La Casita is a little piece of heaven in Carroll Gardens. When you walk in you’re surrounded by shelves of yarn, little unique yarn creations and the most pleasant people you could hope to meet. A couple of girls listen as a woman explains to them the beginning steps of knitting, while another employee mentions to their mother, “You can have wine whenever you want!”
The tradition of home and knitting meld perfectly together at this little house. In addition to their shop they have a small kitchen in the back of the store, taking the meaning of ‘make yourself at home’ to a new level. They have treats and drinks to make everything extra cozy. “We have all the comforts of home. Food, kitchen, wine. It’s five o’clock somewhere, as they say!”
We began talking with one of the associates of the shop as she was knitting on the bench. Literally. There’s no nook left without a bit of yarn, if it can be helped.
She told us of the history of La Casita. The owner grew up in the building, one floor above the shop. There have been three generations of businesses in the space. “She’s carrying on a tradition”. And why La Casita? It carries the owner’s Spanish heritage.
We learned the philosophies of knitting. These were some of my favorite insights:
“Textiles have always been and always will be about learning. You can knit anything. Your limit is your imagination. It may look complicated but it really is so simple and it accesses creativity for anyone”.
“Knitting is about the synchronicities of life. The crossing of two things as fibers interlock. Each cross section is a moment”
“Knitting is time traveling. It goes back to ancient Egypt. You can reach back to that and keep it alive.”
We listened and watched, completely mesmerized, by the comforting repetition of knitting and the wisdom of her words. How can one not feel so completely at home in such a place. And she’s right, as she proudly proclaimed. “What we do here creates community. This is a destination place for yarn.” We left with an open invitation to come back whenever we wanted, and we most surely plan to take her up on the offer.
To find out more about La Casita, you can visit their website here:
Photography by Rebecca Reed
