Malexada]

Same thing. You're, you're going there to get the yarn that you know you want because it's on sale, which is the experienced knitter and experienced shopper.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Kiana Malexada]

It's good for all. There's really no, you can't go wrong.

[Host 1]

Let's talk to Molly.

[Alison Stewart]

Hey, Molly is calling in from Manhattan.

[Host 1]

Thanks for calling all of it.

[Alison Stewart]

You're on the air.

[Caller 1]

Hi.

[Caller 2]

I'm actually laughing because I'm literally on the crawl website and I'm planning my trip to tomorrow to your store for the mystery knit along for Stephen West. The first clue drops next Thursday, so I need to fill up my, my stash.

[Kiana Malexada]

Amazing. That sounds so fun. His stuff is just so fun.

[Host 1]

So Molly, what is your strategy going to be tomorrow?

[Caller 2]

Well, I already have a couple of. I'm thinking I'm going to do a purple Shaw. We don't know anything about the shawl. You get a clue once a week starting on next Thursday and people from all over the world start working on it next Thursday. So right now we just know we need four skeins of yarn, fingering weight, and I've got basically two or three. And so I need a fourth. And tomorrow is the perfect time to hit the stores and see what will color me happy.

[Host 1]

Molly, thank you so much for calling in. You said a lot of yarn will be on sale. Just generally speaking. What yarn is particularly expensive yarn?

[Kiana Malexada]

Very good question. So if it has silk in it, it's a little bit obviously more expensive. Cashmere obviously makes it a little bit more expensive, you know, so it's good to have those yarns on sale, you know, you know, for affordability. Anything, usually with alpaca silk cashmere gets a Little. A little pricey.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

What is the easiest yarn to work with if you're a beginner?

[Kiana Malexada]

Very good question. So merino wool. 100%. And that's because it has memory, it has bounce, it's very forgiving where as cotton does not, it doesn't bounce back. So it's a little harder to work with. And then it also shows your mistakes more. So 100% merino is the best thing to use.

[Caller 2]

All right.

[Host 1]

I'm allergic to wool. What should I knit with?

[Kiana Malexada]

Do you know if you're allergic to alpaca?

[Host 1]

Alpaca, I'm not. I don't think I'm allergic. But yeah, yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

Wool.

[Host 1]

Wool, yes. Alpaca is okay.

[Kiana Malexada]

Yeah. So that would be. Cause it's super soft. It has the same. It even has more stretch and more bounce and is easy to work with. So that would be my first suggestion. But there's a lot of good cottons where there was not 10, 15 years ago. They used to be a little harsh, a little rough. There are so many soft, good cottons now.

[Host 1]

This text says, as someone who will be working this crawl, please be kind and patient with the employees working the crawl usually record numbers of people come to our stores and sales for the yarn stores and the employees.

[Alison Stewart]

We're really just trying to do the.

[Host 1]

Best we can, I promise. We want you to have the best experience, but that includes everyone at the store. Can't wait to see you all at Knit and Crochet Way this weekend. Do people get a little. They get a little excited, shall we say?

[Kiana Malexada]

I have to say I have not had a bad experience the last five years with that. I make sure that I'm very well staffed. I mean, you know, people have been so great. There's a line at the register. They wait. I think it's. I haven't had any, you know, issues.

[Host 1]

I am talking to Kiana Melexada, owner of West Village Knit and Needle. We're talking about the New York City Yarn Crawl taking place tomorrow through Sunday in yarn stores across Manhattan and Brooklyn. Are you going to the Yarn Crawl? Call us and tell us. 2124-3396-9221-2433, wnyc. What are you looking for this weekend? We want to know. Cotton alpaca wool. 212-433-WNYC. And if you're working on a project, call and tell us about. That is too. That too, too. 433-96922, 12433, WNYC. I go to your store because on my way home, I go for needle pointing. Are we included?

[Kiana Malexada]

You know, needlepoint is always included. We do have two trunk shows right now that are on sale, so. And it's the same price of the same discount as the yarn. So of needlepoint's always included in our store.

[Host 1]

Glad to hear it. Let's get into to taxes a little bit and tariffs a little bit. We've read that President Trump's tariffs had a big impact on the price of wool. A recent Washington Post article said, quote, at least half a dozen European brands suspended deliveries, leaving crafters to contend with higher prices and supply issues, end quote. What has been the impact of tariffs on, on the NYC knitting community?

[Kiana Malexada]

So in my own personal experience, I've had, you know, I've seen a little bit of change. It was, it's not as drastic as I thought it was going to be in the meaning. So I've had good and bad. I have vendors who have not been affected and then I have vendors who have. So I'm kind of seeing, you know, both, you know, it's affecting two small businesses. Right. So we're a small business, but we're buying from a small business. And that's the, you know, the hard part. A couple of my vendors, yes, have had to raise their prices, but a lot of them have not so far. So.

[Alison Stewart]

And I understand last time you were here, you were telling us about a new store.

[Co-host]

Yes.

