Pearl Chin, owner of the legendary New York City knitting store Knitty City, has died. She was 71 years old and had been battling lung cancer.
Knitty City was billed as a yarn studio when it opened in 2006, and it quickly became a community gathering place thanks to Chin’s welcoming spirit and willingness to listen to her customers and order the kinds of yarn they wanted to buy.
An obituary in the West Side Rag says the shop was a hub for making pussy hats after the 2016 election, and comments on the shop’s Facebook and Instagram pages note Chin’s kindness, openness and generosity as well as her support for independent designers, organization of a men’s knitting night and more to support the knitting community and the wider community.
Knitty City will be closed for a week in her honor.
I’ve never been to New York but I know that so many people found a fibery home at Knitty City thanks to Pearl’s presence, and I know she will be missed.
[Photo via Knitty City’s Instagram.]
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