Knitting Fever
The team at Knitting Fever distributes gorgeous, artisan yarns to stores around the world
KNITTING FEVER has a long and proud history of bringing beautiful yarns to the knitters of North America. Now the company has become a global force, distributing artisan yarns to shops in Europe and beyond - including Jody Long’s yarn range, which is showcased in his ‘Tyrella’ sweater in this supplement.
The company was founded in 1974 as a knitting and needlepoint store in Great Neck, New York, by Sion Elalouf, who had been inspired by the beautiful and exotic nature of European and Japanese yarns.
Knitting Fever Inc. gave up its retail business in the early 1980s to concentrate on bringing the finest international yarns to stores across the United States.
Today, its world-famous brands include Noro from Japan, Mirasol from Peru, Araucania from Chile, Gedifra from Italy, and the yarns developed by Swedish knitwear designer Elsebeth Lavold. “We specialise and focus on ‘affordable luxury’ with a firmly rooted belief that the act of knitting deserves the most beautiful of yarns,” explains Gareth Probert, Knitting Fever’s sales manager for the UK and Ireland.
“We are fortunate to have a very wide and diverse portfolio of brands across all price points, and in the UK and Europe we currently distribute Lykke Needles, Noro, Juniper Moon Farm, Ella Rae, Louisa Harding, Mirasol, Araucania, Jody Long, KFI Collection, Queensland Collection, and Elsebeth Lavold. We really do have something for everyone!”
Gareth reports that they see lots of interest in their core yarns, and they have a collection of firm favourites which knitters turn to time and again. “Yarns such as Noro’s Silk Garden, Kureyon and Ito, Ella Rae Cashmereno, and Juniper Moon Farm
Herriot and Moonshine, all have a great following. They are just such versatile classics,” he says.
Knitting Fever also distributes Lykke knitting needles, and the brand continues to go from strength to strength thanks to its beautiful, functional and durable products.
To support its wide portfolio of yarns, Knitting Fever works with international designers to offer knitting patterns for all kinds of projects – womenswear, homewares, family knits and more. These are available to buy as downloadable patterns from its website, while it also offers inspiration for many more projects using its yarns, with clickable links from its site to Ravelry.com.
Looking to the future
Like so many of us, the team at Knitting Fever has found the past 12 months challenging, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But that hasn’t stopped them from working harder than ever to develop its ranges. “We have continued investing in our business and our brands,” reports Gareth. “We have just refreshed our entire range of spring/summer yarns across the board, and have also introduced the most luxurious and beautiful yarn swifts and ball winders to the Lykke range. There is also a gorgeous new pink finish available for Lykke needles which we call ‘Blush’, and retailers have been selling out before even getting their shipments in!
“Looking further ahead, we are now starting to think about autumn/ winter 2021-22, and retailers will soon be able to view the collection. I had a sneak peek earlier today, and without giving too much away, it looks fantastic! There are some yarns in there that are bound to be big hits, and I know people won’t be able to wait to cast on once they’ve had a squeeze!”