I didn't get a chance to go there often, as the commute was a bitch. A roundtrip ticket from London to L.A. hardly made a good yarn deal worth the trip but I did go in every time I went back home. They carried Plymouth Yarns Baby Alpaca. They stocked some lovely bamboo. They had handmade knitting needles from a local artisan who was diagnosed with cancer and was only given months to live but has hung on for years. I attribute that to him finding his true purpose in life: to give joy to knitters in the Eagle Rock area - and beyond - with his gorgeous hand-turned needles. I wish I'd bought a pair of the size 12 needles (which all knitters know don't truly exist, but he made it happen) to add to my collection that has outgrown the vase sitting on my chest of drawers in my craft room. I can only hope that David is able to order a pair for me.
The first time I walked into That Yarn Store, I found David, sitting on the couch, barefoot and knitting. I felt immediately at ease. He was chatting to a couple of guys who lived in the upstairs apartment and was knitting something. It didn't matter what it was – he was knitting, like it was second nature to him. The homey vibe and overall sense of 'cool' wafted through the shop and made me want to take up residence. Who wouldn't want to be surrounded by wooly goodness and the feeling that one fits in, just by walking in the door?
I'm sad because the shop will not be in existence when I go back for a visit in May. I'm sad because I won't be able to fondle the yarn. I'm sad because, as a business and source of income for some really great people, That Yarn Store in Eagle Rock, CA will cease to be.
My consolation is that I will be able to visit their online shop but it hardly compares to walking into a yarn shop, being overtaken by yarn fumes, and spending way more than my yarn budget allows, all because I felt at home and that I wouldn't be judged on my inability to control myself when it came to yummy fiber. That and a guy sitting on the couch barefoot, knitting who cares what. He was knitting. That's cool.
