Nguyen Le is the creative behind KnitKnit, a Brooklyn based brand of knitted and felted accessories with clean lines and clever twists.
Her soft and beautiful creations are made to keep you warm not only on the outside, but in the inside too. Nguyen’s work proves that knitting is a therapeutic tool, pushing this saying to an edge and making it true for both the knitter and the one who wears the knitted item.
What she likes about New York is it’s perpetual movement, it’s status of creative place in where the list of the favorite spots is always in progress: the city that never sleeps is also the one that never ceases to surprise you.
And, just so you know, she has also been featured in the uber famous Martha Stewart’s show.
::Why and when did you started KnitKnit? I started KnitKnit close to when Etsy first started – in August of 2005. KnitKnit was actually born from a broken heart. I was incredibly sad at the time, and didn’t know what to do with myself, so I just knitted, and knitted, and knitted. When people say that knitting is therapeutic, it’s true. KnitKnit was not started for business reasons – it was a place for me to put things that I created for the sake of creating.
:: Where do you get your inspiration from? Well, for some reason I have always been drawn to leaves, hence all of the leaf shaped pieces in my shop. I must have been a tree in a past life, because really, there’s NO other explanation for it. That must also be why I like to drink water and why all of my hair falls out in the wintertime….
Other than my past life, the people in my present life really inspire me. Something about their profession/likes/lives will trigger an idea for a handmade object. I made the knitted postcard as a creative chain mail for my craft buddy to keep the crafting going on, and an anatomical knitted heart for a friend who was going in for heart surgery.
:: Who is your ideal buyer? My ideal buyer is someone who appreciates knitted power cords and eyeball earrings. It’s someone who likes unique soft things.
:: What is your favorite NYC place? Even if I’ve been there only once, my favorite place in the city is the Village East Cinema. I went there one night with my sister to see WALL-E which was playing in their main theater on the first floor. I had seen a movie there before in a black box of a room, so I didn’t expect anything special, but when I walked into this theater, I was awestruck. The doors opened up to a magnificent high ceiling-ed room with lavish golds & blues painted on the walls and ceiling. A sparkling chandelier hung from the murals, and plush red velvet seats ran up the back. Seeing WALL-E, which is an amazing film, with this magnificent theater to ourselves except for two other people, was just magic. I don’t have any other way to describe it. I have experienced other incredibly magical moments in this great city that I am so happy to have, but this is definitely one of my favorites. Truth is that one of the greatest things about NYC is that there are so many new and exciting places to discover, so aside from the Village East Cinema, some of my new recent favorites are: the Neue Galerie, the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Gallery, Proteus Gowanus, and Vanessa’s, a Chinese place where you can get 8 dumplings for $2.50. Amazing!
:: Do you think New York can still considered the place-to-be for young creatives such as you are? Yes, definitely. There are so many resources and like minded people here. It’s so inspiring and free because New York is so open and welcoming of whatever you’ve got to give it. Where else do people host public pillow fights, pantless subway rides, and free hugs? It never ceases to tickle me.
:: What is New York to young creatives such as you are? New York is the a la mode to my apple pie.
:: If I say Italy, you say…? People in smart business suits riding bicycles. Gelato. Cafes. Romance! I visited Northern Italy once, and I hope to come back to see the rest of it soon!
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