On My Block

I live across from a park that takes up a whole city block and sometimes the chain link fence gets decorated.  This so far has been my favorite and most interesting "graffiti".  I was lucky enough to notice it on a bright clear day. 

For the Love of Philly: Headhouse Farmers' Market

Growing up in a small town we always got seasonal produce from local farmers.  Some of them are family friends and other times you just find a veggie stand at the side or the road at the corn of a field that would be filled with good things like tomatoes, peppers, green beans, and later in the summer corn.  Living in Philly my options are a lot different from that of my childhood, but this brings me to my new favorite place to visit on Sunday morning, the Headhouse Farmers' Market.  It's the best of both, located between Lombard St. and South St. on 2nd St.

There are tons of vendors to choose from and I love chatting with the farmers about there produce and farms.  Last week I saw radishes, peas, three varieties or turnips, beets, zucchini, squash, apples, tomatoes, strawberries, all sorts of varieties of lettuce.  My market bag is always full when I leave the market.

Along with produce that farmers bring there are a few other vendors that sell there goods.  You can find two farmers to by fresh cage free eggs from. there are too different cheese vendors one is cows milk cheese the other is goat milk cheese (my fave), there are bakers and florists, and a a few plant nurseries too.

The Market opens bright ans early on Sunday morning at 10am and goes to 2pm.  I suggest going early to get the best pick of the produce.

For the Love of Philly: Reading Terminal Market

The Reading Terminal Market is a must when you are in center city.  It is one of my favorite places in center city and even if you don't need any produce, bread, fish, cheese, cupcakes or anything to eat it is a great place to go and experience the atmosphere.

My first stop at the market is always Old City Coffee.  I need my caffeine fix for the morning or afternoon, or really any time of the day.

My next favorite place in Metropolitan Bakery.  Their bread is so yummy, but what I really love is their chocolate croissants.  Every few weeks I meet up with my friend Nicole and we purchase large cups of coffee and wonderful starchy bread and eat, chat and knit.  It involves three of my favorite things and one of my favorite people.   

The terminal is always teaming with activity and there is so much to see and do and eat.  There are countless stalls and all selling a variety of things.

  You can find locally grown and organic goods at the market.

Any kind of cheese you can imagine.

Yummy cupcakes from Flying Monkey. 

Watch pretzels being made by hand. 

Get a sandwich as big as your face.

Buy freshly baked breads.

Brows a variety of honeys.

Did I mention the pretzels.  If you find yourself in the terminal you at least need to have a hand made pretzel. The terminal is a great piece of Philly I love it for the vibe and the food.  It's a great place to visit just to see what's there and happening. 

The Reading Terminal Market

12th and Arch St

Philadelphia Pa

Hours

Monday-Saturday

8am-6pm

Sunday

9am-5pm

For the Love of Philly: PAT or Philly AIDS Thrift

PAT is my favorite thrift store in Philly.  There window display is always fun and kookie, they always have interesting items, and the volunteers are friendly and helpful.  I have a few reasons why I love this store.  First off they are in my neighborhood, a short walk to a wonderful thrift store.  Secondly, now that PAT has moved to it's new store the place is HUGE.  Thirdly, They have a whole room devoted to things that cost $1 (that's where I found that great wool coat).  And finally PAT is a non profit that gives all it's dough to the AIDS Fund who helps distribute the funds to local AIDS organizations.

There are two floors in this local gem of a thrift store and the bottom has kitchen wears, CD's and Movies, and items that are in season.  At Halloween the first floor has a lot of items that would make great costumes.  Right now there are tons of Jackets and sweaters.  The changing rooms and the front counter are also located on the first floor.

 
My favorite is the second floor that's where all the clothes, shoes and books are.  The dollar room is also located on the second floor in the very back.  Past the book section there is a room with a pool table, which Simon longs for every time he comes with me to the thrift store.

I can and have spent hours combing through racks of tees and jeans, or looking for fun things to read.  Every time I go in I come out with something.  If you plan on stopping by make sure you give yourself lots of time to explore.

