Tanis had a rockin weekend with a trip out of town that she wanted to share with y’all. Thanks Tanis! She says:

This Valentine’s Day found my husband and I road tripping to Philadelphia in search of good food, yarn shops and possibly a cheese steak or two. The man is a good soul and patiently looked around while I pulled him from yarn shop to yarn shop, never once (okay, maybe once) complaining.

One shop I particularly enjoyed was Loop. An incredibly inviting shop complete with a roomy teaching area and some overstuffed couches for all to enjoy, this shop boasts a wide range of yarns, handmade notions bags in multiple sizes from the fabric shop next door, a great book selection and a fantastic staff, Loop will be visited by my husband and I every time we go to Philly. Very impressed with how the yarn was displayed (being used to NY yarn shops where space is, shall we say, difficult to come by), I sashayed through the shop, arms laden with yarns of all weight and color, a notions bag and a dirty look from my husband when the final amount was announced by the cashier. Their Valentine’s Day window displays were very unique (check out the great use of Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock) and they had a good sale going on.

Next up was a stroll around town taking advantage of Philly’s amazing architecture and history. We checked out the rooftop garden at the Kimmel Center (it’s free!) which has a unique ceiling that made me think of an interesting stitch pattern. It would also be a great place to sit and knit on a sunny day. We always make sure to go to the great fruit market in The Reading Terminal, and we stumbled upon a fantastic little needlepoint shop Rittenhouse Needlepoint while waiting for a seat at a nearby restaurant.

While in the Perelman Building, which is part of and across the street from the Philadelphia Museum of Fine Arts, we found ourselves walking into a neat quilting exhibit and an incredible Kansai Yamamoto exhibit. There were some amazing felted flowers on one of his dresses and an awesome samurai knit sweater (see photos). There’s knitting inspiration everywhere!
Philly is easy to get to from DC and New York, a mere 2-hour trip via bus or car. If you need a break from city life and need some good yarn shop love, grab your knitting bag (but leave plenty of space for more yarn to buy), a camera and some good walking shoes.