The Little Knittery — home of the pink ‘pussyhat’ — marches on in Los Feliz
The Little Knittery — home of the hot pink Pussyhat — is back.
The beloved knitting shop opened its new location last month at the north end of Vermont Avenue in Los Feliz, tucked between long-standing restaurants and retailers including Skylight Books and Figaro Bistrot. The store had cultivated a devoted and loyal community at its original location in Atwater Village, where Friday Knit Nights were a weekly favorite, as were the crochet and knitting classes.
But what really helped put the Little Knittery on the map was the international acclaim of the “Pussyhatâ€, the iconic pink cap adopted by protesters at the women’s marches held in the wake of the presidential election. Shop owner Kat Coyle was one of the founders of the globally recognized movement, along with Krista Suh and Jayna Zweiman.
The Pussyhat Project helped the shop draw plenty of new customers, but in early 2017, Coyle learned her lease would not be renewed. Customers were bereft. So was Coyle. She closed the business in June, put everything into storage and spent the next six months first mourning the loss and then looking actively for another place to open.
“The change turned out to be really positive,†Coyle says. Quickly embraced by people around its new location in Los Feliz, the Little Knittery plans to continue to build a strong community of old and new customers with a love for fiber arts. Coyle hired the Homework Collective interior design team to work closely with her, keeping her known and beloved funky aesthetic, while adding a slight sophistication to go along with the new neighborhood. The ceilings are 15 feet high, giving the shop an airy, open feel, but cozy seating areas have large comfortable couches and chairs just begging to be dropped into with a knitting project.
In a nod to the Pink Pussyhat Project’s history-making, the design team installed an enormous black and white photo of the 2017 Women’s March over the door to the street, but Coyle’s little store still carries a combination of artisanal and classical yarns, including those from Wool and the Gang, Loopy Mango and 222 Handspun. The bright bursts of color from the myriad yarns make the space look like a fiber candy store. Baskets, enamel pins and weaving supplies are also offered.
“We’re starting from scratch here,†Coyle says. “At the old store, we did a lot of beginning classes, and we’ll continue to do so, but we want to pare down and offer more project-based and advanced knitting too.†Simple classes in how to make pom-poms, and needle felting will eventually be offered, as well as macramé and weaving. Old customers are delighted that the open Friday Knit Nights have started up again. Coyle urges those who want to build their skills in a warm community to drop in any time, but Friday nights are a social event as well.
Coyle is now focusing on her new store, ordering deliciously colored yarns and products, learning how to make yarn with a spinning wheel and settling in.
“It feels wonderful to have this new beautiful space and the return of our community, both old and new.â€
The Little Knittery
Where: 1808 N. Vermont Ave., Los Feliz
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, noon to 7 p.m. on Saturdays, and noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays. Closed Mondays.
Info: thelittleknittery.com
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