Some other highlights about PAT:
-They have different color tags that are discounted every week.  There is at 25%, 50% and 75% tag.  The Volunteers post the colors on all of the walls around the shop.
-Every 1st and 3rd Friday of the month the Mazzoni Center comes with their mobile testing center and offers free HIV testing from 12pm-5pm
-Check their website, because sometimes there are special sales.  For example this month on the 17th
everything that is green, has green in it or is snake skin print will be 50% off.
-They offer gift cards.
-They take debit and credit cards

Philly AIDS Thrift

710 S. 5th St

Philadelphia PA

Store Hours:

Mon-Thurs: 11am-8pm

Fri & Sat: 11am-9pm

Sunday: 11am-7pm

Fall Mural

This is or was one of my favorite murals in my neighborhood.  Sadly it is now covered up with a big ugly house that sticks out like a sore thumb among all the brownstones surrounding it.  I will miss seeing this beautiful mural everyday when I walk to work.

For the Love of Philly: Chapter House

Front Room of Chapterhouse

This is by far my favorite coffee house in Philadelphia.  One of the reasons we moved to Bella Vista was because we would be closer to Chapterhouse.  Ok, maybe that wasn't really the reason, but it was a great perk to moving to this neighborhood.

This gem of a coffee shop is located off of South Street on 9th.  It is practically on the corner of 9th and Bainbridge.  Don't be lured into the Starbucks on the corner of 9th and South when just a short walk down the same block you can go to Chapterhouse.  The building is beautiful and the front of the cafe is floor to ceiling windows which let in a ton of natural light and at night you can't miss this coffee spot, and sometimes I feel like a moth drawn to the flame in the promise of caffeine.

Chapterhouse has a huge selections of beverages from drip coffee, to specialty drinks, to a great selection of teas.  They also make smoothies and Italian sodas.  My favorites are the soy latte with hazelnut, and their hot chocolate.  On top of great coffee they have locally baked treats like cupcakes and croissants.  They also have light lunch fare, wraps and sandwiches are delivered daily from Cafe Ole in Old City.

Not only is this a great hang out with delicious beverages they also are a gallery with the art rotating every two months.  A poetry slam is held every first Saturday in the room downstairs, and the South Philly Knitters meet here during the winter months every Thursday.

Chapterhouse

620 South 9th St

Philadelphia PA

Hours

Mon-Sun 

7am-10pm

For The Love Of Philly: Nangellini

Photo by Adam's Nanny

 When you walk into Nangellini you are welcomed by the warmth of color.  The shop is bursting with it, if you were ever able to be inside of a rainbow I imagine that this is how it would look.  From the art on the walls to the color of Nancy's hair vibrancy rules in this shop.

Nangellini is my LYS.  I'm a bit biased when it comes to this store as I use to work here and it is two blocks from my apartment.  Located on South street between 9th and 8th street this store not only has wonderful yarn and all the knitting accessories one may need but you can also find fiber for spinning and felting along with finished items.  The Finished Items are mostly the work of the owner Nancy.  She is a free form fiber artist, with vibrant pink and sometimes purple or blue hair.  Nancy is a self proclaimed hat addict and by looking in the front of the shop you can see the evidence of her love of knitting and crocheting hats.  She also knits beautiful lace mandalas as wall hangings that are hung through out her shop.  

Nangellini

 Nangellini specializes in unique yarn.  This means Nancy stocks luxury fibers, trendy, anything with sparkle, recycled sari silks, banana fiber, and tons of other fabulous yarn.  She stocks one of my favorite company's yarn Mirasol.  If you are looking for a unique gift for a knitter of someone who thinks outside of the box you should check out this fab shop on South St.

You can check out Nangellini online or on Facebook.

 Nangellini

832 South St

Philadelphia Pa 19147

215-413-5001

Hours
Monday: by Appointment Only
Tuesday: 11am-9pm
Wednesday & Thursday: 11am-6pm

Friday: 11am-8pm
Saturday: 12pm-7pm
Sunday: 12pm-6pm

Classes
Nancy offers classes for Knitting and crochet.
Classes are scheduled with Nancy based on availability.
Call to schedule a class with Nancy.

Knitting Circles:
Tuesday at 6-9pm

Sunday at 3-6pm
*$5 to participate or free with purchase of $5 or more*
Receive 10% off yarn purchases during the circle 

Happy August!

