Lion Brand Blogger Trip To New York City

Today I wanted to share a bit with you about my  trip last week to New York City thanks to Lion Brand! It was a special time filled with yarn, blogging friends and more yarn.  Yep, pretty awesome.  Nearly three years ago I decided to keep track of my knit and crochet designs on a blog and make them available for others that might want to make something similar.  It was a true hobby blog where I could have a creative outlet while staying home with my baby girl.  Had someone told me I’d be heading to New York three years later for a Blogger Bash, I would have never believed them!  This blog has become what it is today thanks to YOU,  luck, hard work and also the fact that Lion Brand shared one of the first knitting patterns I ever put on my blog.  When I posted that Fingerless Mitt pattern, the idea that more than a few people from Ravelry might see it was not even a thought in my mind. However, when Lion Brand shared that pattern, I realized that I’d better take this a little more seriously if so many folks were potentially going to see my photos and patterns. I’m forever grateful that they shared it as that drove me to improve the blogging experience for you and for myself.  Lion Brand has become a great support over the years.  So to get to go to New York and meet the Lion Brand team in person as well as the other bloggers and see their facilities?! Yeah, a total dream!

Above: Here we are at Lion Brand Studios in Manhattan! Seriously, these are some of the most intelligent, crafty ladies that I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting! It was so cool to be together and connect in person (we really have a lot in common including our love for yarn of course) From left to right – Tamara from Moogly, Alexandra from Two of Wands, Jess Make & Do Crew, Ashleigh Sewrella, Stephanie All About Ami, ChiWei One Dog Woof and Me!

 

Above: The ever changing window display at Lion Brand Yarn Studio in Manhattan.

 

These photos won’t all be “blog worthy” as I was snapping them with my phone. 😉

Above: The Lion Brand Outlet in New Jersey.  This place is full of yarn deals!  We also got to learn a bit about some new yarns coming out soon and I can NOT wait to get my hands on them and share them with you too. I was also so impressed with how much Lion Brand gives back to the community! They have donated millions of dollars to St. Judes Childrens Hospital and continue to provide yarn to charitable causes.  

Above: So much knit and crochet. That giraffe!

Above: My first experience eating real Ramen with Stephanie, Ryan (thank you Ryan for taking the photo!), ChiWei and Tamara. We don’t have any restaurants like this where I live. And on a side note, I attempted a pattern from Stephanie’s blog All About Ami before I even knew what a blog was.  Amazing to meet her in person and we really connected as we both stay home with our little girls! It was incredible to get to chat personal life AND yarn with these ladies.

Above: We even got to hit Knit Night at Club Cumming.  This was my first experience knitting with a whole group of people at a bar and I want more.  Hehe!  This is myself and my brother who lives in Manhattan and he recently started knitting. It was a huge bonus to get to hang out with him and my brother in law too!

Above: Chocolate covered oreos from Lion Brand  – yum.  I almost didn’t want to eat them because they were so pretty, but ultimately I couldn’t resist.

Above: New York Pizza anyone?

Above: It’s hard to pack when you’re a yarn addict. I’ve never had so much in one suitcase as I couldn’t decide what yarns to leave and what to bring along. Lol.

Below: I just love this timeline showing the history of Lion Brand over the years and how things have changed as they celebrate their 140th Anniversary!

 

My time in New York with my fellow bloggers and the Lion Brand Team was a treasure. While I am home and thrilled to be back with my girl and hubby, the New York trip reminds me of the community we have as knitters and crocheters and the connections that we share.  It’s special and I’m blessed to be able to blog about it with you.

