ALEXANDRIA, VA

My kind of Old Town...

Earlier this year I had the chance to return to the Washington DC area. Sure, I was there for a family gathering, but I had to add on a little yarny tourism so I could share my adventures with you!

Misha’s Coffee Roaster and Coffeehouse 

102 S Patrick Street

Alexandria, VA 22314

703-548-4089

mishascoffee.com

DestiKNITters know every adventure needs to be launched with coffee, and this bustling independent roaster/coffeehouse is the perfect place to start. Sure it may be no frills and down-to-earth, but I rather like the atmosphere. Oh, and they have pie. You know how I feel about pie—even for breakfast (yes!) 

There’s a reason this area is called the “Old Town Boutique District,” so wander the length of King Street and the surrounding blocks, taking in whatever shops pique your interest, such as: 

Red Barn Mercantile

1117 King Street

Alexandria, VA 22314

703-838-0355

redbarnmercantile.com

There’s a little bit of everything here—housewares, gifts, cards, candles—but  nothing that feels like a department or mall store. The infusion of color just feels wonderful to soak in, even if you only end up browsing. Great for gift shopping or finding a little something to treat yourself. 

Stitch Sew Shop

102 N Fayette Street

Alexandria, VA 22314

571-777-8783

stitchsewshop.com

Hey, we support all crafts, not just the yarny kind. Good, quality sewing stores (that aren’t just a few aisles in big box craft stores) are starting to crop up everywhere, and we’re glad for the trend. Rent an hour on one of their machines and workspaces—what a great idea!—or take a class to build up your skills or dip your toes in the world of fabrics.

Now's a good time to check out today’s fiber—or is that fibre—find: 

fibre space

1319 Prince Street
Alexandria, VA 22314

703-664-0344

fibrespace.com

AlexandriaNews photo

FIRST OFF: fibre space used to be right around the corner from Stitch Sew, but just this month they've moved to a spiffy new home. The new digs boast more parking, one large open space rather than the several rooms of the former location, a second floor for events, and two private classrooms. Talk about making a good thing even better!

Now, about this lovely store: Owner Danielle Romanetti began her fiber career teaching knitting classes on the side. Once she added the retail component, things just took off from there. An integral player in the Old Town business district, this long and narrow space is packed full of fibers, samples, ideas, and happy customers who knit, crochet, and weave. You may also get the chance to say hello to Danielle’s two “shop mascots,” Italian Greyhounds Nemo and Kermit. Fibre space calls itself “a yarn universe”—and the description fits!

the were still in their former space for
my visit...the new one's even better!

Lots of free events like movie nights build community, allowing knitters and crocheters to interact with each other as well as the yarn. Danielle dreams up yarn tastings that partner with local businesses so the experience is always an adventure. Weekly open knitting nights and programs like “Survival Skills Wednesdays” make sure you can get the help you need when you need it. A great MSNBC piece on why Danielle wants you in the shop rather than on your computer can be found here.

again, the former space during my visit

And there’s plenty of reason to venture in.“I carefully curate the inventory,” Romanetti says. “I look for the best quality fiber for lots of price-points.  “You’ll find tried and true workhorse yarns here, but I’m especially interested in bringing unique things my customers can’t find everywhere.”  If you’re looking for souvenir yarn, check out anything by local Neighborhood Fibre Co., where all the fibers are named after DC-area neighborhoods. The shop features sought-after lines like Hedgehog Fibres from Ireland, Woolfolk, and Brooklyn Tweed. You’re bound to find something you “need” from the wide selection organized by gauge. If weaving is your thing, fibre space has started a program in tapestry and rigid heddle weaving as well.

DC can be a pressure-cooker of a place to live and work, so she views the shop’s role as an important counterbalance. “This is stress relief for a busy, high-stress customer base.” Couches, groupings of chairs, and a conversational atmosphere make this a friendly gathering spot for tourists like myself as well as DC natives.

If you need a place to start, here are a few projects to help you unwind:

Hei Snood Cowl

Color progression and texture share the stage in this striking cowl by Olga Buraya-Kefelian (Olgajazzy on Ravelry). Danielle suggests two cakes of Knitwhits’ Freia Handpaints Ombre Sport for this in-store pattern. Make sure you get a bit of staff help picking out your yarn, because you need to make sure you get two that are wound in different directions in order to achieve the lovely color effect that makes this shawl such an eye-catcher.

