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Get ready to see some serious knitting on East Main Street.
On Saturday, June 8, The Knitting Cove & Yarn Shop in Port Jefferson will host World Wide Knit in Public Day at its East Main Street store.
The event invites knitters from all over the world to gather locally to collectively take part in what is usually a very solitary endeavor.
“We will sit out on the front porch and knit,” Knitting Cover owner Toni Andersen said simply.
Andersen expects anywhere from 10 to 20 women to arrive in Port Jeff that day to knit together. She says men are not excluded from the event, but all of her current clients are women.
According to the official website, World Wide Knit in Public Day is the largest knitter-run event in the world. The day not only brings knitters together, but also boosts awareness of the craft to the public, showing that knitting is not just for grannies – it’s for women and men of all ages.
Andersen’s event will feature food, favors, and prizes to knitters who come to her shop to participate.
Also, if you crochet instead of knit, don’t feel left out.
“It’s knitting and crochet,” says Andersen.
For the uninitiated, according to jjcrochet.com, knitting and crocheting are similar in that both crafts use yarn (available in a wide selection at Knitting Cove). The difference lies in the tools and the knots.
Knitting is done with two knitting needles with looped stitches. Crocheting is done with only one crochet hook and the stitches are like small knots.
In today’s always-connected, digital world, knitting has become a respite from the electric hum of modern life. The Wall Street Journal featured an article recently on groups that practice what they call “Medknitation.”
This is the act of turning off your cell phone and concentrating on the knitting task at hand. Some workplaces are offering these events as a way to destress employees – although the act of untethering from your electronic device might come with its own kind of anxiety.
Knitting Cove also hosts regular weekly knitting bees on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Andersen says many people take advantage of their time to just be in the moment, knitting and enjoying each other’s company.
“We never talk politics and mostly everyone turns off their phones,” she said. “It’s a no judgement zone.”
Everyone of all skill is invited to joint other knitters at The Knitting Cove & Yarn Shop at 116 East Main Street in Port Jefferson on Saturday, June 8.
Andersen says they will start at 11 a.m. They end whenever people decide they’ve had enough.
“We go until everyone is partied out,” she said.
