I’ve quickly become addicted to knitting.
And with that, comes the fun of choosing yarns.
In fact, I think I enjoy the process of selecting fiber and learning about yarn composition more than the act of knitting itself.
Kind of like the thrill of planning a trip is proven to be just as exciting as taking the vacation itself?
Anyway, I primarily shop for yarn online but I also love browsing yarn stores in person, to touch and see different yarn brands first hand.
Here are some of my favorite yarn shops in New York City!
I’ve organized the yarn shops by neighborhood, in case you want to make a day of it and visit them in an easy, organized method:
| Yarn Store | Borough | Neighborhood |
| Knitty City | Manhattan | Upper West Side |
| Annie & Company | Manhattan | Upper East Side |
| West Village Knit & Needle | Manhattan | West Village |
| Downtown Yarns | Manhattan | East Village |
| Brooklyn Craft Company | Brooklyn | Greenpoint |
| Cleo’s Yarn Shop | Brooklyn | Bushwick |
| Woolyn | Brooklyn | Brooklyn Heights |
| Brooklyn General Store | Brooklyn | Carroll Gardens |
| Argyle Yarn Shop | Brooklyn | Prospect Park |
But I’ve gone more in-depth below on the individual yarn stores, the brands and fibers they stock, what makes them unique, etc, below!
Knitty City
Upper West Side
208 West 79th Street (between Amsterdam Ave & Broadway)
If there’s a spiritual home for knitters on the Upper West Side, it’s Knitty City.
Founded in 2006 by passionate Asian American knitter Pearl, whose family continues to run the store today, Knitty City is one of my favorite yarn stores in NYC.
There’s a warmth here that goes beyond the wool: a group of regulars donates finished projects to local hospices and nursing homes, giving the shop a philanthropic heartbeat that sets it apart.
When you enter, there’s a yarn winding station up front and bulletin board full of knitting flyers and meet up info.
The store runs a packed calendar of events: author signings, designer meet-and-greets, children’s classes, and lots of beginner classes.
Inside, the store is laid out with yarns organized by weight – fingering, sport, DK on the left with the heavier weights on the right. The warm wood bookcases and colorful yarns are so cozy.
The yarn shop brings me back to elementary school and my childhood of spending an afternoon doing arts and crafts… something about Knitty City is just so homey!
Knitty City has a wide ranging yarn selection.
Most of it is pretty well-priced (especially for Manhattan!), with a healthy mix of independent and well-known brands.
I spotted lots of affordable Cascade and Berroco Vintage, American brands like Woolfolk, Malabrigo and Plymouth Yarns as well as independent dyers and handspun.
They carry a decent selection of yarns sourced from New York state (like Murky Yarns), if you’re visiting and looking for a ‘local’ souvenir.
And Knitty City has a small variety of international brands: Noro, Lettlopi, Lang Yarns, Lana Grossa, etc.
On my most recent visit, I browsed their mohair selection and touched some of the softest, prettiest mohair skeins I’ve ever felt from Malabrigo and Urth Yarns.
Most of the wool is all natural fibers – everything from rustic wool to alpaca, cotton and cashmere, but they also carry a good range of affordable acrylic and cotton.
Don’t skip over the middle!
There’s a great selection of ‘fun’ fibers for crochet and sparkly projects.
I spotted cute packets of ‘eyes and button noses’, for anyone making amigurumi animals or knitting cute stuffies! And there’s a small shelf of unique buttons as well as embroidery thread kits.
Knitty City has some chairs and round tables to sit and knit. I believe they host knitting nights for locals in the year and some community meet-ups.
There’s also a full bookcase of books.
I flipped through the latest 52 Weeks of Sweaters by Laine for some sweater inspo and saw some fun books like Crocheted Houseplants.
I also saw two of my favorite knitting reference books by Patty Lyons – highly recommend if you’re looking to level up your knitwear!
She wrote Knitting Bag of Tricks, of my favorite knitting resources that I return to over and over.
If you’re new to the city or new to knitting, Knitty City is a must visit.
It’s conveniently close to the American Museum of Natural History and Central Park, making it an easy addition to a full day uptown!
Annie & Company Needlepoint & Knitting
Upper East Side
1763 2nd Avenue (SW corner of 92nd St & 2nd Ave)
Annie & Company holds a unique distinction:
It’s the only shop in New York City that combines a full-service knitting department with a dedicated needlepoint studio under one roof.
Spread across nearly 2,600 square feet (and two floors), the store is a serious destination for fiber arts enthusiasts of all stripes.
