A stitch in time on the subway line is becoming profitable for a New York City man.
Former "American Idol" contestant Frenchie Davis was riding the train in Brooklyn on Nov. 21 when she spotted a bearded man knitting, The New York Daily News reported. Davis, who acted in the Broadway production of "Rent," snapped a photo of Louis Boria and posted it to Facebook, noting that "This brotha on the train is my hero today."
The photo went viral, and boosted the sales of Boria's company, Brooklyn Boy Knits, which he formed in 2009. To accommodate the sudden surge in orders, The 42-year-old Brooklyn resident said he was hiring two more knitters and revamping his website.
“For the first time in 10 years, I have pending orders,” Boria told the Daily News.
“I’m a fast knitter, but I’ve been telling customers to give me a three- to four-week delivery time.”
Boria was thrilled with the attention, writing “Hi Frenchie!!!!! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for this!” under Davis’ post. “This just made my year!”
The sudden attention triggered a surge in orders of his threads. To accommodate them, Boria is in the process of hiring two other knitters and revamping his website.
Boria said he became interested in knitting after having a dream about it. He picked up a beginners’ book and then began watching YouTube videos, the Daily News reported.
After hesitating, Boria decided to knit during his daily two-hour commute on the subway, the Daily News reported. After scores of painstaking hours, he created a sweater. Since then, he’s been having a ball.
During the winter, Boria gave out at least three scarves a day to the homeless on his way to work and also donated several pieces for a silent auction that raised money for hurricane disaster relief to Puerto Rico, the Daily News reported.
Boria is ready to thank the woman who weaved her photograph and Facebook post into a viral sensation. He is preparing to send Davis the scarf he was knitting when she took his picture, the Daily News reported.
Davis, who appeared on “American Idol” in 2003 and reached the final eight during during the first season of “The Voice” in 2011, was excited.
“I love (stuff) like this,” Davis wrote on Facebook. “The universe be workin’.”
Credit: Michael Tran
Credit: Michael Tran
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