Knit Wit

Thursday, November 15, 2007

It’s not every day that you discover an up-and-coming designer in her late-seventies. Evelyn Goldstein, a self-taught knitter who took up the trade as a teen because it was “the fashionable thing to do” back in the day, has turned her one-time hobby into a commercial enterprise. Now pushing 80, Evelyn’s knack for needles has inadvertently blossomed into a namesake knitwear line of luxe scarves, toques, shawls, capelets and adorable baby clothes. In fact, she’s currently knitting a pint-sized cardigan for my 14-month old nephew.

Far more fashionable and affordable than anything I’ve seen in big name department stores, Evelyn’s itch-free knitwear designs are real head-turners. Made from the finest quality machine-washable fabrics such as chenille, acrylic and wool, each one-of-a-kind piece is embellished with her signature fringes, eyelets or intricate loops. Evelyn’s coveted chenille scarves are intentionally made extra long so you can double-wrap ’em around the nape of your neck. Her buttery soft accoutrements are so stylish, my shopping-obsessed friend Ellyn is planning on wearing her recently purchased burgundy scarf well beyond winter months.

Looking for something bespoke? Ask Evelyn and she’ll whip-up whatever you want in a variety of seasonal shades such as lime green, grey, aubergine and rust. Now that I’m the proud owner of several over-sized scarves, I never walk outside without one wrapped around my neck. But that might also be due to the fact that this septuagenarian seamstress also happens to be my aunt.

Store:	Evelyn Goldstein Knitwear
Phone:	email dara@fashionjunkie.com for custom orders
Price Range:	$50-$100