The knitting floor carries an all-natural yarn philosophy, with brands like Malabrigo, Madelinetosh, Noro, Rowan, Artyarns, Misti Alpaca, and Jade Sapphire all represented.
The needlepoint department features hand-painted canvases that can be turned into pillows, ornaments, stockings, frames, and more, with finishing services available if you get stuck. I don’t know how to needlepoint yet but maybe I should??
The shop also offers knitting and crochet classes, one-on-one instruction, and hosts a popular Wednesday evening Stitch & Sip at 6:30 p.m.
If I was local to the UES, I’d come here wayy too often!
Brooklyn General Store
Carroll Gardens
128 Union St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Brooklyn General Store was designed in a historic shop in quaint Carroll Gardens.
It’s a maker’s haven, dedicated to yarn and fabric, with all sorts of fibers, fabrics, notions, tools, books and handmade gifts.
If you like to sew or weave, this shop is heaven.
The selection feels really curated, but also plentiful and they carry lots of my favorite European knitting brands like Knitting for Olive and Sandnes Garn.
Cleo’s Yarn Shop
Bushwick
222 Varet Street
Cleo’s is really popular, with an expansive craft space in Bushwick.
The shop has a very artsy, community-oriented vibe and there’s a good seating area with crafting tables where you can also rent out sewing machines by the hour.
The shop offers lots of fiber focused classes in addition to dyeing workshops, and they typically organize group trips and bus logistics to the annual Rhinebeck Festival in upstate New York.
Cleo is probably Brooklyn’s most distinctive yarn shop and a must visit.
Downtown Yarns
East Village
45 Avenue A
Downtown Yarns has a loyal following, as the anchor yarn store in lower Manhattan.
The space is small, but the selection is thorough. They carry everything from lace-weight to bulky weight yarns and have a strong emphasis on indie and specialty dyers.
I spotted brands like Hedgehog Fibres, Illimani and ITO – the stock is very up-to-date with the all the trending yarn brands of the moment.
Like lots of yarn stores, they also offer classes: everything from beginner knitting and crochet to more advanced workshops on making socks, hats, finishing techniques and even spinning.
This one has that great neighborhood-feel and is located in the East Village.
Brooklyn Craft Company
Greenpoint
165 Greenpoint Avenue
Brooklyn Craft Company started first as a workshop.
The company has taught thousands of students across all sorts of craft disciplines, including sewing, weaving, natural dyeing, knitting, and fiber arts.
Their educational focus is very much at the forefront of everything in their store. Sign up for a class, pick up a kit or simply browse the great selection of yarn.
If you like a knitting store that offers community programming alongside excellent yarns, you’ll like Brooklyn Craft Company.
They’re located in Greenpoint so there’s also plenty of coffee shops, restaurants and wine bars to round out the rest of the day.
Woolyn
Brooklyn Heights
105 Atlantic Avenue
Woolyn sits on the border of Downtown Brooklyn and Cobble Hill so it’s a little off-the-beaten path of the other yarn stores on this list.
I don’t have a chance to visit all that often, but it’s a mecca for all things fiber.
Woolyn is a specialty shop for knitting-adjacent textile crafts like spinning and weaving. They offer lots of beginner-friendly workshops (I’m eyeing their weaving intro courses) and they’re New York City’s largest retailer for looms and spinning wheels.
If you’re a diehard knitter looking to really understand fiber and understand more about the craft, check out Woolyn!
West Village Knit & Needle
West Village
225 W 10th St, New York, NY 10014
Blink and you might miss this tiny shop in the West Village.
More needlepoint shop than knitting store, West Village Knit & Needle is located in the sub-level stoop and has a modest range of embroidery threads and knitting yarns.
I’ve put this one further down on the list because it’s tiny and more geared towards needlepointers. But if you’re in the area, why not stop by!
Argyle Yarn Shop
Prospect Park
288 Prospect Park West
Nestled at the edge of Prospect Park in the quiet residential neighborhood of Windsor Terrace, Argyle Yarn Shop is a gem.
The shop is open and airy, with a layout that invites browsing without being overwhelming. The yarn offerings are curated and thoughtful, spanning all ranges of budget.
Highlights: a massive wall of Hedgehog Fibres and the shop’s own house yarn, Luminous Brooklyn, a beautifully hand-dyed line exclusive to the store.
The accessory selection is also impressive, with a strong Della Q bag collection.
Now that it’s summer, make a day trip here then spend the afternoon in Prospect Park!
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