Keeping
Holly wood
in stitches
Knitting shop takes customers
back to simpler times
STUDIO 1501 PHOTOGRAPHY
Edith and Merrill Eig’s shop, La Knitterie Parisienne,
offers knitting supplies—along with helpful advice.
By Tim Talevich
In the hustle-bustle, ultra-chic world “Sure,” Edith responds reassuringly. tell you that those high-profile clients are just
that is Hollywood, one of the hottest Another presents her with the beginnings ordinary people like you and me. This is a
spots isn’t a new haute-cuisine restau- ofan afghan. “Could you feelthisand seeifit’s place where they can come, relax, be away
rant or health spa. It’s a small, cramped too tight?” from other people.”
shop, La Knitterie Parisienne, where the stars “No, no it’s fine,” Edith replies with just The timing was right. Across the country,
go to unwind, enter a simpler world and find the right doses of authority and encouragement. it has become cool to knit, with knitting cir-joy in a pastime that many of their grand- The Eigs opened the shop in 1996 after cles joining book clubs as popular ways to
mothers practiced. moving to Southern California from New spend leisure moments. The Eigs say there’s
On any given day, you might find your- Jersey, where they operated a similar shop. a good reason for this resurgence: Knitting is
self comparing knitting notes with Daryl Edith had learned knitting as a schoolgirl in therapy for our modern times.
Hannah or crochet patterns with Sofia Paris, where sewing and knitting were part of “We’re always busy, traveling in our car,
Coppola. Movie stars Catherine Zeta-Jones, the curriculum. In setting up the California working on our computer, talking on the tele-Elizabeth Taylor, Kim Basinger and dozens of store, there was never any grand plan to cater phone. Here, you force people to sit down
others are also occasional customers. to Hollywood celebrities—it just turned out like our great-grandmothers did at the quilt-
The unpretentious shop, located in Studio that way. ing bees,” says Edith. “You can sit and talk
City, is narrow and crowded floor to ceiling “We had a lot of people who started com- and share ideas: ‘Oh, you did this, this is
with colorful skeins of yarn of all textures and ing into the shop little by little, and luckily we wonderful, where can I get this, how can I do
types. Scattered throughout are drawers of were near the studios so we had a lot of actors this?’And people in my shop exchange ideas
buttons and racks of needles—everything with downtime between takes, and they’d andstories—not alwaysabout knitting.”
needed for fashioning scarves, baby booties, come and sit in here,” says Edith. “I have to She adds, “Knitting prevents people from
hats, handbags and throws. In terms of items smoking and overeating, because their hands
(there are some 13,000 yarns in the shop— MEMBER are busy. I always tell them, ‘This is an addic- and maybe that many more in an off-site tion, but it is a safe one.’” warehouse), La Knitterie Parisienne is one of With Hollywood celebrities as clients, the largest knitting shops in the world. it’s no surprise that La Knitterie Parisienne
But it’s not really the inventory that Name: La Knitterie Parisienne has attracted substantial media attention.
attracts the customers. It’s a small, yarn-strewn table with chairs in a side nook, where cus- Owners: Merrill and Edith Eig People magazine proclaimed Edith “Holly- wood’s knitting guru.” She created a knitting
tomers can work on projects and peek at each Member at: Van Nuys, CA, since 1996 show for DIY (the Do It Yourself network)
other’s work. More so, it’s Edith Eig, 60, the Employees: Usually three full-time and has written a book, Mother of Purl:
motherly figure who runs the business with er husband, Merrill. With a steady sense of Comments about Costco: “When we Friends, Fun, and Fabulous Designs at need something, Costco is always able to Hollywood's Knitting Circle (Collins, 2005).
calm and care, Edith gently answers ques- satisfy our immediate needs. We’d like to But her real love is helping her customers
tions, shows techniques and lends advice to a small crowd perpetually tugging at her sleeve. look at other services from Costco.” at the shop. As to plans for the future, Edith responds, “People have asked me to fran-
mempbreorfile
On a recent day, she squeezed through Contact at: 12642 Ventura Blvd., Studio chise, but I can’t, because basically my cus-the shop’s aisles, answering questions while City, CA 91604 tomers want me—I can’t cut myself in two
Merrill attended the cash register. One cus- 1-800-2BUY-YARN (228-9927) or (818) pieces. So we’re taking it day by day. The
tomer, buying yarn for matching baby booties 766-1515 business has been going tremendously and
and hat, asks, “And can you help me with the
www.laknitterieparisienne.com we’re very thankful for that. This is such a
strap?” personalized, one-to-one type of thing.” C
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