Woolplay: Knit, Purl, Create

If Danique Martin posted an advisory on the door of her triangular shaped yarn store on Haddon Avenue it would be simple: This is not your grandmother’s knitting shop. 

Indeed, it isn’t. Skeins of blended wools in a rainbow of color and a wider range of texture encourage even the needle-challenged to create a fashion accessory. 

Martin, 30, who purchased  in January, is a relative newcomer to knitting, taking her first lesson five years ago. Around the time when women were creating brightly colored boas with acrylic eyelash yard from craft and fabric stores, Martin pulled some wool from a drawer and turned to her grandmother for guidance.

“She showed me a few things, but it looked old and not cool,” she remembers.  So she signed up for an evening class at Haddon Township High School taught by Therese Inverso, a contributor to knitting instruction manuals and developer of some knitting patterns. Martin, always a crafter, soon was enroute to a new vocation. “Knitting was pretty much the only craft I hadn’t done until then,” she said. 

She carried her creations with her and soon was giving pointers to friends at work. “It gave me joy,” she says simply.

On a Sunday, she drove from her home in Merchantville to the shop in Haddonfield, then owned by Nadine Shapiro, and soon was teaching classes there, first twice and then three times a week. 

Life intervened in the sagging economy and Martin, with a degree in graphic design and a marketing job, found herself eased out of her job. Shapiro was thinking about selling her business and the two women struck a deal. 

Martin has brought a new look to the shop, not only with brighter yarn inventory with blends of alpaca, merino and silk but with new bags, needles and notions. Samples of work created by herself and students are displayed—but not for sale—and the lesson schedule quickly fills. Patterns by famous designers, including Ysolda Teague, are available and help on a sticky issue is as close as a visit or phone call to the shop. 

One corner of the shop is highlighted by unique buttons and closures for shawls. 

Martin describes herself as a “fabric fanatic,” and says she’s fallen for kettle-dyed yarns. All of the yarns in her shop are washable. Skeins in the $30 range include up to 1,000 yards and are enough to make a very large shawl or a sweater. 

One of Martin’s most successful teaching programs came via a sales rep who came in with a teachers’ manual for Building Blocks, a monthly meeting that teaches 12 different stitches. 

Martin ordered 10 books and varieties of colors. She had hoped for 18 sign-ups, but soon had 30. Now the class runs six times a month and almost all have the 10-student maximum. The class costs $25.50 a month and includes all materials.  Each class includes instructions on new stitches and the students take the block home to finish the work. 

Martin hopes to set up a new round of classes in July or August. 

Other projects include self-ruffling yarns, which Martin assures will turn into a fluffy boa with little experience. “It’s very, very easy” and costs about $20. She encourages people who want to try it to “just show up” on May 5 from 3 to 4 p.m. 

Martin runs classes for beginners on weekdays and Sundays and refers students to adult school programs run in local school districts, including Haddonfield and Haddon Township. “The classes are full and I’m working to get new teachers,” she said. 

Woolplay is a destination store for knitters, she says.

“I’m not needing people to stop in while they’re walking by, but everyone’s welcome. Almost every day, people stop by," Martin adds. "I love the small-town feel.”

Woolplay is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Martin has a website, woolplay.com, and a Facebook page. The shop’s phone is 856-428-0110.