It's August and I have 20 days left here on the farm and then back to Philly with me. Actually Simon and I spent our day off yesterday home in Philly. I'm missing home more so this summer than my other summers at camp. Yesterday was great, I went to my favorite coffee shop, had lunch at one of my favorite restaurants, went to my LYS, and saw friends who I haven't seen since I went to camp. I also drank some gin and tonics with said friends and had a wonderful time.

I have plans for a sweater pattern to be out this November, or October if I'm feeling ambitious. Any suggestions? Pull over, cardigan, hoodie?

I am itching to get knitting again!

South St Set

Completed and Listed! There it is the South St Set, Tam and Mittens knitting pattern. I had such a fun time designing and knitting these. The yarn I think is what really made it enjoyable. You can check out this patterns stats in my esty shop. There are three new listings the South St Set with is both the tam and the mittens or you can just get your favorite. The South St Tam is easy to knit with a simple textured stitch pattern that keeps this pattern interesting, and the South St. Mittens are knit with out a gusset. All the stitches you need for the mitt you cast on at the beginning. Great for that advanced beginner who wants to start knitting in the round.

If you are in the Philly area you should stop in to Nangellini and see them in person and check out all of the "Nancy's Hair" Sock Yarn.

Nice Things Handmade

Nice Things Handmade is a somewhat new store in South Philly. Nice Things opened in February 2010 in the wake of other similar shops like Mew Gallery and the Curiosity Shop closing. I was really sad that Mew and Curiosity had closed their doors as they were two of my favorite shops to buy gifts from.

I heard of Nice things on my return to Philly from Oz and wasn't able to get down to East Pasyunk until recently. I met Elissa the owner at the weekly Knitting circle I go to at Nangellini. There I found out she was doing a fiber show and Nancy showed Elissa some of my hand dyed. It was a happy accident, or karma was on my side because Elissa asked me to bring some of my hand dyed to Nice Things. I was ecstatic and dropped off about ten hanks of hand dyed and some hand spun yarn yesterday!

Tomorrow is the opening at Nice Things. Their website is under construction but they have a great Facebook page with events and times listed as well as location and shop hours. I unfortunately have a gig in South Jersey tomorrow and will be unable to go, but if you are in the Philly area and are looking for something interesting I highly recommend going the Nice Things for the opening there at 6 to 10pm.

Shop Info
Nice Things Handmade
1731 East Pasyunk Ave (right across the Street from Marra's)

Fall?

The leafs have just started to turn here in Philly, and there is a glimmer of golden yellow and bursts of orange here and there around the city. Unlike my home town which I'm sure is bursting with color right about now Philly tends to take a little longer ushering in the fall colors and temps. With September coming to a close I am ready for October and the for the fall to finally be here.

Good to Be Back

Simon and I arrived back in the city on Sunday and it feels good to be back in town and in our apartment. We both missed our place a lot.

For the next couple of days Simon is working at school and I'm bumming around the apartment and the city. I still need to finish unpacking, but I figured I'd do it in small chunks. Today i plan on going to the fabric store and the other yarn store. I promised Simon curtains in our place a year ago and got as far as our bedroom. I'm not too fussed, but Simon is concerned about our neighbors seeing me scantly clad (if clad at all).

We are only in Philly till Friday as we are going up to my parents. We haven't seen each other since Christmas, and my mom want to throw us an engagement party. Which I'm fine with, but I must arm myself with my offbeat bride and my antibride guide and be ready for some interesting conversations.

Home Sweet Home

After a 6 hour drive Simon and I arrived back in Philly last night. It was so nice to be home, don;t get me wrong I love my family and Keuka Lake is a beautiful place to have grown up in, but I like the city and I love my own place.

I think I appreciate the Lake and my hometown more now that I don't live there. It is a wonderful area with tons of natural beauty and wonderful wine. (I love me some wine.) Seeing my family is great, we catch up, eat great food, drink great wine. (Again I love wine, and so does my mom.) Simon and I go on outing to the surrounding areas and overall just relax and take our time. (We also visit my favorite winery for a tasting, my mom is the tasting room manager so I get a free tasting and a nice 30% discount on my wine purchase.)

