I am a knitter from way back, having been taught by my
Aunts, but I haven’t done it in years. Babies and toddlers require the use of
mom’s hands far too much to spare them for knitting.

So when I recently decided to start up again, I headed over
to A Mano to gear up. I still have knitting needles, of course, like any
self-respecting crafter would, but I had no project I wanted to start and I
certainly didn’t have any yarn.

It’s a bit cramped, especially in Los Angeles’ winter time
when we all wear too many layers and have a hard time squeezing by each other,
but it’s cozy, too. Filled with the gorgeous, touchable stuff we knitters
crave.

I chose a cute hat pattern to ease back in and some super
bulky (that’s knitting code for BIG yarn) so it goes quickly.

I used to work in a yarn store a few lifetimes ago, and it
was one of the best working experiences of my life. All the employees were
smart, well-educated, interesting women, who happened to also knit. I get the
impression the same is true of A Mano.

Of course they have classes, great for picking up a new
skill. And of course they’ll help you if you’re having trouble with a project;
just bring it in and have a seat around the big table in the front window.
Which I can already tell I’m going to need to do since I can’t remember what
some of these abbreviations mean: “wyib”, “tbl”, “sl-P” – huh? Oh well, I know the smart,
well-educated knitters will come to my rescue, as I come back in out the cold
and join the ranks of the knitters once again.

I also noticed this important sign in the window as I was
leaving. It seems in the ranks of crafters there are those knitters who look
down on crocheters, at least, there are those who do it elsewhere. A Mano
welcomes all kinds!

A Mano Yarn Center, 12808 Venice Blvd., Mar Vista, CA 90066. (310) 397-7170                            

Check the website for open hours.

An original post by Sarah Auerswald.

Mar Vista has been sprucing itself up for the past few
years, and there’s more in store in the years to come, but the place that
started it off is the Venice Grind. Coffee and Wi-fi for the Mar Vista crowd.

Technically, of course, Soaptopia opened its doors first, so
I want to acknowledge that. But as they say, once the coffee place is open, it
just doesn’t seem like frontier land quite so much to the rest of the new
businesses.

So the Venice Grind is like a beacon of sorts. It’s a big
hipster dude standing on the corner with a flashlight, pointing the way in the
darkness and showing by example that, Hey, it’s perfectly safe — come on? What
are you afraid of? It’s totally cool to do business here.

The Grind is not spacious, but it is a great space. The
front windows are the place to sit near when you want to be seen by passersby,
and there’s free wi-fi and electric connection, so the small tables are quickly
taken up by bloggers mostly. The back patio is great for
larger groups, weather permitting, which is most of the time in LA. My old playgroup meets there once a month now that our kids are in school, so beware a large group of moms discussing school bond measures and Little League coaching standards.

The food is pretty standard: sweet treats and cereal by the
individual box, with 2 types of tasty quiche, that I must say, however, MVM is
a little tired of.  I wish they
would spice it up a little bit. IMHO, it couldn’t hurt. But let’s face it, we
come here for the coffee and to hang out, not for the food.

They’ve got a great logo, too, and it looks very cool on a
T-shirt, which I recommend owning.

Venice Grind, 12224 Venice Blvd., Mar Vista, 90066 (310) 397-2227 open all the time

(Note: shirt comes unfilled. My husband is my model.)

An original post by Sarah Auerswald.

Check it out: Our newest little neighborhood joint is the talk of Los Angeles now! Daily Candy has anointed them with their golden magic touch, so we wish them the best!! We just hope they don’t forget us little people in their rise to the top!

An original post by Sarah Auerswald.