East Greenwich is our next stop, a short hop north of Wickford, to visit the famous podcast trio, The Yarn Shop Girls at Love 2 Knit: Ann Schroeder, Gayle Lentrichia, and Marissa Shindell. The shop and the small shopping center in which it’s located is about a two-mile hike from Greenwich Cove Marina or a
East Greenwich is our next stop, a short hop north of Wickford, to visit the famous podcast trio, The Yarn Shop Girls at Love 2 Knit: Ann Schroeder, Gayle Lentrichia, and Marissa Shindell. The shop and the small shopping center in which it’s located is about a two-mile hike from Greenwich Cove Marina or a cab ride from Norton’s Marina. Your non-knitting companions can get a meal at Siena’s or enjoy a delectable selection of pastries at the bakery in the same plaza, Scrumptions.
Love 2 Knit features notable brands including some outstanding New England companies: JaggerSpun, Swans Island, Quaere Fibre, A Hundred Ravens, and Harrisville. Other brands in the lineup include Manos Del Uruguay, Skacel, Kraemer, Berroco, Fiber Company, Universal Yarns, Isager, Malabrigo, Koigu, Anzula, Shibui, Ito, and a new lineup from Delicious Yarns. From further afield, this was the first shop I have visited which stocks New Zealand’s classic, Kenzington.
For a convenient storage bag, look no further than the front table for a selection of locally made project bags from Dee Dee’s Stuff.
Maine made, Swans Island yarns come in a wide array of colors.
There is something very appealing about colors that simply dance together in harmony, featuring variegated, gradient, ombre, or single skeins of colors worked together in a thoughtful way. Whether skeined or knit into a flat, easy-to-transport fabric to knit from, Janel Rockwell’s Quaere Fibre colors are sure to catch the eye. Locally dyed in Richmond, Rhode Island, this yarn is as soft as it is lovely due in no small part to the twist. The company’s gradient sets are particularly striking; my favorite, the nautically named Under the Boardwalk, reminded me of happy days wandering the boardwalk with my mother and sister.
Quaere flat has a gradient for every season, including Beach Rose Sock Gradient, which is the one in the plastic cube.
Delicious Yarn comes in an array of bright colors and the most adorable of packages, including a cup cake box and loaf pan, which makes your stash easier to hide in the galley for the trip home. Even the labels on Delicious are adorable:
Love 2 Knit’s commitment to locally sourced items is not limited to yarns or project bags; it extends to designs as well. A few samples from local favorite Casapinka were on display when I visited. My favorites were Vibrance of Strangers in Manos Del Uruguay Alegria. and Vary the Gate in Koigu.
The Vibrance of Strangers
Vary the Gate in Koigu
The store is well stocked with yarn, inspirational samples, and notions. Gayle encourages guests to browse the ample supply of samples, enjoy the classics from Yankee Knitter and Lori Versaci, then go online to browse patterns on Ravelry. For those who may be traveling without a printer, Love 2 Knit will happily print off a copy of your pattern purchase for you and add it to your Ravelry library while you browse. The shop has a Ravelry Pro account to manage transactions, freeing up more time for you to enjoy the shop.
The samples don’t just come from the knitting needles at Love 2 Knit—just look what A Hundred Ravens and a little bling from Universal look like woven up into an elegant shawl. The gradient from A Hundred Ravens is in Mermaid’s Tail.
Ample number of samples to spark your creativity
Love 2 Knit is a destination shop built around a community of fiber artists. Gayle, Ann, and Marissa strive to make it a place where knitters, weavers, spinners, crochet artists, and designers can meet to share ideas, support each other, and build memories. They sponsor events throughout the year, including a day at the beach in August, an annual fashion show and dinner at the next-door restaurant Siana’s, Third Thursday Night Yarn Tastings, and a retreat every September for sixteen lucky participants on Cape Cod.
“We have a ball, it’s a community thing. We spin, we knit, we crochet, we weave, all of it,” according to Gayle.
For those who may be interested in learning a new skill, the shop offers private and classroom instruction in their meeting area towards the back of the store, where there is also a flat screen television upon which they show the occasional movie to accompany pizza night. 
Love2Knit
5600 Post Road Ste 124
East Greenwich RI 02818
401-398-7939
lovetoknitri.com
love2knit on Ravelry and Facebook
Greenwich Cove Marina
45 Water St
East Greenwich RI 02818
401-885-6611
Norton’s Marina
1 Division St
East Greenwich, RI 02818
401-884-8770
nortonsmarina.com