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Well, I'm sad to say that Jane's Yarn Shoppe, at 12th & Morris Sts is no longer open. Due to financial reasons, she could no longer keep it going.
Small local yarn shops have been trying to compete with the large craft stores (we have A C Moore and Michaels), and Jane's was the only 'crochet friendly' LYS in the city. And when the craft stores came to town, that drove a lot of business from her shop..
She had been a staple in the South Philly area, along East Passyunk Ave. for several decades.
I met her in the late 90's, and found a refuge to share my thoughts, ideas, and my crochet work with. I sometimes found myself staying the shop for hours at a time, just hanging out.
At first, I felt a little strange going there, being the only guy I knew who crocheted (before then, I would just crochet by myself, and never had anyone to talk to about it, without getting those strange looks and attitudes. But she never made me feel that way, she's very down to earth, and welcoming. She helped me come out the crochet 'closet'.
When I started teaching at several senior centers, I would copy some of my students patterns to share with her. Before long, she had hundreds of patterns. I used to make items and she would showcase them in the store and the store window. I would sometimes call her up for her advice, we would help each other with any crochet problems. I honored her professional opinions and ideas.
She specialized in making baby clothes, with that 'thin' yarn (UGH....I cringe just thinking about it!!), and could whip up a baby sweater in no time. She's made so many baby items, she doesn't need a pattern! She could make just about anything, but baby clothes were her favorite.
And she was the best place to get Red Heart's 'Luster Sheen' yarn
Due to illness, I hadn't been able to go there in several years, but I would always recommend everybody to go to her shop. Just remember to bring something to eat & drink, because you'll be there for awhile
I hate to see her go.
