Yarn shops are the new bar, according to Ellen Bloom of Compatto, a new yarn store in Santa Monica. “Instead of the bar where everyone knows your name, there are places like this now.”

Wait — but most bars have boys in them, and yarn stores not so much. Maybe after Knitting With Balls makes it big?

Most bars also have booze….

Anyway — I dropped by Compatto on a few days ago while walking back home from Whole Foods, looking for organic wool — and found some! I also checked out some organic cotton yarn; and according to the LA Times, Compatto even carries some bamboo yarn :)

That’s not to say that Compatto is primarily an eco-yarn store — it’s not. In fact, we’re talking just 1 small line of organic cotton (Blue Sky Alpacas) and wool (Cascade Yarns Eco Wool) each — and all of it only in “natural” colors — meaning the colors span from dark gray to light beige, with no reds, blues, greens, etc. I hope that make would-be eco-knitters think that eco-yarns can’t be coloful!

Still, I’m v. impressed that this store made the choice to carry at least 1 of each eco-fiber, more or less, at its inception! The store opened just 2 months ago :)

What it lacks in boys and booze, Compatto makes up, sort of, in sunny atmosphere and helpful people. And since what I wanted was gray wool, I found what I needed :) Final product to be featured in the next couple days –

Compatto. 2112 Wilshire Blvd. Santa Monica. 310.453.2130. Tu-Fri, 11 am - 7 pm; Sat, 10 am - 5 pm; Su, 12 pm - 5 pm.

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