[Alison Stewart]

That you were going to launch. How is that going?

[Kiana Malexada]

It is going amazing. I actually this past week signed the lease. So Notting Hill Knit and Needle will be opening up in London sometime late winter, early spring of 2026.

[Alison Stewart]

Well, first of all, congratulations.

[Caller 1]

Thank you.

[Kiana Malexada]

Thank you very much.

[Alison Stewart]

So now that the lease is signed, what do you gotta do exactly?

[Kiana Malexada]

What do I have to do? Go there would be the most important. You know, I'm just starting to, like, get my vendors together. I'm doing a sip and stitch there in London on October 25. Starting to create, you know, the hype. I go to London probably every six weeks or so as it is, you know, just getting my vendor, letting my vendors know, you know, just the nitty gritty so far.

[Alison Stewart]

The nitty gritty.

[Kiana Malexada]

Did you say that pun not intended or pun intended.

[Alison Stewart]

We'll have more with the yarn crawl after a quick break.

[Co-host]

This is all of it.

[Alison Stewart]

You're listening to all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. In studio with me is Kiana Malakzada, owner of West Village Knit and Needles. She is walking us through the new York City Yarn Crawl, which starts tomorrow through Sunday. It's a yarn crawl across Manhattan and Brooklyn. But there is another yarn event happening later today. Joining me on the phone is Stephanie Lucas. She's the director of Horticulture and Park Operations at Madison Square Park. Hey Stephanie, tell us what's going on.

[Stephanie Lucas]

So Madison Square Park Conservancy is coordinating the first ever New York City Tempestry collection, which is a collaborative fiber arts and climate data visualization project. This initiative uses NOAA temperature data and knitting to artistically represent climate change over time. Each piece of the collection, known as a Tempestry, depicts temperature data from the selected year of significance to Madison Square Park's history, with one selected year per decade from 1870s to the present day. We're hosting a volunteer recruitment event to get people excited and involved in this project today at 2pm so people who.

[Alison Stewart]

Know how to knit should just show up and be prepared.

[Stephanie Lucas]

The people who know how to knit can join us and sign up today and learn a little bit more about this project, speak with our staff members to understand what's involved and how to participate. But if you can't make it out today, we're also recruiting volunteers through our website. So you can go to madisonsquarepark.org and sign up and get involved. It's going to take us a little bit of time to get the knitting projects together. So we're accepting applications through October 15th with the hope to have the full collection on display in New York later this spring or next spring. April of 2026.

[Alison Stewart]

Stephanie, thank you so much for the advice. So let's say you're just a first time knitter, Kiana. You show up either at the park or you show up at your store. What equipment do you need?

[Kiana Malexada]

We always set people up with starting to make a scarf. It's just the easiest way to get your, you know, your feet wet and kind of understand the knit stitch. So we always recommend a good pair of wooden needles cause they're a little less slippery than the metal ones to start a good skein of of merino wool because it's easier to work with. And then we have step by step instructions from doing the slip knot to making your first scarf. So we always recommend starting with that.

[Host 1]

All right.

[Alison Stewart]

Sometimes when I go into the craft store, I see the giant, giant balls.

[Host 1]

Of yarn that's about yo thick. It's about this. I'm giving you a symbol with my hand about how big it is.

[Alison Stewart]

What kind of knitting is that called?

[Host 1]

Is it called knitting?

[Kiana Malexada]

Sure. I mean, there's you know, we don't, you know, like, we don't carry that yarn. Only because I'm a tiny store, I don't have space for that yarn.

[Host 1]

You know, the ones I'm talking about.

[Kiana Malexada]

They do, they do the arm knitting. Yeah, of course. It's all knitting. I like to encompass it and think of it as all encompassing, as fiber arts. You know, you're working with a fiber, whether it's needle point, whether it's crochet, whether it's arm knitting, it's all good.

[Host 1]

Do I, do I need a lot of experience for that?

[Kiana Malexada]

No, you could. With arm knitting, you can watch one video and buy the yarn. You're good to go.

[Host 1]

Let's talk to Judy, who's calling from the Upper east side.

[Alison Stewart]

Hi, Judy, thank you for making the.

[Host 1]

Time to call all of it. You are on the air.

[Caller 1]

Thank you. I love knitting. I've knit my whole life. But I have recently discovered that animal rescue places, which are in such trouble now, love to have small, blank, or any size. They don't even care what size it is. And you can use all your leftover yarn and just make a blanket and then they put them in the cages and then when the animal is adopted, the blanket goes home with them. They just, they love it. The animals love it. You just have to use washable yarn. But you can make any size. You can use up all the leftover yarn you have. And I just have found it to be a terrific project.

[Host 1]

Judy, who do you do this for?

[Caller 1]

Well, I do it mainly for an animal for animal rescue places. I just mailed a bunch of blankets to Maui because their animal place is still not recovered from the hurricanes that they had. And they are also desperate. But, you know, just anybody can go to the nearest animal rescue place and I'm sure they'll be thrilled for it. They love it all over the city. Any size and any length. I mean, it's just fun. Any patterns you feel like doing, if you feel like just knitting, knitting, whatever you feel like doing. They're very grateful and so are the animals. Just wanted people to know that.