Enough about wine and lakes, we are back in Philly and I missed the busy noise of the city and our favorite pizza place just a few blocks over from our apartment. I never thought I would fall in love with Philly as much as I have. Right now where I am in my life I can't imagine living anywhere else.

New at Blue Betty

I just listed new one of a kind items in my etsy shop.

The first is the Summer Camp OOAK Recycled Tee Tote

And the other in the Lets Jam OOAK Recycled Tee ToteI feel that I've been very productive this week, mostly in the admin area. I've blogged like crazy, took photos, edited said photos, and listed items, as well as work on my facebook fan page which you can view here. Now I just need to get sewing! I've made five bags so far, admittedly one of them was for me.

Things are going to start getting busy as I have been hired to design a musical for the end of the month, but I like the idea of being busy. I also applied for a LD and ME position at a small theatre company for their 2009/2010 season. It's crazy, but I am really starting to feel good about my desicion to move to Philly. I mean I love the city, but I'm starting to get more work as a designer and and electrician, so I love the city even more.

Date Night

Last night Simon and I went out on a date. Something we haven't done in ages. We went to one of our favorite spots in Philly the Nodding Head. Not only is this a pub with great fries, but it is also a microbrewery and brews all there own beer. This is really why it is my favorite bar, it's fries are the second reason why.

This amazing bar is on 15th and Sansom, and is in a way hard to find as it is an upstairs bar. There is a giant sign above the bar, but only a small door and a staircase make up the entrence. Which is why on my first time going there I walked past it completely. the atmosphere reminds me much of the pubs I visited when I was in England.

The beer is great and the selection is always changing. Their grog a dark chocolaty beer is my favorite, while Simon enjoys their 60 Shillings which is smooth and malty. In the Spring and Summer we both like thier Monkey Knife Fight which is a white ale brewed with lemon grass and ginger. On par with there beer is their food, I've already mentioned the fries (which they serve with a spicy mayonais dipping sauce), but there burgers and sandwiches are delicious. I love the Muffeletta made with Pesto and olive tapinade. The also have wonderful Mussels which you can get steamed in a varriate of ways.

All in all I love this bar.

L'Aube

I have gotten my sewing machine and couldn't be happier. All I want to do now is sew! I went up to my favorite fabric store today to get my supplise I needed for my spring items, and it was closed. There website says that they are opened 7 days a week, so I was very sad and a little cold having walked 10 blocks to get there.

My friend Antea and I went together, and on our way there we stopped at a new french cafe called L'Aube. It is really cute and has organic fair trade coffee at great prices. It's located on 15th and South St. It has a great atmosphere and the owner is super friendly. They also have crepes, one of my faves as well as ones filled with neuttella, my super fav. If you are in the area deffinatly hit up that spot.

Well I am off to sew for a bit!

Posting in the AM

My day hasn't even started, but my day isn't ending till 11:30pm tonight, so I thought that I'd post be fore work. I found this photo in my blog folder. This statue is in this tiny park on the corner or Chestnut and 5th. I use to walk through it on my way to the theatre this fall.

I'm still Hookin' .

Check it out!

I met this awesome fiber artist today namd Lisa. She spins yarn out of recycled sweaters. Take a look at her site, it links to her etsy shop. Her Fibers are amazing and she was super cool.

Her Site
http://re-yarn.com/

Her Etsy
sexysheep.etsy.com

Another

Another one! I'm back on the scarves. This one is a hand dyded cotton linen blend with some nylon ladder yarn running through. I worked this scarf lengthwise and striped the hand dyed and the ladder yarn. I used huge needles US 17, not my 35's, but pretty beefy. This one came out super long.

Handmade Pledge

I took it!

Done and done. Time to start my holiday shopping!
I sold my first scarf yesterday on Etsy. I ran into the kitchen and almost took Simon out. He's so suportive and sweet. He gets excited even though I know it's not as big of a deal to him as it is to me. I'm glad he is so suportive

It snowed today in Philly. It is also very cold and our heat is all weird in the new place. It sounds like we have a small stream running through our bedroom.