Knockout Round Shawl

If you’ve been yearning to experiment with color interplay, Ann Weaver’s generous triangular shawl is a great way to explore. The stitching is simple (so you can do other things like watch a knockout round), while the alternating rows of ombre and solid colors make the style for you.  You’ll need either two different skeins of fingering weight ombre like the Fria Handpaints Ombre Petit  or one ombre and a complimenting solid from Neighborhood Fiber Co Studio Sock. The pattern is available in store or through Ravelry.

Jimi Shawlette

Local designer Dee O’Keefe works some contrast magic with any pair of  worsted skeins from Virginia dyer The Fiberist in this smaller-scale top-down triangular piece.  A good first shawl for novices ready to stretch their skills, the pattern comes with extensive tutorials and super-helpful photo instructions. 

Knit-Along: Brick Sidewalk Beanie

An excellent souvenir choice, I’ll be knitting Ann Weaver’s clever hat nodding to Alexandria’s brick walkways. The pattern features instructions for multiple sizes (Mother-daughter hats! Father-son hats!) and works up wonderfully in Neighborhood Fiber Co’s Superwash Merino Studio DK. A locally focused pattern in locally crafted yarn—what could serve as a better tourist treasure than that?

Once you’ve satisfied your yarn cravings, continue your exploration of King Street. My recommendations today head you back in the direction of where you started, but visitalexandria.com can show you a host of other adventures. Still, you won’t have to go far to experience.

Olio

1223 King Street

Alexandria, VA 22314

703-299-3004

oliotastingroom.com

I never knew all I didn’t know about oils and infused vinegars! Now such upscale condiments are my go-to hostess gift as well as the occasional in-home splurge. Yes, it really does make a difference. You can customize your own sampler box, or fill a basket with all the jams, crackers, teas, spices, honeys and sauces the store carries.

La Fromagerie

1222 King Street

Alexandria, VA 22314

703-879-2467

lafromagerieonline.com

If you like happy hours, this is a great place to experience the slow food movement that’s becoming so popular. Wines and cheeses complement fresh local fare “lovingly prepared.” Sit back and stitch while you sip, or pick up a few bottles from their vast selection to take home.

Alexandria Cupcake

1022 King Street

Alexandria VA 22314

703) 299-9099

alexandriacupcake.com

I maintain my theory: where there’s yarn, there’s cupcakes. There aren’t a lot of places to sit in this cheery little bakery, but I was just as happy to nosh on a sunny park bench and watch the world go by.  

If cupakes aren’t your thing, Danielle also recommends the “Tango” gelato at La Casa Rosada.

Bellacara

1000 King Street

Alexandria, VA 22314

703-299-9652

bellacara.com

I’m becoming a fan of makeup boutiques like this one. I love the personalized service, spot-on advice, and interesting products I discover whenever I browse. I always let them try something new on my face or hands—I’ve discovered some wonderful products this way. Plus, no calories (useful after wolfing down two cupcakes ten minutes earlier).

When you’re ready for dinner, head to:

The Majestic

911 King St

Alexandria, VA 22314

703-837-9117

themajesticva.com

Their famous coconut cake is reason enough to go, but my sources also recommend the Cheshire Pork Chop or the gnocchi. The atmosphere of this restaurant—around in some form since 1932—is as wonderful as the food.

Spend the rest of your day doing whatever DC adventures suit you, but make sure at some point you take in one of my new favorites:

Duck Donuts

3610 King St

Ste F

Alexandria, VA 22302

571-297-2298

duckdonuts.com

They’re all over the east coast and I cannot wait for them to make their way to Chicago! Warm, made-to-order donuts in a gazillion scrumptious flavors—what’s not to love? Choose your donut, your glaze, your topping, and your drizzle and watch it take shape right in front of you. I would eat these any time of day or night! Very good coffee too (that’s important).

There are lots of reasons to visit the nation’s capitol, but it’s always nice to include yarn among your travel incentives.  I hope I’ve given your tourism new fiber enhancements as well as made your tastebuds and shopping bags happy.

Next up, we venture to Asheville, North Carolina.

Brick Sidewalk Beanie from fibre space--Done!

Hats off!

My relationship with knitted hats has been a rocky one. In Chicago, we definitely need warm hats, but my hair and my head don’t seem to get along with knitted hats. Some people look adorable in beanies, tams, or all types of hats, but I am not one of them. I am happy to make them, but I usually end up giving them away.

