Looped Yarn Works

FINALLY! FINALLY! Washington DC has a yarn shop worthy of its knitters and crocheters. Looped Yarn Works is everything I’d hoped for and more. The shop is about a block and half north of the Dupont Circle Metro (North exit—big escalator). Come out of the escalator and start walking away from the circle until you reach 1732 Connecticut Avenue. Two short flights of stairs up and you are at Looped. It’s bright, airy and organized. Silks, DK, Sport, Fingering and other luxury yarns are in the back room. Worsted and heavy weights are in the front room.

The selection in both rooms is delicious. Yarns that I wouldn’t order online because of shipping costs and fear of being saddled with a quantity of yarn that I might end up hating are here: Berrocco, Cascade, CEY, Debbie Bliss, Rowan… The prices are reasonable and for the two skeins I bought, they were the same price as on the manufacturer’s website. I looked at a skein of merino lace weight 1573 yards for $21.00. Not outrageous at all.

I’m still on yarn buying hiatus but I couldn’t resist a skein of Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light and a skein of Cascade 220. There is a good selection of needles. Addi’s, of course, and Chia Goo crochet hooks and circular knitting needles (in Bamboo and metal) in the standard 16, 24, 32, 40 inch as well as in sock needle sizes…yes!!!

And you are welcome to show up and just knit!

What I was most excited for was the steady stream of customers coming through the door. I encourage readers to check them out. You won’t be disappointed.

Knitting
I’m beavering away using up three skeins of Knit Picks Shadow in the Stained Glass colourway that I bought two years ago. It’s a half circle shawl: Garter stitch, no design (EZ would be proud). A perfectly mindless bus knit. I loved the colourway but everything I tried with it before just didn’t work out and I’ve ended up disliking the yarn until I started this project.

Movies
I Can’t Think Straight
Oh my, was this funny. Two Muslim girls, one a Jordanian and the other a South Asian discover by meeting each other that they are Lesbians. The scene-stealer in the movie is the South Asian house servant of the rich Jordanians. She does something early in the movie that makes you watch her every time she’s on screen. Good acting all round. Great soundtrack.

Books
For my birthday, I treated myself to a Tea Canister and some tea from Teavana and bought a used copy of Barbara G. Walker’s A Treasury of Knitting Patterns Vol 1. That’s going to be my bedtime reading for awhile.