Philadelphia Weekly

PURL JAM

There are only two basic stitches in knitting: the knit stitch and the purl stitch. In other words, it's deceptively difficult. Then again, nothing worth doing is easy.

Lisa Myers, co-owner of Rosie's Yarn Cellar and the author of two books on knitting, The Joy of Knitting and The Joy of Knitting Companion (out now from Running Press), has been knitting since she was 8 years old. But before she opened the store, she taught English literature and poetry at the University of Pennsylvania, and her interest in knitting was no more than a serious hobby.

Then in 1995 a charming basement-level storefront at 2017 Locust St. became available for rent, and Myers and her spouse just looked at each other and shrugged. Opening a yarn shop had long been a dream; why not give it a go?

Of course, it wasn't quite that simple. For one thing, some of her colleagues let her know that her decision to move from the academic to the domestic realm came as a disappointing surprise.

"It's not easy turning a hobby into a profession, unless your hobby happens to be venture capital," Myers says with a smile.

But sitting in her cozy shop, wedged into a tiny hallway with a sweater dangling above her head and heaps of yarn mushrooming up from every flat surface--"far too much yarn for it to be decent," she says--it's clear Myers is pleased with her choice.

Myers can remember a time when being deeply involved with knitting made a person kind of peculiar.

Naturally, it didn't start out that way. In The Joy of Knitting she delves into what she calls a "feminist history" of the art form, describing the evolution from clothes-making in prehistory as a nearly full-time and completely feminine enterprise, up to the feminist revolution of the last century that rendered it a shameful pastime for any "modern" woman.

"I'm old enough to remember when being a feminist meant you couldn't even learn to cook or you'd be trapped doing it all the time," Myers says. "For the younger generation now, that's not even a conflict." For a time, there was a half-generation gap: In the '60s and '70s, nearly the only women knitting were biddies from the old school.

But now, and for the last several years, knitting is trendy. Simply knitted but gorgeous scarves made from novelty yarns are the rage both on the street and in the magazines. The most pointed indication that knitting is popular is that lots of annoying celebrities are into it, including Courteney Cox and her husband, David Arquette.

Daryl Hannah is featured on the cover of Vogue Knitting's current issue, and inside she admits she's no expert--she can't ever purl! (A moment, please, while grandmothers everywhere turn in their graves.) But the fact remains that if a celebrity feels pressured into pretending she likes something, it must be cool.

"It's mind boggling," says Myers. She regularly sees women in the store who want knitting lessons in order to bond with their 12-year-old daughters, who have learned it from friends.

There are a few theories on the surge in popularity, one of which is the whole "a nation in terror" thing. Several journalists have called Rosie's seeking quotes for stories purporting that homespun values are back thanks to Sept. 11.

She has her own take: Choosing handmade garments over mass- produced clothing amounts to a mini-revolution.

"Basically, it's a reaction against the Gap. Seeing all those different colors and textures changes the visual landscape, and gives us all something to think about."

The new wave of knitting has brought with it lots of things to think about, if you're so inclined. The academic-minded Myers can't help but see the social ramifications involved.

A knitting circle, for instance, is something Myers advocates in her books. It plays into the notion of community, and it's a fine opportunity for learning and sharing. ("I still teach," she says. "Boy, do I teach.")