An important part of what Knit With Attitude is and what places us within our community is the relationship with our neighbours. That's everyone from our friends and customers that come through our doors, attend our monthly knit nights or come in for a chat when they are out and about in Stoke Newington. Being a shop you interact with so many people and you build up relationships with people in the area. Regular faces you wave to on the street become familiar ones and communities are built around our hub that is on Stoke Newington High Street. Even within the walls of Knit With Attitude friendships are strong, as it's not just us that exist in the space of 127 Stoke Newington High Street. We share this space with Of Cabbages and Kings, a print, jewellery and homewares shop run by Jessica.

Our neighbourhood stretches further than just Stoke Newington though and that is where the East London Yarn Triangle (ELYT) comes in. One of our Kickstarter rewards is a guided tour of the ELYT with Maya and George. So if you are not familiar with the ELYT then worry no more because I shall explain all.

The ELYT is a collaboration between Hackney's three most exciting independent yarn shops: Knit With Attitude, Wild and Woolly and Fabrications. These three shops are all unique in character, but have united together to create a partnership built on friendship, respect and community spirit. Working together to host events, like the Pic-Knit for World Wide Knit in Public Day or join forces with people in the community to create the 'East London Knitters Say Balls to Trump' banner for the March Against Trump.

Here is a little breakdown of the three shops, to find out more follow the links to their websites:

Fabrications - 7 Broadway Market, E8 4PH. Run by Barley Massey - 'Fabrications is a creative Upcycling emporium - shop, learn skills, join our community yarn! Stocking British wool, recycled yarns, handmade MAC- RO knitting needles, craft kits, haberdashery, ethical fabrics and more.'

Wild and Woolly - 116 Lower Clapton Road, E5 0QR. Run by Anna Feldman - 'Wild and Woolly specialises in yarn from local hand dyers, patterns from local designers, breed specific wools and a cup of tea and a sit down in case you need help with your knitting.'

Knit With Attitude - 127 Stoke Newington High Street, N16 0PH. Run by May Linn Bang - 'Knit With Attitude focuses on ethical, eco-friendly and sustainable yarns and accessories from around the world that appeal to the modern knitter. It also shares a space with design store and gallery Of Cabbages and Kings.'

The ELYT shops host a variety of events throughout the year, including most notably the Pic-Knit for World Wide Knit in Public Day. This is a gathering on Hackney Downs of the three shops plus anyone from our community and beyond who want to join us for knitting, good company and a picnic! This is a great time of year to meet new and old friends, talk and knit. Some people we may not see as much as we like, but the World Wide Knit in Public day event gives us a chance to reconnect and let our hair down. Days like this, when a group of people gather together with a joint cause, reaffirms the bond of friendship and makes a community stronger.

For the Yarn Crawl Kickstarter reward Maya and George will take you on a personal tour from shop to shop pointing out along the way the local sights and the places in our community that matter to us. This is a great opportunity if you are not familiar with East London and the great yarn shops in our neighbourhood. Hopefully we will be able to express our enthusiasm for our neighbourhood and the friends we have made within it.