[Host 1]

Yeah, get on your Google. People can find out a place that's near them. Thank you so much for calling, Judy. You know, this brings me up to the Yarn Crawl is welcoming the Loose Ends project this year. Would you tell us a little bit about the Loose Ends Project?

[Kiana Malexada]

Yeah, so the Loose Ends Project, you know, I don't know that much about it. I do understand that they need funding at the moment, so they're trying to, you Know, get people excited and into it. But I myself just went onto their Instagram this morning to read a little bit out. I knew what it was, but I didn't know the full details. What I do understand is that it helps really great organizations. I don't want to speak to it because I didn't know that much about it. But what I read this morning was really great.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

What they do is I think that they put people. You can finish people's projects because folks who have passed away, Right?

[Kiana Malexada]

Yeah, it's basically that. It's finishing people's loose ends projects.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

Let's talk to Polly, who's calling from Manhattan. Hi, Polly. Thank you so much for calling.

[Alison Stewart]

Hi, how are you?

[Host 1]

Okay.

[Kiana Malexada]

Hi. Is this.

[Caller 3]

Is she the original owner of the shop?

[Co-host]

Yes.

[Kiana Malexada]

Okay.

[Caller 3]

So I have met you and I love going to your shop. Is Elizabeth still working there?

[Kiana Malexada]

Yes, she does, every weekend.

[Caller 1]

Okay.

[Caller 3]

Love, love her too. It's just a great way to spend a couple hours. I live on the Upper east side, so I love going down to the west vil. So different from where I live. And it's has an everlasting charm. And the shop is great. It's cozy and fun and she's got wonderful materials. And you are a great instructor. Very helpful.

[Kiana Malexada]

Thank you. Very nice. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

[Caller 3]

A perfect spot for all levels. And I've taken classes. I knit and I do needlepoint. And your matchbook covers are just my latest obsession.

[Kiana Malexada]

I love it. Thank you so much. That's so kind.

[Host 1]

Are there other yarn events that we should be aware of that's happening in the city, outside the city?

[Kiana Malexada]

I know that Knitty City has and Bryant park, you know, they do a lot of knitting and a lot of events. I think just going on the individual stores, you know, websites and Instagrams. There's. There's definitely always something going on in the knitting world.

[Host 1]

I did want to ask you about that because I went on Knitter's Reddit, which is quite a thing.

[Kiana Malexada]

Yeah.

[Co-host]

Oh, yeah.

[Host 1]

And it was interesting because there was one conversation that said some of the people that you watch on YouTube, they're influencers. They're not really into knitting. If you wanted to go on YouTube and you wanted to learn to knit, what would you look for in an instructor?

[Kiana Malexada]

So, yeah, I mean, the. The whole thing with, you know, TikTok and Reddit and all of that, you kind of don't know what you're getting at the end of the day, you don't know if you're getting instructed Correctly. It's, it's happening a. You know, with a needlepoint too. My biggest advice would be to first ask someone in person at your local yarn shop. That would be my first thing. And then the second thing is once you get the basics down from that shop, you're going to know what you're seeing on YouTube or TikTok or Instagram is hyper, if it's correct or, you know. So my suggestion would be tread carefully and go to your local yarn store.

[Alison Stewart]

First, let's talk to Amy, who is calling in. Hi, Amy, thanks for calling all of us.

[Stephanie Lucas]

Well, thank you for taking the call.

[Caller 3]

I'm very environmentally concerned. I'm wondering, are there more environment friendly and more and less ones than. And what would be the sources of the environment? I'm not really an iter myself.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah, she's sort of interested in the environmentally friendly yarns or sources of material.

[Kiana Malexada]

Yeah, so we don't sell anything with polymide, acrylic or nylon. We don't do any artificial materials. Nothing that's non biodegradable in our store. That's the first and foremost. Second thing is all our yarn is non mulesing. Mulesing is an inhumane way of shaving a sheep that causes, you know, death to the animals. And we make sure with our vendors that all of our animals are treated correctly. We try to make sure with all our vendors that are the people, the animal, the earth and the water is treated correctly.

[Alison Stewart]

Is there anything else I should know about the Yarn Crawl that I haven't.

[Kiana Malexada]

Asked you just to have fun. That's the best part of it. No, you, you pretty much nailed it. It's just to just have fun and it's, you know, touch everything, feel everything, ask questions, try to go to all the stores. That's it.

[Alison Stewart]

We have been talking to Kiana Mallexada, owner of West Village Knit and Needle. The New York City Yarn Crawl is taking place tomorrow through Sunday in stores across Manhattan and Brooklyn. You can go on the crawl website, yarn cr nyc.com or on their Instagram. You can also visit West Village Knit and Needle. It's a lovely store.

[Kiana Malexada]

Thank you.

[Alison Stewart]

Thanks for coming in.

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