The fact that I don’t hate how it looks on my head is a high testament to this pattern. I don’t love it, but I never expected it to. I tolerate it—style-wise—but I do have to tell you it feels wonderful. Cozy and plush, with the perfect snugness of headband. And the little bit of slouch makes it feel trendy. Seriously, for a knit hat, that’s a home-run in my world.

I know what will probably happen. I’ll keep it, maybe wear it once or twice when I truly need to feel warm. Then I’ll run across some adorable millennial—my daughter, someone else’s daughter, someone from church or writing group—and I’ll know in my knitter’s heart of hearts it belongs to them. And without a moment’s hesitation and a gleeful heart, I’ll say, “Here, I made this, and I want you to have it.” I’ll have enjoyed the pleasure of knitting it, and they’ll have the pleasure of wearing it—everybody wins!

Now that we’ve had our knitting experience, my next post will introduce you to the lovely store that provided this pattern: fibre space in Alexandria, VA.  Stay tuned to learn about their brand new location!

Brick Sidewalk Beanie from fibre space--Day 4

Close to the finish line...

The dpn’s are in use, which means—as my horsey friend often puts it—“we are heading for the barn!”

The brick sidewalk that gives this beanie its name fades off into the crown like a road veering off into the sunset. It’s a great aesthetic touch, just as clever as the whole pattern. Sure, the headband could be an ordinary ribbing, but I’m so pleased that it isn’t. I’ve knit hats that looked great but didn’t feel or function well. This one sure feels like it will be as pleasant to wear as it has been to knit. It has just the right amount of elasticity and slouch—comfy but not sloppy, snug but not strangling. Perfect.

I could use a dose of perfection. My week has been crazy-stuffed with tasks, but I’ve tried not to let my knitting time pay the price. Like exercise, I need a daily dose of the peace knitting gives me. The anchor creating something—even though I create with words all day long—gives to my spirit. I suspect you’re the same way. 

I’m just a nicer, calmer, better person when I knit.  Aren’t you?

Brick Sidewalk Beanie from fibre space--Day 3

The Delight of Decreasing

There’s always a burst of energy for me when I reach those magic words “begin decrease” on a hat. 

It means I’m racing toward the finish line of my project. It means the rows will get shorter and shorter from here on in. As a knitter continually haunted by the growing rows of top-down shawls, “begin decrease” is the chocolate cake of pattern directions. Dessert course! Most delicious!

Not that any of the middle section of this hat has been at all tedious. Rather, it’s been peaceful, engaging, and productive at a pleasant speed. Everything I look for in a knitting project. I only have to look down for a small portion of each row, and it just plain feels wonderful to knit.

My only complaint with hats is that unlike socks, you can’t really try them on unfinished. Sure, you can slip the in-progress hat on your head, but it won’t give you a true taste of what the thing will look like on your noggin when blocked and finished. Considering how ridiculous I look in most knitted hats, this represents a sizable risk for me. I’ve loved knitting it, but will I love wearing it?

Then again, that’s not really a problem, is it? Because you and I both know that if I don’t fancy how it looks on me, it won't take long to find a head it fits perfectly. Granted, if this were a large, complicated shawl, I might balk at gifting it.  But a hat? It’s just the right size to release with pleasure to someone else.

Having said all that, I really like how it feels and hope I do like how it fits.

Brick Sidewalk Beanie from fibre space--Day 2

What’s better than a hand-knit hat?

I’ll tell you—it’s a hat knitting pattern that is clever enough to escape boredom, yet simple enough to allow easy memorization.

In this case, done and done. There’s enough basic stockinette to make this a thing of ease. Still, the line of “bricks” that adorn the brim and a “sidewalk” up the rest of the hat keep things from feeling monotonous. The brick motif is easily memorized. Especially for meeting or TV knitting, I love not having to whip out a pattern or fear annoying my companions with clicks of my row counter.

I wish the camera captured the color better...

And then there’s the fiber. This yarn from Neighborhood Fiber Co. is nothing short of splendid.  There’s something about a really good wool, isn’t there? Nothing else has the spring between your fingers, the clarity of stitches, or the ability to hold such lush colors. Even before this blog, I was—and am—a yarn snob. Whatever I work with has to feel luscious between my fingers. It’s too much a part of the process for me to slog through something that doesn’t offer the tactile pleasure I seem to need from knitting.  

