Talk Shop is the series where Hello Craft interviews independent store owners from across the country, to get their inside take on running an independent business that supports the handmade community. This article was originally posted by Kim Dorn on HelloCraft.com.

With yarn shops few and far between in the Washington, DC area, knitters, crocheters and spinners can now rejoice in the brand new yarn shop, Fibre Space, owned by Knit-a-gogo founder and Crafty Bastards sponsor, Danielle Romanetti.

Romanetti is a knitter-extraordinaire, who’s love for yarn crafts led her to create Knit-a-gogo – a series of classes and workshops for would-be knitters, hosted at various locations around the DC Metro area. Her success with Knit-a-gogo has now morphed into her brick and mortar shop, Fibre Space, located in Alexandria, Virginia.

Fibre Space sells an awesome array of yarns, wool, cute gifts, knitting supplies and how-to kits, and also hosts many classes and events for beginners, advanced knitters, and everyone in between. In this interview, Romanetti shares how a love for what you do, combined with carfeful planning, can turn into a successful and fun business.

Do you have any sort of background in crafting or the arts?
I do! I ran my company, Knit-a-Gogo, for almost three years before opening this retail shop. I taught knit and crochet classes around the DC metro area.

How does your business support independent artists and crafters and/or the handmade community?
I provide supplies for several independent crafters who sell their finished knit, crochet and weaving objects at local craft shows. I also buy my knitting project bags from local crafter this chickadee, who I met at Crafty Bastards last year.

Who are your favorite yarn spinners and local knitters?
Some of my favorite local yarn dyers are: Three Irish Girls and Woolarina. My favorite local knitwear designer is Olga Buraya-Kefelian.

How can crafters get involved with your shop?
We have a regular “Stitch in Space” night on Thursday evenings from 5-9 p.m. which is a great way for local crafters to network with the shop and with each other.

What’s the most unusual item(s) for sale in your shop?
We have roving! There doesn’t seem to be a source for roving in our area, so we knew that we just had to carry it for spinners or needle felters.

Any advice for those interested in opening up their own boutique?
Planning. I started working on my business plan for this shop last August. It took almost a year to get it open. Careful planning allowed me to manage through the tight economy and still open with a bang. Having had the previous company already set up was a huge help. I already had a customer base and an established business with credit.

Where do you shop, besides your shop, of course?
My local Alexandria favorites are actually featured in the “community” section of my site. A few from that list: A Show of Hands, Bellacara, La Fromagerie, Potomac Bead Company

Any exciting upcoming events or sales going on at your shop?
This weekend we are hosting a “Dog Days of Summer” event. To celebrate the amazing new dog sweater patterns we just got from Style Hounds, we are throwing a doggie themed bash.

Bring a PHOTO of your doggie and get a 5% discount on your purchases that day. Meet and greet all day with the local Italian Greyhound rescue, who will be out front with some of their dogs.

Featuring a Contest:
Join us for a dog sweater contest! Knit up a dog sweater with fibre from our shop and be entered to win a $30 gift card. Sweater can be your own design or from a pattern. (extra points for unique versions of an existing pattern or for original design). Entries due by August 22nd and will be judged during the event on August 23rd. Don’t want to enter? Join us and vote for your favorite!

Note: Due to the potential for fibre related disaster, dogs will not be permitted in the shop during this event. We are happy to host them outside with the italian greyhound rescue.

Next month, we are featuring two new “yarn tastings.” These are an opportunity to try out a yarn company and their fibres while enjoying a tasty treat. We will have: Imperial Stock Ranch yarn tasting, September 18, 7-9 p.m. featuring the Columbia sheep yarn and sheep cheeses from La Fromagerie. Blue Sky Alpaca Yarn and ACKC chocolate Tasting, Sept 27, 3-5 p.m. – featuring Blue Sky Alpacas smooth and lucious fibres along with the tasty smooth chocolate of local chocolatier ACKC.

Fibre Space is located at 102 N. Fayette Street, Alexandria, VA 22314

Check out Fibre Space online at fibrespace.com.

I’ve wanted to learn how to sew since I was young, but I’ve always shyed away from classes where you need to shell out big bucks to use machines that intimidate the hell out of me… so I say thank goodness for the DC Threads Sewing Lounge.

The DC Threads Sewing Lounge is a free program held on the second Saturday of each month at the North Michigan Recreation Center (1333 Emerson St, NE, Washington, DC 20017) from1-4pm. The first session will be held on October 11th.

Participate in a “sew-n-tell” hour where you can bring projects you are working on to share tips and exchange ideas, followed by guided projects that are fun and beginner-friendly. You’ll need to bring your own supplies, but sewing machines are provided, and best of all… the sessions are FREE!

DC Threads is a great resource for local sewers. Get info on their Lounge and local sewing classes, find out where fabric stores are near you, and lots more at www.dcthreads.org.

A few posts ago, my fellow bastard Tina Seamonster wrote about upcycling with those old t-shirts that just aren’t wearable anymore. Now I have yet another crafty recycling option for you- make paper. At the Pyramid Atlantic papermill we can make paper out of everything from junk mail to your old New Kids shirt (if you can let it go). No need to cut down virgin forests for your crafts- there are plenty of fibers that can be recycled. Most plant fibers can be used to make interesting paper, and the opacity changes depending how long the material is beaten in the Hollander Beater. In short, longer fibers are cut down in the beater and then pulled into sheets of paper.

A few months ago we had a group of kids at Pyramid who cut up their old jeans to make a pretty bluish paper. Also, old cotton t-shirts can be cut up and recycled into new paper, the color either determined by the shirt dye or added later if the fiber is white. In a class I took, we cut up a variety of shirts, and the strong red of one shirt mixed with those others to create a pretty pink.

Like yarn, paper can be made of many sustainable fibers like bamboo and seaweed. Check out this sweet journal made from recycled seaweed. Kozo (also known as Mulberry) is often used in handpapermaking, creating a beautiful translucent paper. The fibers can be harvested without killing the plant, thus creating a renewable resource.

Bamboo is another reusable fiber that we often use at Pyramid Atlantic to make paper, but don’t worry, there is still plenty for the pandas!

For a quick, clear look at the Hollander Beater and Handmade paper, read Ray Rich’s page at http://www.sumi-art.com/my-hmp.html

Crafters:Applications for Bust’s Spring Fling Craftacular are due tomorrow!

Tina posted application and vendor info here. The show is Sunday April 27th in Brooklyn and will feature talented crafters, an all day dance party with an open bar and an entire room set aside for dancing and mingling. Visit the Craftacular site for more info and to apply.

Fiber addicts: Get your fix tomorrow afternoon from 2pm-6pm in Takoma Park at the Homespun Yarn Party.

Visit the Yarn Party blog for more pictures and interviews with the spinners, dyers and other vendors.