If you're one of the many who have caught the knitting craze (just try Goggling "knit" and "movie star" to see just how popular knitting has become again), here's an important tip: the right buttons can make or break a sweater. Fortunately, Larchmont-Mamaroneck residents don't have to go far to find what is increasingly rare: a great selection of buttons and ribbons.

It's been almost 30 years since Alice Giunta opened The Silver Canvas at 12 Chatsworth Ave. in Larchmont, and she never stopped adding to her collection of buttons along the way. Here you'll find the unusual: buttons for baby sweaters and knit bags; buttons for vintage clothing and winter coats; buttons that will fade into the background and buttons that are a fashion statement all on their own. Buttons, which are sold individually, range in price from a quarter to $15.

You can reach them at 914-834-4868. 

But The Silver Canvas is primarily a knitting store. There's a good selection of fashionable yarns crammed into the tiny store, where you'll always find a circle of knitters, new and old, ready to give advice on your project, your life, or what to eat for dinner.

The Quilt Cottage, at 414 Mamaroneck Ave. in Mamaroneck, has a smaller selection of buttons, more suitable for the sewer, the clientele to whom the store caters.Buttons, sold on cards, range from $1 to $4.

The  real draw of the store, however, are the ribbons – grosgrain, embroidered and beaded -- and quilting supplies.  You'll also find a small selection of yarns for knitting and a wide selection of sewing notions.  Ribbons are sold by the yard, ranging from $1 to $6 for the 1 ½ inch Jaquard ribbons.

Nancy Rosenberger and Ellen Highsmith Silver opened about five years ago in a store built in the 1880s. With its original wood floors, tin walls and ceilings, the airy space is filled with sunlight and large enough to easily accommodate the quilting and sewing classes held on a regular basis.

Alice regularly refers folks to Nancy and Ellen, and vice versa. It's great to have two places in town for those who craft.