Adieu, Knitting Basket

I believe a community can't have too many book or yarn stores, and I'm always sad when a favorite closes its doors. In this case it's the Knitting Basket, which has been a staple in Oakland's Montclair district since it closed its shop in San Francisco. The Knitting Basket was the first yarn store I visited in San Francisco, soon after I moved here, in 1982. It was located on the same street that I worked on, Union Street, and it was pretty intimidating. All those yarns, in all those colors. How were you supposed to figure out what yarn to use for the sweater pattern that seemed easy enough for you to knit? The shop was staffed with brisk and knowledgeable salesclerks whom I was afraid to approach, sure I would expose my ignorance. So I wandered around, selecting projects on a hit and miss basis. Fortunately, there was a knitter in my office who offered me support (cheers, Frances!) and helped me when I really screwed up.

The Knitting Basket moved in the early 90's to the prosperous, Presidio Heights part of Sacramento St. My knitting knowledge had improved a lot, so I could better appreciate the selection of yarn stocked. And since I was better paid, I could afford it! The new location was also easier to navigate -- the shop was narrow rather than wide, and the cherry cubbies stuffed with yarn invited you to touch. But, by the late 90's, the shop owner decided to leave the City and focus on the East Bay store.

The one drawback to the Knitting Basket was its mark-up. Yarn owners fall into two camps -- those that stick to the manufacturer's suggested retail price and those who decide to make a dollar or more on each ball or skein sold. Dedicated knitters quickly learn the difference, and I must admit I mostly shopped at the Knitting Basket when they were having a sale -- due to the markup and because they stocked such high end yarn ($30 a skein and up). And when I did visit, it wasn't the pricey yarn I was buying.

But I always liked the shop. Montclair is one of the Oakland neighborhoods that feels like a little village, with an old-fashioned ice cream parlor, a toy store, a candy store and a couple of independent bookstores. I could spend a lazy afternoon poking through yarns and checking out the pattern books of designers my LYS doesn't carry, then stop for a Jamba Juice or a latte at Peet's. Plus, I really like Rachael, the owner who bought the shop a few years ago. She's closing up to spend more time with her kids, who are just starting school. A completely understandable reason, but she will be missed.

Faith dictates that when one door closes, another opens. Sweet Adeline, my favorite neighborhood bakery (voted Best Bakery in this summer's East Bay Express reader's poll) has a wonderful display of knitted goods up this month, and this morning when I stopped in for my Saturday indulgences there were ten or so women sitting around knitting! Providence, I think.

One of the most critical dilemmas a knitter faces when a shop departs is just how much yarn to pick up to enhance their stash. (And yes, that term accurately describes the habit we yarn addicts indulge in). I always seem to be treading that fine line between scavenging and gluttony. My strategy here was to do a little reconnaissance on the first day of the sale, to pick up the choicest yarns that would go first and then check out what else might appeal. Do I need to tell you that a woman was blocking the Koigu and Jitterbug crates, while talking on a cell phone, and that increased my adrenaline? All I could think of was supply and demand, supply and demand, as I threw the skeins into my basket. That crisis averted, I turned my attention to the selection of Noro magazines, making a mental note to go home and check out which issues I was missing. There were some nice colors of Silk Garden and Kureyon that were tempting, but I figured I could go through the magazines and review possible projects before committing.

I was going to play it cool and wait a few days before returning, but I kept thinking of that one copy of the Jo Sharp magazine that was out of print. Rather than leaving anything to chance, I popped in again the next day. And picked up some sock yarn (at 40% off, who could resist?). Plus, I'd decided on a Silk Garden and Debbie Bliss Cashmerino project that only needed a few skeins of yarn and I wanted to review colors. I knew I'd be jammed up during the end of the week, with dentist appointments and family events, but I thought I could safely wait a days. Imagine my shock, shock, and dismay when I returned Monday and found whole cubbies emptied out! My little Silk Garden sweater selection had vaporized. How could I have overlooked Saturday, the one day when knitters from all over the Bay Area would come to pillage? What an amateur's mistake!! Thank goodness no one had snatched up all the yarn for the Cavendish wrap (in the original color, even) so I could still come out with a win!

My little spree was quite the success. I can tell because I have a bag of yarn hiding in my car trunk -- afraid to bring it into the house to add to the other bags, all right bins of yarn, that make up my stash.

Denial? That's a river in Egypt.

Thanks for the memories, Rachael. I'll miss you.