Not Your Grandma’s Knitting Circle

At the back of a dimly lit bar in Brooklyn, N.Y., a group of twentysomething women huddle around high-top tables, laughing and making small talk. All the while, their hands wield wooden needles and tug on chunky yarn.

This September, about 40 knitting parties like this one took place in bars, cafes, and yarn stores in Chicago, London, and San Francisco, courtesy of Wool & the Gang. The British e-tailer sells its own brand of premium-priced knitting supplies, along with ready-made sweaters, hats, scarves, and other accessories for men, women, and children. Founders Aurelie Popper and Jade Harwood struck up a friendship while studying textile design at London’s Central Saint Martins college and later worked at haute couture houses Alexander McQueen and Balmain. In her native Geneva, Popper met Elisabeth Sabrier, a former model and an occasional knitter. The three started Wool & the Gang (WATG) in 2008 to “change the way knitting was perceived into something that was cool and sexy, not so grandma-ish,” says Popper.