Yesterday I went to visit a new yarn shop in my area, Ideal Images. I knew from the moment I stepped through the door I had found a very special, personal, creative place to be.
Wonderful colors and samples were everywhere, luscious yarns stacked high in row after row, down one side of the room. Along the other side, I was delighted to see many comfortable-looking, upholstered chairs gathered into a circle, awaiting knitters to fill them. The area was set off by deep red draperies swagged overhead and down each corner, giving it a very gracious, inviting, parlor-like atmosphere. I could tell that Ideal Images must be in the habit of entertaining many knitters at once, because directly behind this area was another one just like it!
I'd been looking around for less than one minute when the owner came out to greet me and introduce herself. Jeannie told me that she's been a knitter for many years, but just went full-time into yarns about a year ago. And she said she was indeed expecting some people to be dropping in for Open Knitting.
Fortunately, I'd brought my knitting bag along so I got out my Vanilla sock and joined in as the circle started filling up. Two people were working on Citron shawlettes, encouraging me to give that pattern a try. One person was a new knitter working on her first hat; Jeannie explained to me that at her store they do a great deal of charity knitting and she showed me some of the 241 hats customers had donated in just the past few weeks. She also showed one of her latest finished objects to the group--a deep red Ruffles and Ridges shawl that is just lovely.
Before I left, I picked out yarn for a Citron or other lace shawl, and bought a pair of #6 Addi Lace needles and a copy of the Interweave Knits' Accessories issue 2009 I'd been searching for. (I have my eye on that Pam Allen pattern, Little Arrowhead shawl.) And I had a great time seeing all the other things that store is bursting with--knitting notions and needles, buttons, lotions, patterns, books, roving and the shop's hand-painted spinning wheel and hand-weaving loom, cute little colorful sock monkeys hanging here and there--and hundreds of samples!
I hope to be able to drop in for Open Knitting again next Saturday, when they'll be doing charity knitting again, and Jeannie has promised to help me get started on my own first hat. Ideal Images is definitely a place where you can rev up your knitting mojo, as the Knitmores would say.
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