XO,

Jessica

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16 Comments

  1. Jes: Just wanted to thank you for sharing your New York trip. I noticed that the team at Lion Brand is young and that is great. My generation of baby boomers is still keeping the knitting/crocheting hobby alive and was wondering why Lion Brand does not have that older influence depicted but am sure there are many ladies in their 60’s that share their ideas and projects. God Bless you and keep up the good work my friend. Yes our hobby is very creative and it is wonderful that you take the time out of your busy life to assist when you can.
    Deb in Ontario, Canada

    1. Hi Deb in Ontario! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and for reading my blog post. No doubt the baby boomers have kept the knitting and crochet community alive! I think that the photo that you’re referring to is of the bloggers that they brought to New York and not the actual Lion Brand team. I saw folks of all ages working at Lion Brand so they definitely have you in mind! In fact, it’s one reason that I’ve enjoyed working with them as I believe they are very inclusive to all people, ages and backgrounds. When I made the Topper for their Fall Winter collection, I was thrilled to see older women modeling my piece as well as a pregnant woman. Thanks so much for keeping this hobby alive for all of us Deb as your generation has certainly taught my generation! And you’re welcome of course for the patterns and posts – it’s great fun for me. Thank YOU for your support friend!

  2. I’m so envious of your visit to Club Cumming on Stitch ‘n Bitch night! When it first opened and I saw that they were going to be having those, a few of my friends and I vowed to go right away but alas, the holiday season took on a life of its own.
    I am so happy you had the chance to visit the Studio Store in the city. I love that place and was in just before Christmas. I wanted to see some of the super bulky yarns I’ve been curious about up close, and also get a feel for a few others yarns before committing to a project. I had told myself I wasn’t going to buy anything *cough* but ended up leaving with a new set of size 100 circular needles.
    Thank you for covering the trip, it was great to read! I’m looking forward to then next post.

  3. Welcome home Jessica! I loved this blog, so well written and the pictures, wow, loved them all. So excited about the new yarns! Glad you had fun.

  4. Thank you so much for your great description of your trip to NYC and all the information you shared about Lion Brand. You made me feel excited, and I wasn’t even there! I am very glad you shared about Lion Brand’s generosity to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. I have enjoyed using their yarn for years and am happy to learn their hearts are as great as their yarn.

    1. Hi Carolyn!
      Thanks so much for reading and following along! I’m so glad that you enjoyed the post and even got excited about it. Haha! It was certainly a fun time! And yes, I too was thrilled to learn more about their charitable giving.

  5. Jessica!!! Ryan and I couldn’t stop gushing about how kind and lovely you are! We are so thankful we had the opportunity to meet you in person, go for ramen, and bond over our love of our girls and blogging! Hope to see you in Alberta sometime in the future 😉

    1. My brother and I feel the same way about you two Stephanie! I really hope to see you in Alberta sometime – that would be so amazing!! So happy to have the connection that we share.

  6. Thank you so much. Ever since I taught myself to crochet about 3 years ago, visiting the Lion Brand Yarn Studio has been on my bucket list. One of these days! I cant wait to see all the lovely LB wool as none of the LB wool is available here in Cape Town or even in South Africa. This means I will be travelling to NYC with empty suitcase just so that there is enough space for lots and lots of wool.

  7. Greetings Jessica, I so enjoyed reading about your trip to Lion Brand, I wasn’t aware that lion brand even has a store in NYC, and I’m in Syracuse NY, so I’m making a special trip to the city, just so I can go and shop there store. I just want to also say thank you for your wonderful blog, you share so many great patterns that its difficult to decided what project to do at times, I finished the ruffle scarf, and the crochet blanket sweater, and right now I’m working on topcho, so as you can see I’m a fan, totally Hooked! Thank You for your great Blog, keep posting!

    1. Hi Marcia! My dad has some family history in Syracuse so it’s fun to hear from you. I’m so pleased that you’ve enjoyed my patterns and so honored as well that you’ve made some many of them! Thanks for your support and encouragement. How fun that you will make a trip to NYC! It was so fun to visit the yarn studio there in the city. They even carry a lot of the luxury yarns that you can only find online so that’s cool too. Have a great weekend and thanks so much for your encouragement here on the blog. 🙂

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