Knit 'n Knibble-Tampa, Florida

Back on January 3, we drove to Tampa (an hour's drive from Bushnell) so I could take a knit class at a place called Knit 'n Knibble. Isn't that a cute name? It is appropriate as besides being a GREAT knit shop they have a coffee cafe in the back. So when you come in the door they greet you and then as "would you like a coffee today?" They serve killer lattes! Man, if they added a book store in there I'd never leave...

Look at this place it is so neat. First, it is very small, like ten by 40, and it sits in a strip mall that looks pretty blah on the outside.

But walk inside and you are hit by an array of colors that blows your mind.

Aren't those sweet shelving for yarn???

Here is the inside of the shoppe with the cafe in the back, where they make the lattes. The couches are really comfy and a nice square table in the middle is the meeting place for customers. I spent about an hour and a half looking around. Ladies walked in saying "I have a half hour before an appointment so I thought I'd stop in a knit for a while". Isn't that great? They had informal "show and tell" every time a new person walked in.

The walls are covered with samples and demo items of upcoming classes. An their classes are expensive like a lot of places. I paid $15 for a two hour class on Knit to Fit - about gauges and how to use your gauge swatch to custom fit a garmet. It was a very good class. I signed up for another class for next Thursday on using circular needles - double points, two circulars, and the magic loop. I want to us ethe magic loop to knit two socks at a time, but I'm not getting it from just the booklet; so I am happy to get a chance to take a class while I'm in the area.

We ate lunch at a place called Hao Wah (how-wa) Chinese Buffet and it was the best Chinese buffet I've ever had....and that is saying a lot for me. The restaurant has won "best Chinese restaurant" in Tampa for several years running.

The selection was so different from most Chinese buffet. They had chicken curry, chicken chow mein, egg foo yang (sp?) lobster sauce, large trays of fresh white rice, honey chicken and their green beans were sauted with sesame seeds. The vegetables they used in the dishes were not the usual carrots, celery, onions and broccoli. Their dishes had bok choy, lots of mushrooms, egg plant, and cabbage. While we were there the restaurant was hosting a Chinese' couple wedding dinner with 30 people enjoying all the wonderful food.

As we were leaving Tampa I spied this cell tower - cleaverly disguised as a tree. It was really tall. Pretty neat way to "hide" a cell tower in the middle of town!

Well, that is all for today folks. Remember - you are loved!!!