A Verb For Keeping Warm, a visit

May 14, 2013
















 



First, before I take you shopping I have to explain about Date Day.  Please don't confuse it with Date Night, it's way better!  It was invented by me and is managed by me.  It happens once a week (never ever on a weekend) and I have my hubs absolutely convinced that it has to include either a drive to the coast, lunch at a cute someplace, a visit to a yarn shop or museum or something else really fun like that or all of the above.  It is great.  So it is because of this that I managed to get my husband to drive me to A Verb For Keeping Warm in Oakland, California about 40 minutes from our home.  Warning: do not follow Google Maps, you will get hopelessly lost.  GPS ended up helping us a bit, so go, if we can find it, you can too!  And, the address is Oakland, but really you are in Berkeley.  There is a cafe next door, we had a sandwich, it's Berkeley, I don't care what the address says.  OK, the preliminaries are over, now let's go shopping!

I love this place!  The sales folk are kind and helpful, but allow you to roam and touch contentedly alone until you ask for help.  It's the home of Pioneer and that's why I really wanted to visit.  I wrote about Pioneer before, it's a new yarn from Verb that is helping (beginning?) to revitalize the California wool industry.  Last week I ordered one skein online to get a feel for it and I loved it and felt a road trip was needed.  On this visit I ended up coming home with a few more skeins of Horse's Mane, a greyed out brown, and Beach Rock, a muted lavender.  Lovely stuff.  Also, I had never seen Plucky Knitter before and bought a skein of blue in a sport weight for a scarf.  Loverly.

The shop is chockablock full of fabulous yarns including Habu, Plucky, Isager, Alchemy, Quince and Co., Verb's own hand dyed yarn and of course Pioneer.  It's arranged with plenty of room to maneuver around with lots of natural light.  There is also a large selection of nice fabric for the quilters with a good dozen plus bolts of the elegant Liberty cotton.  So go.  Go.  Go.  It's a great place to be.  You can tell they love fiber and I love people that love fiber.  

Cindi Brumpton of Purl One blog and a fellow Rowan Ambassador, has recently posted an interview with me. I'd love you to pop over and read it, very exciting for me, plus she is a very funny lady! Links below:

 A Verb For Keeping Warm
Pioneer Yarn
The California Wool Project

Interview on PurlOne

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Kristen Rettig

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11 Comments

  1. Cranberry MorningMay 15, 2013 at 5:51 AM

    The shot of the spinning wheel and room with all the yarn just makes me happy!!

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  2. AnonymousMay 15, 2013 at 5:56 AM

    I absolutely love the photo's Kristen. All that delicious yarn.
    We have Date Night - but Date Day! Why haven't I thought of that one before? Its definitely needed (to our LYS first stop) so off to speak to Richard now :D

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  3. Dayana KnitsMay 15, 2013 at 8:18 AM

    Oh yes, I would love to visit. I have a lot of Plucky yarns, but always have to be surprised by the color in the mail!! Only some Pioneer and one Plucky? You have restraint, my sweet!

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  4. LynneMay 15, 2013 at 8:30 AM

    Oh my gosh! All that beautiful yarn and Liberty cotton under one roof. I definitely have to go there for a visit.

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  5. CJBMay 15, 2013 at 4:00 PM

    Oh my word Kristen, that place is GORGEOUS!!!

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  6. Alycia NicholsMay 16, 2013 at 5:32 AM

    "Kid in a candy shop" is the term that immediately comes to mind!!! :-) Wow...what a great place! Yarn and fabric just everywhere!!! It's so beautiful to see it all stacked up like that!!! Makes me want to snuggle my cheek to the computer screen. Ouch! All I got was a shock! :-)

    It's good that you let people in that area know the directions on Google are a little janky. I just hate it when I get all pumped up about visiting a place and then can't find it!

    Have a great weekend! Popping over to read that interview!

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  7. elnsMay 16, 2013 at 10:29 AM

    I love that shop. And you are so right, the people are so, so kind and helpful. It's the one yarn shop my husband will definitely make time to take me to, since it's across the bay for me. I'm trying to be good, so I don't think I can make a visit for a few months. But boy, oh boy this post is making it hard to exercise discipline. Maybe I'll pick up some Pioneer in the fall!

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  8. life ldcMay 16, 2013 at 12:06 PM

    Gorgeous shop Kristen - thanks for sharing!

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  9. AnonymousMay 16, 2013 at 9:16 PM

    I think it's time for a Knit Wits field trip.

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  10. azwoolgirlMay 18, 2013 at 4:27 AM

    Lucky girl!! I could just move into that shop, what a gorgeous LYS.

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  11. Twisted KnitterMay 19, 2013 at 10:23 AM

    Looks like something in my dreams! :-)

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