I once met delightfully outrageous knit designer Steven Be at a yarn show in Chicago.  He was clad in a sweater famously knit from a Willie Nelson eight-track tape.  Fascinating, impressive even, but totally unappealing to me.  Plarn—yarn made from shreds of plastic bags—never calls to me, either. I understand the functionality, I support re-purposing, but those things are not why I knit. 

Well, I suppose it’s yarn functionality isn’t a value for me. Item functionality is another matter. I think mittens are functional and I enjoy knitting them. Granted shawls—my personal favorite—are mostly decorative, but when some restaurant’s air conditioning is making your teeth chatter, they feel mighty functional to me.

All this is to say that while I’m sure I (or someone I love) will use the hat, it’s most important to me that I’m enjoying knitting it. I enjoy knitting this, and for that I’m endlessly thankful to fibre space.

Brick Sidewalk Beanie from fibre space--Day 1

Switcheroo...

For this DestiKNITion, we’re going to tackle the project first, and then feature the store and adventures.

Project first? Why’d I switch things up like that? 

It’s because fibre space, our DC yarn shop, is in the middle of a location change. It didn’t make much sense to give you all the information in the midst of their move, so we’re going to give them some time to settle in and introduce you to the shop and its neighborhood afterward.

So, on to our project.

I love hats. I’m not especially fond of wearing them—they always do terrible things to my hair—but I do love to knit them. Their short, sweet, and stylish, less complicated than socks or mittens, but just as fun to have around.  In a town like Chicago, a good warm hat is a marvelous thing.  One that recalls a fun adventure is just that much more marvelous.

The Brick Sidewalk Beanie launches with something a step up from ordinary ribbing. The fisherman’s rib, with its alterations of knit/purl rectangles between ktbl rows does indeed give you the feeling of a brick sidewalk—especially in the reddish brown color of Neighborhood Fibre Co. superwash marino yarn I’ve chosen. 

This texture detail will continue up just one portion of the full hat, but circles all the way around the brim.

This yarn represents the first time I used my new swift and ball winder—purchases from Stitches Midwest. I loved being able to make my own ball without endless hours balancing a hank on my knees or imposing upon my husband to hold his hands up.  I’ve wanted to own one for years, and was delighted to finally make the purchase.

Who knows? Maybe this will become the first hat I love to wear.

July Authors Who Knit: Terri J. Haynes

It's time to meet this month's author who shares our love for yarn and needles.  DestiKNITters, say hello to Terri Haynes.

Terri, what’s on your needles right now? 

Too many things. I’m working on a blanket for my new grand-nephew, a cowl, a summer sweater, and a shawl. I normally keep at least two projects going: a complicated one for home and an easy travel/Bible study project. 

What feels like your favorite/greatest knitting accomplishment? 

I fixed a mistake several rows down on a very complicated lace shawl…all while I had a migraine. I would have cheered, but it would have been too painful. I rewarded myself with a nap.

What feels like the worst knitting mistake/foible/wrong choice you’ve ever made? 

I have a horrible habit of not reading the pattern all the way through. For instance, I was convinced that I’d made a mistake in the sweater on my needles and was about to rip out all that work. I happened to glance at the pattern before I did, and low and behold, the sweater was right!

Straight or circular needles? 

Circular.

Metal or wood needles? 

Actually, I just got a new pair of Karbonz by Knitter’s Pride for my birthday (made of carbon with nickel tips). They are light like wood and smooth like metal. They are also very warm and durable. I LOVE them. 

White chocolate, milk chocolate, or dark chocolate? 

Dark with almonds and sea salt. 

Coffee or tea? 

Both. I’ve recently renewed my love for coffee, especially cinnamon flavored.

Have you written a knitting character? 

No, but my main character, Tempest, wears a knitted shawl in one of the scenes.

What’s the last thing anyone would suspect about your most recent book? 

That I don’t like reality TV. I had to watch hours of it and many different shows for research. In the end, I found a few that I enjoyed like What Not To Wear, My Fair Wedding, The Locator, and a BBC show called Hotel Inspector.

Give a shout out to your favorite local yarn store: 

Fibre Space

1219 King Street, 

Alexandria, VA 22314

www.fibrespace.com

Show Terri some DestiKNITter cyber-love by visiting her website or blog.  If you'd like to friend Terri on Raverly, you'll find her under the name Butterflutter.  You can purchase her book on Amazon.