KNIT WITH ATTITUDE
Helen Spedding speaks with Maya Linn Bang, founder of the vibrant and welcoming yarn store in East London
KNIT WITH Attitude is at the heart of East London’s knitting scene. Located in the vibrant community of Stoke Newington, it’s a must-visit place for the capital’s knitters, as it is filled with beautiful artisan yarns and tools, and hosts a lively range of in-store events. We chatted with the store’s founder, May (Maya) Linn Bang, about the story behind Knit With Attitude.
How did you come to run a yarn store?
“To be honest, it really all happened by accident. My professional background is in media and filmmaking, and in 2006 I spent a year in London with my family while working on a master’s degree in production. Being Norwegian, I was surprised to find there were only two good yarn shops in all of London! It became a joke between me and my husband: if we ever found ourselves not knowing what to do, we could always move to London and set up a yarn shop. Somehow the thought stuck, and in January 2010 we immigrated to London to pursue our woolly adventure.” What will visitors find in your shop?
“Knit With Attitude is a contemporary, welcoming yarn shop and community hub in the heart of Stoke Newington. We are passionate about and believe strongly in the power of making to help create a better world. Every single yarn in our shop has an ethical ethos, whether it is about workers’ rights, sustainability, social communities or more, and we love sharing the positive stories behind them. Our shop is open to all and is a place where visitors can find engaging conversations, the support they need, and, of course, laughter! Knit With Attitude is unpretentious, anti-cliquish, open-minded and a space we hope people feel is theirs and where they belong.”
How did the pandemic affect your store? “Knitting and crochet saw a huge boom during the pandemic, and it really helped us to continue to grow the business in what was such a challenging time. We’re grateful that people recognised how important it was to support small businesses during all the uncertainty. And that they continue to do so! That support has grown our business to the point where we’ve just expanded our shop space; this has allowed us to bring in new brands, and to welcome back brands that we loved having before but had rotated out due to space considerations.”
What brands do you stock?
“In our shop you’ll find well known brands such as The Fibre Co., Noro and Istex Lopi, alongside great independent British brands including Garthenor Organic, John Arbon Textiles, Riverknits and Stranded Dyeworks – to name a few. We also have a wide selection of needles from ChiaoGoo and Lykke, great magazines and books, and we’ve gained a reputation for being the go-to place for everything knitting bags and needle cases. We love the Plystre, Twig & Horn and Woolly Originals bags and needle cases, plus keeping things organised with accessories from Thread & Maple.” Which yarns are currently proving the most popular with your customers?
“We’re seeing a lot of hearty yarns going out, mostly 4ply yarns that are warm yet still lightweight. Our speciality dyed yarns like naturally dyed Hey Mama Wolf and G-uld are always sought after, and we also have a wide range of environmentally friendly plant fibres which customers come up specifically for. We’ve begun carrying the &Make line from The Fibre Co. and we love how accessible they are for welcoming newer knitters to the yarn community.” Can you tell us about the team you have working with you?
“We’ve had fantastic team members working at Knit With Attitude over the years, and we’re so lucky to have them share our values and the stories of our yarns with our customers. Right now the shop is mostly run between myself and
George, a long-time employee who has become my right hand in the business.
It’s fantastic to have someone to share ideas and the workload with.”
What would you say are the highlights and challenges of running a yarn shop? “Nothing beats the face of a new knitter; someone who has cracked the code and is ready for more as they venture on into their newfound passion. Or the face of a knitter who has managed to overcome a challenge and is filled with a sense of achievement and pride. We are so lucky to be part of these personal stories.
“The greatest challenge of running a yarn shop is trying to make yourself visible through all the other noise that we are bombarded with in our lives today. There are so many things competing for people’s attention that it can be hard to stand out, especially against bigger brands, shops or online. We share the stories of what makes our yarns and our shop special on social media, so that we can connect with our customers in a more personal way.”
What is the knitting community like in your area?
“Since day one, community has been at the very core of everything Knit With Attitude does. Through the years we have bonded with other East End yarn shops Wild and Woolly and Fabrications to create events for our shared communities. With them we established Hackney the London Borough of Wool and the East London Yarn Triangle. Our knitting community is very vibrant and engaged, and we’re immensely proud in having had a hand in creating it.”
What has been your proudest achievement? “Highlights definitely include reaching our ten-year milestone as a shop, our Knit With Attitude anniversary book collaboration with Laine Magazine, and coming through the pandemic strong and able to expand our shop space!”
- www.knitwithattitude.com